Jul 14, 2015, 2:48 pm
Last edit by: BadgerBoi
The Definitive Guide to Seat Poaching
1. Don't do it.
2. Alternatively to #1: Asking politely (and not demanding) to swap for an equal or better seat is acceptable by most (but the final decision always lays with the original seat holder)...but, be warned, some FT'ers may breathe fire at you.
3. Keep in mind that Point 2 is not seat poaching.
1. Don't do it.
2. Alternatively to #1: Asking politely (and not demanding) to swap for an equal or better seat is acceptable by most (but the final decision always lays with the original seat holder)...but, be warned, some FT'ers may breathe fire at you.
3. Keep in mind that Point 2 is not seat poaching.
Seat Swapping, Seat Poaching and Seating Etiquette: The Definitive Thread
Sep 30, 2017, 6:20 pm
#1441
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Had a first. Flying with my wife today. We were upgraded via RUC a few days ago. We were initially upgraded to 1A and 1B (the only set of two together), but my wife hates bulkheads so I moved her to 3A and me to 2B. When I checked in last night, that's what we had. When we got to the gate and my wife pulled up her boarding pass via the Delta App, it showed 2A (and the machine spit out a receipt for 2A when she scanned her phone as she boarded.)
Wonder what happened. We didn't ask anyone to swap us. Did a GA notice we were traveling together and move the original occupant of 2A to 3A and put her beside me? Or perhaps 2A misconnected or switched to another flight and the GA saw 2A was open and moved her beside me? Odd that it happened without us even being asked or is inquiring about it.
Wonder what happened. We didn't ask anyone to swap us. Did a GA notice we were traveling together and move the original occupant of 2A to 3A and put her beside me? Or perhaps 2A misconnected or switched to another flight and the GA saw 2A was open and moved her beside me? Odd that it happened without us even being asked or is inquiring about it.
Sep 30, 2017, 8:14 pm
#1442
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Most likely someone else had been split up and GA played around to make everyone happy.
Oct 1, 2017, 5:40 am
#1443
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Still, GAs shouldn't move seats without asking first. For all the GA knew, 2B and 3A were in the middle of a nasty divorce and the seats were moved form 1A and 1B because they did NOT want to sit together. Do not assume.....
Oct 1, 2017, 1:35 pm
#1444
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Does it really make the world a better place? Or does it contribute one more bit of self entitlement being rewarded? One more bad behavior encouraged.
As to good deeds coming back...lets not assume some magical universal providence that operates behind the scenes. That's superstitious talk. There is no evidence, nor is there any rational reason, nor any science, that points to on subjectively moral act influencing another unrelated one in the future. A guy can beat a child and win the lottery the next day. Another can save a child and die in agony in a car wreck. This isn't the movies, and invisible karmic justice isn't operating as a function of the universe.
As to good deeds coming back...lets not assume some magical universal providence that operates behind the scenes. That's superstitious talk. There is no evidence, nor is there any rational reason, nor any science, that points to on subjectively moral act influencing another unrelated one in the future. A guy can beat a child and win the lottery the next day. Another can save a child and die in agony in a car wreck. This isn't the movies, and invisible karmic justice isn't operating as a function of the universe.
Last edited by MW147; Oct 1, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Oct 1, 2017, 4:10 pm
#1445
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Oct 1, 2017, 6:51 pm
#1446
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Oct 2, 2017, 9:31 am
#1447
Join Date: May 2015
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It's 50/50
Oct 2, 2017, 9:57 am
#1448
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Got on my 6AM LGA-BOS shuttle last week, to find someone sitting in my exit row window seat (21E on the 717, the one with no seat in front of it). I noted that I believed he was in my seat, and he immediately got up and moved to 22E. Yeah, I'm SURE you accidentally took the seat with more legroom than an NBA center could use, rather than the regular economy one a row behind. 
