More seat swapping/poaching fun!
Nov 28, 2018, 6:13 am
#467
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
they who? MSP and jamesteroh were originally talking a couple that MSP assumed was one person with status and one without. Then the conversation switched to the situation where both people have status, which is what my comment was about.
Nov 28, 2018, 6:24 am
#468
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: DL Million Miler
Posts: 1,963
SAME SEAT (27J, exit row lotsa legroom on the A-330 transatlantic eastbound), two radically different experiences:
LAST SEPTEMBER: I check the seatmap - - the seat next to me, 27H is OPEN. Yay! Elbow room and a nightstand for my stuff. But a guy comes down the aisle staring at his boarding pass muttering, "31H ... 31H" - - but then he spots 27H and says - - "What a great seat!", stuffs his boarding pass into his jacket pocket, and plops down. He says - - "This is GREAT - - this is better than 1st class!". The FA comes along, and he chats up the FA, saying how happy he is to have such a great seat, and continues to be entirely too jovial and too effusive, in an edgy, nervous-making way. He puts his jacket on the floor and goes to the can - - and I am SO tempted to lift the boarding pass up and get a solid look at it, as proof of his malfeasance, but first I don't want to do anything dicey myself, and second this guy is so out-there, that I didn't feel totally safe trying to cross him. He returns, and after a couple minutes I quietly get out of my seat, and go back, and sit in 31H (the number he was muttering when he was coming down the aisle). Luckily, 31J was also empty. Once or twice the poacher turns around and sees me, just sitting there in 31H, staring at him. Eventually the door closes, and I keep 31HJ to myself, put up the armrest, and stretch out, and sleep like a baby.
YESTERDAY: I check the seatmap - - the seat next to me, 27H is OPEN. Yay! Elbow room and a nightstand for me stuff. Then the FA comes along, and says that she checked, and that seat next to me is not taken. I tell her that's what I saw on the seat map, and tell her my poacher tale from the last trip. She says she sees stuff like that all the time. She said she would make sure that nobody poached that seat, and thanks me for being a Plat and a Million Miler (she also saw that on the manifest). . Now THAT was some kind of angel.
LAST SEPTEMBER: I check the seatmap - - the seat next to me, 27H is OPEN. Yay! Elbow room and a nightstand for my stuff. But a guy comes down the aisle staring at his boarding pass muttering, "31H ... 31H" - - but then he spots 27H and says - - "What a great seat!", stuffs his boarding pass into his jacket pocket, and plops down. He says - - "This is GREAT - - this is better than 1st class!". The FA comes along, and he chats up the FA, saying how happy he is to have such a great seat, and continues to be entirely too jovial and too effusive, in an edgy, nervous-making way. He puts his jacket on the floor and goes to the can - - and I am SO tempted to lift the boarding pass up and get a solid look at it, as proof of his malfeasance, but first I don't want to do anything dicey myself, and second this guy is so out-there, that I didn't feel totally safe trying to cross him. He returns, and after a couple minutes I quietly get out of my seat, and go back, and sit in 31H (the number he was muttering when he was coming down the aisle). Luckily, 31J was also empty. Once or twice the poacher turns around and sees me, just sitting there in 31H, staring at him. Eventually the door closes, and I keep 31HJ to myself, put up the armrest, and stretch out, and sleep like a baby.
YESTERDAY: I check the seatmap - - the seat next to me, 27H is OPEN. Yay! Elbow room and a nightstand for me stuff. Then the FA comes along, and says that she checked, and that seat next to me is not taken. I tell her that's what I saw on the seat map, and tell her my poacher tale from the last trip. She says she sees stuff like that all the time. She said she would make sure that nobody poached that seat, and thanks me for being a Plat and a Million Miler (she also saw that on the manifest). . Now THAT was some kind of angel.
Last edited by SpinzCity; Nov 28, 2018 at 6:30 am
Nov 28, 2018, 6:32 am
#469
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MHT, CHS
Programs: DL DM, Hilton Dia, Avis Pres Club
Posts: 1,248
Had a seat poacher on my JFK/DTW flight sunday.
