How do you handle someone sitting in your seat when you board?
Jun 20, 2016, 8:06 pm
#556
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: NJ
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Plat
Posts: 869
Echoing some of the sentiments on this thread, I'm honestly amazed about the amount of consternation that this topic has yielded, because 99% of the time, when someone has been in my seat, a quick "Sorry, I think that's my seat," solves the problem with barely a fuss.
Heck, at the end of a long day or if I'm particularly jet lagged, I've absolutely sat in the wrong seat myself before, so I'm totally guilty of being the (inadvertent) poacher. A month ago, after a full day of meetings, I was connecting in ATL from STL on to a 10:05 pm ATL-BDL flight, and I totally spaced and sat in the same F seat I had been assigned on my STL-ATL flight, when I was in fact one row behind.
The rightful seat owner came up, said it was his seat assignment, and I moved. Took all of about 5 seconds, with no drama.
Heck, at the end of a long day or if I'm particularly jet lagged, I've absolutely sat in the wrong seat myself before, so I'm totally guilty of being the (inadvertent) poacher. A month ago, after a full day of meetings, I was connecting in ATL from STL on to a 10:05 pm ATL-BDL flight, and I totally spaced and sat in the same F seat I had been assigned on my STL-ATL flight, when I was in fact one row behind.
The rightful seat owner came up, said it was his seat assignment, and I moved. Took all of about 5 seconds, with no drama.
Jun 20, 2016, 8:09 pm
#557
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Location: Atherton, CA
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Overkill almost all the time. Every time I recall that someone was in my seat when I boarded, it was an honest mistake. I've made them too: the seat signs on the overhead bins are often between two rows, and it can be hard to tell which row is actually 17 unless you check the armrests. When that happens, either the person gets right up (no problem) or, if the rows are equivalent as far as both of us are concerned, we just swap. No fuss, no hassle, no chasing down an FA who is probably either up by the door or back in the galley and has other things to do so we can push back, no problem.
If that doesn't turn out to be the case, then and only then would I involve the cabin crew.
If that doesn't turn out to be the case, then and only then would I involve the cabin crew.
I sat down, and my row mates began harrumphing and rudely talking across me, generally being unpleasant. I offered to switch to one of their seats so they could sit together, but was just rudely ignored.
The childish behavior continued the whole flight.
They'd obviously booked aisle and window hoping to get an empty middle, and took it out on first, the girl in front, and then me.
So now, I really don't trade.
Jun 21, 2016, 2:39 am
#558
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
I had a weird experience on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis to Entebbe recently.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Jun 21, 2016, 3:30 am
#559
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I had a weird experience on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis to Entebbe recently.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Jun 21, 2016, 8:18 am
#560
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Data point
I had a weird experience on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis to Entebbe recently.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Boarded to my extra-legroom bulkhead aisle seat and found a woman sitting there already. Escalated the matter to the crew who checked her boarding pass for 29E and sent her back. She agitated for a while about how she was an aid worker with the United Nations and had to sit right in the front for security reasons, but they told her to take her assigned seat anyway and they would deal with the issue after boarding was complete.
A few minutes later, she came back and instructed me to swap seats with her and take her seat 29E. She claimed that the crew had told her to change seats with me for security reasons. I refused and told her to tell the crew to come tell me anyway. She threatened to have me arrested for security reasons if I didn't move. I told her to go ahead and try. She then stood in the aisle blocking boarding for everyone else and trying to drum up support by saying "this person won't move from my seat".
Crew came back again and once again told her to take her assigned seat. She went back and then returned a few minutes later to take the empty middle seat next to me. Until someone showed up again with a boarding pass for that seat and she told them that they would have to sit in 29E for security reasons. I told them that they should really speak to the crew about that, so the crew came back again and once again told the UN lady to take her seat in 29E.
Boarding completed and we push back. During the safety demo, the lady gets up from her seat and starts walking down the aisle again looking for an empty seat. Safety demo stops and she is told to take her seat or she will be offloaded from the flight. She retreats yet again and presumably stays silent the entire flight.