Oct 3, 2017, 9:31 am
#1449
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Got on my 6AM LGA-BOS shuttle last week, to find someone sitting in my exit row window seat (21E on the 717, the one with no seat in front of it). I noted that I believed he was in my seat, and he immediately got up and moved to 22E. Yeah, I'm SURE you accidentally took the seat with more legroom than an NBA center could use, rather than the regular economy one a row behind.
Oct 3, 2017, 9:36 am
#1450
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Was asked to move from 3B to 5A on a 757 ATL-RNO so a couple could sit together.
Husband was in 5A and the one who asked. Every time I am asked it is by the husband. Just an observation.
I complied. Felt like being nice for a change.
Husband was in 5A and the one who asked. Every time I am asked it is by the husband. Just an observation.
I complied. Felt like being nice for a change.
Oct 3, 2017, 10:01 am
#1451
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Guy in my case didn't say anything either, immediately got up, didn't even make a pretense at "oops, is this 21, I thought it was 22."
Oct 3, 2017, 1:12 pm
#1452
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This must happen pretty often. Last year I was on an AS 737-700, and Row 17 is set up the same way - no seat in front of 17A or 17F. I was in the aisle but a guy with 17F boards and finds a lady sitting in his seat. He says something and she halfway pretends to pull out and look at her boarding pass and was like "oh I'm in the wrong seat". As she's shuffling to get out and move back to her seat (which wasn't even close to Row 17), he goes "Nice try...."
Oct 3, 2017, 4:27 pm
#1453
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This must happen pretty often. Last year I was on an AS 737-700, and Row 17 is set up the same way - no seat in front of 17A or 17F. I was in the aisle but a guy with 17F boards and finds a lady sitting in his seat. He says something and she halfway pretends to pull out and look at her boarding pass and was like "oh I'm in the wrong seat". As she's shuffling to get out and move back to her seat (which wasn't even close to Row 17), he goes "Nice try...."
Oct 3, 2017, 4:54 pm
#1454
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This must happen pretty often. Last year I was on an AS 737-700, and Row 17 is set up the same way - no seat in front of 17A or 17F. I was in the aisle but a guy with 17F boards and finds a lady sitting in his seat. He says something and she halfway pretends to pull out and look at her boarding pass and was like "oh I'm in the wrong seat". As she's shuffling to get out and move back to her seat (which wasn't even close to Row 17), he goes "Nice try...."
It's a competition. A competition for comfort. A competition for ease of the travel experience. A competition to be first to snag that seat over all the others who want it. It means being willing to spend the extra $$ vs someone who isn't. It means being knowledgeable about booking seats in advance vs an ignorant kettle who asks for seats at the airport check-in. It means having some status to leaverage vs someone who doesn't. it's a matter of luck too, avoiding IRROPS and random issues vs. the poor sucker who became a victim of them.
When you get that seat, you won the competition. It's dog eat dog. Sorry...those who are weak perish, those who are strong get the exit row aisle.
I would love to be able to offer platitudes about feeling good by being nice to someone in need. If that's your bag, fine. You chose to give it away and sit in the middle. Your choice. But me? No. I can feel sympathy for a person's predicament...if it's not completely of their own making...but not enough to give up what I fought for and won.
I think Karma is a superstitious and irrational notion. Thinking kind acts will come back to you someday is a fine Disney narrative, but not a dimension of reality as we know it.
I think courtesy is not bothering other people. Asking for a swap is discourteous, not refusing a swap.
Oct 3, 2017, 4:55 pm
#1455
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Flew JFK-YYZ last night. I was in 4A. Gentlemen sits down in 4C. Just before boarsing finishes, lady in 4D comes aboard. Puts her stuff away and then ask gentlemen what his seat nunber is. Didn't think anything of it, figuring she was 4c and him 4D. Nope. She was last upgrade and knew 4C was empty. He pulls out BP and its for 19B. Proceeds to act like he thought you just took first available seat while boarding. Perfect English went to broken English with accent real quickly.