DLFlyer16

This is the 3rd time this has happened to me, but the scenario generally goes as follows: I am a DYKWIA so I generally am the last person to board the aircraft (I wait until my name is called over the airport loud speaker to put down my cup of hot choc at the SC). I get onto the plane and since I elected not to be upgraded so another lesser medallion could enjoy my spot, I search for my aisle seat in coach, but see that someone is sitting in my aisle seat. I go to them and gesture with my finger for them to move over to the middle seat as the DYKWIA has arrived. They say "oh, sorry" and get up and wait for me to move into the middle seat. At this point I think to myself, this fool thinks he can dupe me like this? So I point out to them that I am in fact in the aisle seat. The passenger then says, no I think I am in seat C/D as they fumble out a crinkled boarding pass only to see they are in seat B/E. I say, no not the case. They then continue to gesture me into the middle seat. Not understanding who they are trying to fool, I wonder if they actually think I will take the middle seat even though my boarding pass indicates I am in the aisle. I then point this out to them and they take the middle seat.

How has this happened 3 times now? Are people really foolish enough to think this will work? Has this actually worked for someone? I am going to try it next time I end up in a middle seat in coach (wishfully never) to see if I can pull it off.

megalab

While In my 100+ segments over the last couple years only a small fraction could even allow such a scenario, only a few times have I boarded a flight and found someone in my seat, and it's usually an honest mistake. I know I've never tried such a stunt myself.

Only once did I find someone in my seat that tried to convince me to take another. I'm usually willing to listen but in this case my wife and I wanted to sit together. When he reluctantly went to his original seat I saw the person next to him was pretty unkempt and perhaps he smelled or something else that induced the guy to try for another seat.

nissan720

I have seen similar behavior myself. It is mostly people who seem to hope you won't want to make a scene to get your selected seat.

hooverer

You may have actually been meeting the Ultimate DYKWIA (UDYKWIA) who tried to beat your DYKWIA status which is lower than theirs?

Sez_Who

Funny, haven't had this happen in maybe 2-3 years until a couple weeks ago. I gave him the benefit of the doubt that it was an honest mistake but really, it takes the FA all of about three seconds to straighten it out if necessary.

pdisme

I've had this occur regularly for the past few years. The really optimistic ones even unload all their gear into the seat pocket, etc. thinking you'll feel sorry that they have to scoop it all back up and move.

Syrgul

I had the opposite happen before. Took a standby on an earlier flight as they were calling for rain later and EWR is nefarious for weather delays on Thursdays afternoon. When I got to my middle seat and asked the aisle to let me in, they instead moved into the middle and let me take the aisle.

Normally I'm willing to take my middle seat when I standby but in this case I wasn't about to correct them. Especially as she had stuffed her rollaboard under the seat and it probably would have taken 15 minutes for her to get it out.

Cathe

A couple of years ago I had a gentlman(?) drip water on my aisle seat as I got up to let him into the middle seat and he said , oh I will sit there. Nice try for him but his scheme did not work.

3Cforme

FT's Alaska Airlines forum had a 'somebody tried to take my seat' thread very recently and it got redirected to Travel Buzz post-haste. Seat-stealing behaviors aren't specific to Delta, nor are ways to cope with them.

BusTrav8yrs

Even better, this happened to me about 5 yrs ago. I am upgraded connection late getting in. Get to gate 10 mins before departure. when I get to my seat and someone sitting in it, I pull out my boarding pass and say "I think we have the same seat". The PAX says nothing, grabs his bag, gets up and walks back to coach.

There was another person just behind me who has the same issue with the guy in the seat across from me with same result. The door closes I look at the other FC PAX that was late and told him the same thing happened to me. He responeded with "who did they think they are" and the guy in the seat in front of him turned around and said "They are my brothers, you got a problem with that"

plagwate

This is what happens when the Kettles from WN wander over to see how things work on DL. Those folks are masters at the Reunite the Couple with the Vacant Middle Game.

Spiff

If "I'm sorry, I have 26C." doesn't work, then:

[Terminator]Get Out.[/Terminator]

does.

WannaFlyJ

Two years ago I was walking up to my seat and there was a teenager in it. I pointed out that he was in my seat and he pulled out his boarding pass and as it turned out, we both had the same seat. Apparently this does happen from time to time... The FA made a call and I received an opup.

MSPeconomist

My most extreme experience was boarding late when being assigned 2C in FC. Someone was sitting there, I called the FA, and after some resistance he showed the FA a boarding pass for something like 34E. It was a middle seat in the back of coach with a number that had no resemblance to the number of the seat he tried to poach. As he started his walk of shame, I commented loudly to the FA that only an idiot could mistake 34E for 2C and she rolled her eyes, trying to keep from laughing at this amateurish attempt at a self-upgrade.

I've seem people deliberately board late on a flight that they think will have vacant seats in FC and just sit down in an empty seat. Once or twice I caused them to be caught when I pointed out to the FA that a lounge dragon had told me that the seat next to me would be empty.

patrickATX

Right after the merger, I boarded my flight in Detroit and sat in my aisle seat right behind first. About the 4th person to board after me said I was in her seat. We looked at our boarding passes and had the same seat assignment. This was starting to occur around us for a couple of other seats as well. Ended up that all the 'priority' seats, or whatever they call them, were double booked and we actually were oversold by 6-7 people because of it.

I felt very very bad for the gate agents as they tried to sort it out. They had to stop the boarding, sort it all out, get several volunteers, and then very carefully (using a paper seat map as a backup) reboard the flight. The flight took off an hour late and I received $800 in vouchers, dinner, a hotel, and a first class seat in the morning.