On arrival in Entebbe, we are still taxiing to the terminal when she comes bounding down the aisle and opens the overhead bin across from my seat to take out her baggage that had been stowed there. As the aircraft is still moving, another bag falls out from there and hits the passenger across the aisle in the head. She proceeds to tell the guy that it is my fault because I refused to switch seats with her, otherwise she could have waited until the aircraft stopped. He ignored her.
She then rushes to the front of the Business Class cabin and stands in the galley while the aircraft is still taxiing. The poor crew keep telling her to take her seat but she insists that "No, no, I have to be the first off the aircraft. It is required. Don't worry, I'm with the United Nations."
We finally arrive and she literally sprints up the jetway towards immigration. Where I pass her a few minutes later arguing with Port Health as she didn't have her yellow fever certificate.
Jun 21, 2016, 9:29 am
#561
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
She was wearing an UNMISS ID very visibly around her neck (complete with light blue lanyard splashed with "UN" logos), but she was traveling on her civilian US passport rather than a laissez-passer. Struck me as either an opportunist or mentally disturbed.
Jun 21, 2016, 10:28 am
#563
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Once, years ago, I was stuck in a middle seat. I got on board, and a young woman was in my seat, but said her seat was in the row behind, would I mind sitting there so she didn't have to move. The people in the row behind looked normal, not COS, so I said "sure."
I sat down, and my row mates began harrumphing and rudely talking across me, generally being unpleasant. I offered to switch to one of their seats so they could sit together, but was just rudely ignored.
The childish behavior continued the whole flight.
They'd obviously booked aisle and window hoping to get an empty middle, and took it out on first, the girl in front, and then me.
So now, I really don't trade.
I sat down, and my row mates began harrumphing and rudely talking across me, generally being unpleasant. I offered to switch to one of their seats so they could sit together, but was just rudely ignored.
The childish behavior continued the whole flight.
They'd obviously booked aisle and window hoping to get an empty middle, and took it out on first, the girl in front, and then me.
So now, I really don't trade.
Not trading really is the way to go. If someone doesn't want to sit in a particular seat, there is usually a reason why.
Jun 21, 2016, 11:38 am
#564
Join Date: May 2007
Location: ORD, DEL
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Posts: 6,185
I would say no to a blatantly unequal switch, but I do not mind switching if it seems more or less the same to me and they can sit together with someone etc. However, I make it clear that I am just trying the new arrangement and reserve my right to my assigned seat---indeed, there have been times when I have asked my seat back.
Those with scammy intentions are just hoping that we the nice people would be too embarrassed to ask our seats back. If needed, prove them wrong.
Those with scammy intentions are just hoping that we the nice people would be too embarrassed to ask our seats back. If needed, prove them wrong.
Jun 21, 2016, 11:39 am
#565
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
All the more reason to simply refuse any and all requests. But especially in this case because she poached the seat
Jun 21, 2016, 12:57 pm
#566
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Jun 21, 2016, 1:12 pm
#567
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How so? Wife was occupying the other guy's seat when he boarded and tried to claim it. The entire history of how/why wife was in that seat doesn't matter; it's not his concern that the wife apparently made a trade for a seat with someone who did not "own" the seat that was apparently being offered.
Jun 21, 2016, 1:30 pm
#568
Formerly known as caveruner17
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: ORD
Posts: 432
Had a girl try this last month on a 1am flight. We had 27A/B (Window/Middle) -- and she was in the window. I was like "Hey I think you've got my seat" to which she replies, "No, I've got 27C which is the window"
I tell she's wrong and it's not and that it's the aisle. I end up standing there for about 2-3 minutes before she decides to move out of my seat.
I tell she's wrong and it's not and that it's the aisle. I end up standing there for about 2-3 minutes before she decides to move out of my seat.
Jun 21, 2016, 3:00 pm
#569
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Well, these two bozos were so toxic that I understood why she moved in hopes that my seat was indeed empty. A couple real winners. Nonetheless, the experience made me less likely to trade in the future.
Jun 21, 2016, 3:12 pm
#570
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