1C ended up switching with the wife and the guy was a DB complaining to his wife about how selfish some flyers could be and she was complaining because she had to get up with their infant to switch seats a second time after getting up to let 4D get in.
I wish I would have thought to have told them that if it was that important to sit together then find a couple in coach sitting together and I'm sure they would have been happy to swap out their seats together and sit apart for a 90 minute flight in First. I'm sure if only one had gotten upgraded they wouldn't have had an issue sitting apart. Stupid thing is she never even got up during the flight.
1C ended up switching with the wife and the guy was a DB complaining to his wife about how selfish some flyers could be and she was complaining because she had to get up with their infant to switch seats a second time after getting up to let 4D get in.
I wish I would have thought to have told them that if it was that important to sit together then find a couple in coach sitting together and I'm sure they would have been happy to swap out their seats together and sit apart for a 90 minute flight in First. I'm sure if only one had gotten upgraded they wouldn't have had an issue sitting apart. Stupid thing is she never even got up during the flight.
Their attitude gives me less reason to put up with seat poachers.
Nov 28, 2018, 6:43 am
#470
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I was on an AA flight last fall with a paid FC seat, and I booked 1C. It was the same situation with parents in different seats, with a baby that boarded first, and poached my 1C. I spoke with the guy in 1C and he told me to take his window seat in 2. He said it was better than the bulkhead. I told him I paid extra to get the bulkhead, so insulting me was not going to help. I spoke with the lead FA and she said to take the window seat because she was not going to ask them to move since they have a baby and we were behind schedule. I told her that is not my fault that they took my seat, and it was they who is slowing down the process. I told her I would have a complaint filed before we land. As a side note, the gu in 1C watched a football game on his phone and did nothing to help his wife except to hold the baby when she went to the head.
Their attitude gives me less reason to put up with seat poachers.
Their attitude gives me less reason to put up with seat poachers.
I hope you did follow through with reporting this to AA. The FA's behavior was inappropriate, especially after you said that you had paid for the seat.
This is why poachers poach: it sometimes works.
This is why poachers poach: it sometimes works.
Nov 28, 2018, 7:41 am
#471
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
If it's the important for them to sit together they should have declined the upgrade when they noticed there were only two seats left that were apart or simply asked a couple sitting together in Y to swap.
Last edited by jamesteroh; Nov 28, 2018 at 8:19 am
Nov 28, 2018, 7:55 am
#472
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
I was on an AA flight last fall with a paid FC seat, and I booked 1C. It was the same situation with parents in different seats, with a baby that boarded first, and poached my 1C. I spoke with the guy in 1C and he told me to take his window seat in 2. He said it was better than the bulkhead. I told him I paid extra to get the bulkhead, so insulting me was not going to help. I spoke with the lead FA and she said to take the window seat because she was not going to ask them to move since they have a baby and we were behind schedule. I told her that is not my fault that they took my seat, and it was they who is slowing down the process. I told her I would have a complaint filed before we land. As a side note, the gu in 1C watched a football game on his phone and did nothing to help his wife except to hold the baby when she went to the head.
Their attitude gives me less reason to put up with seat poachers.
Their attitude gives me less reason to put up with seat poachers.
Again if it was that important for the couple sitting together they should have declined the upgrade or did what you did and paid for first class at booking.
Even when I have a first class seat due to an upgrade it ticks me off when someone poaches the seat. In my case Sunday I was upgraded at the window and they were upgraded at the gate so I obviously had a higher status than they did since I was upgraded first and should have first selection of seats just lke someone paying for first should have priority over a selection of seat over me as an upgrade.
Nov 28, 2018, 8:01 am
#473
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 960
I assumed you were still talking about jamesteroh tale only. My fault
Nov 28, 2018, 8:30 am
#474
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
Nov 28, 2018, 8:59 am
#475
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
I've heard from another Delta Forum Mod and we're going to let this thread take a break. It has evolved into quite the catalog of stories of entitlement and poor social skills. Be nice on the plane. Be courteous on FlyerTalk.
3Cforme - Delta Forum Moderator
3Cforme - Delta Forum Moderator