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Seat Swapping, Seat Poaching and Seating Etiquette: The Definitive Thread

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Old Jul 14, 2015, 2:48 pm
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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.
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Seat Swapping, Seat Poaching and Seating Etiquette: The Definitive Thread

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Old Jan 13, 2016, 7:34 am
  #676  
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Originally Posted by jeffjohnvol
Though if what you suggest were to become a rule people would just get leashes and a "support animal" banner for their crotch fruit to bypass the restrictions
.....and then kids would travel loose and free far beyond their second birthdays.

Seriously, is there some rule somewhere saying that an emotional support animal cannot be human? If not, the possibilities for abuse are amazing.

An emotional support gorilla would be worse, but most people don't want to live with a gorilla, attempt to train it not to destroy their homes/cars, etc. so I suspect that very few are kept as pets even it there aren't regulations prohibiting this.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 9:35 am
  #677  
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Originally Posted by matthew64832
I always wonder how it would go if someone offered, say, 20 bucks to any aisle with an empty middle to switch rows to a middle seat. Would there be any rules against that if attempted onboard?
LAS to SAN is a short flight. Perhaps 50 minutes...which made the request all the more bizarre. But you have a good point. I could handle 50 minutes in the middle if the guy was willing to pony up some money. I would need at least 50 dollars..1 dollar per minute.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 11:35 am
  #678  
 
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A man who looked like a Dollar Store Harrison Ford (with a wedding ring) seat jumped from his aisle seat somewhere near Economy Comfort clear back to 43B on a 757 ATL-DAB last night. He decided to do so during the safety demo, to the ire of the F/As, and made the woman in the aisle seat stand to let him in so he could sit with.......and flirt with a 20-something flight attendant deadheading back to Daytona.

It was all for naught; she showed him a pic of her boyfriend just after landing.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 2:30 pm
  #679  
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Originally Posted by JSprague24
A man who looked like a Dollar Store Harrison Ford (with a wedding ring) seat jumped from his aisle seat somewhere near Economy Comfort clear back to 43B on a 757 ATL-DAB last night. He decided to do so during the safety demo, to the ire of the F/As, and made the woman in the aisle seat stand to let him in so he could sit with.......and flirt with a 20-something flight attendant deadheading back to Daytona.

It was all for naught; she showed him a pic of her boyfriend just after landing.
Based on knowing that, I wonder what your position in the story is.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 6:29 pm
  #680  
 
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Originally Posted by sethb
Based on knowing that, I wonder what your position in the story is.
44A. The conversation was able to be heard at times (I'm surprised how quiet the back of the 757 can be). I heard the part about the boyfriend while standing up after the flight ended waiting to deplane.

I also heard the F/A in the aisle next to my row say "Sir, are you listening to me?" when trying to tell him he needed to sit down when the demo came to a grinding halt.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 10:02 pm
  #681  
 
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Funny - after reading this thread a few days ago, I was headed from PDX to ATL in J.

I boarded, sat down, got my drink and right before door closed, nice lady and her husband come up and tell me I'm in the wrong seat. My reflexes almost kicked in to put up a fight, thinking they're trying to boot me from my seat.

I look at my boarding pass before standing my ground, and realize I'm in 2c instead of the 3c I was assigned.

Guess I was tired. Sigh.
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Old Jan 13, 2016, 10:46 pm
  #682  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
.....and then kids would travel loose and free far beyond their second birthdays.

Seriously, is there some rule somewhere saying that an emotional support animal cannot be human? If not, the possibilities for abuse are amazing.

An emotional support gorilla would be worse, but most people don't want to live with a gorilla, attempt to train it not to destroy their homes/cars, etc. so I suspect that very few are kept as pets even it there aren't regulations prohibiting this.
Great, now Mrs. Lee is going to start saying I'm her ESA and I'll be sitting on the bulkhead floor every time we travel together.

Originally Posted by DCADeltaRoadWarrior
Funny - after reading this thread a few days ago, I was headed from PDX to ATL in J.

I boarded, sat down, got my drink and right before door closed, nice lady and her husband come up and tell me I'm in the wrong seat. My reflexes almost kicked in to put up a fight, thinking they're trying to boot me from my seat.

I look at my boarding pass before standing my ground, and realize I'm in 2c instead of the 3c I was assigned.

Guess I was tired. Sigh.
Honest, easy mistake to make. And by omission of them being jerks, I assume the husband/wife were also polite about it, perhaps making sure there wasn't a duplicate seat assignment. Good on you for checking yourself before digging in. ^
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 8:45 am
  #683  
 
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I was in a middle seat in C+, ATL-LGA. Husband and wife arrive and take the aisle and window seats. I offer to switch with either of them so they can sit together. The response is no thanks, she likes the window and he likes the aisle.

They start talking to each other and passing things back and forth as if I am not there. The husband catches on and tells his wife to stop passing things to him. She does not stop at first but eventually does. Crisis averted!
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 8:57 am
  #684  
 
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Originally Posted by zoo260
I was in a middle seat in C+, ATL-LGA. Husband and wife arrive and take the aisle and window seats. I offer to switch with either of them so they can sit together. The response is no thanks, she likes the window and he likes the aisle.

They start talking to each other and passing things back and forth as if I am not there. The husband catches on and tells his wife to stop passing things to him. She does not stop at first but eventually does. Crisis averted!
This has happened to me as well. I have no issue if you and your traveling companion want to book aisle/window and hope the middle seat stays empty, not likely but a higher likelihood than aisle or window remaining empty.

But if the middle is not empty then you either need to limit conversation/interaction, or trade with the person in the middle. Being in the middle seat is bad enough, it shouldn't have to be compounded by having people pass things constantly or have long conversations with you literally in the middle.
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 11:29 am
  #685  
 
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My husband prefers the window and I the aisle, but if we're in a 3 seat row, we always pick one or the other and the middle. Otherwise- yikes!

(on the other hand, we're also a couple that can sit in different rows in different parts of the plane. I do like to be on the *same* flights, if only so he can drive me to the airport)
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 11:47 am
  #686  
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Another window/aisle couple here, and we treat it like roulette for the middle seat... by asking the middle passenger what their preference is
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 12:33 pm
  #687  
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Originally Posted by kop84
Being in the middle seat is bad enough, it shouldn't have to be compounded by having people pass things constantly or have long conversations with you literally in the middle.
^ I totally agree
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 12:37 pm
  #688  
 
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If my wife flies by herself she selects the window and my choice is the aisle. However, when we fly together, which is often, I take the middle so she can have the window. Hoping the middle doesn't get filled just doesn't happen anymore and she wants to be sure that we are sitting next to each other.
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 12:54 pm
  #689  
 
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Originally Posted by zoo260
I was in a middle seat in C+, ATL-LGA. Husband and wife arrive and take the aisle and window seats. I offer to switch with either of them so they can sit together. The response is no thanks, she likes the window and he likes the aisle.

They start talking to each other and passing things back and forth as if I am not there. The husband catches on and tells his wife to stop passing things to him. She does not stop at first but eventually does. Crisis averted!

Me and the hubby are the same, except we ignore each other completely for the whole journey. The only time the "middle" will clue in is if there is food for sale as we will put the food on one cc.
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 1:06 pm
  #690  
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Originally Posted by Bogwoppit
Me and the hubby are the same, except we ignore each other completely for the whole journey. The only time the "middle" will clue in is if there is food for sale as we will put the food on one cc.
It would be fun to watch if you and your hubby continue to act like perfect strangers, but he "offers" to pay for you, without making the offer to the middle pax.
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