Travel etiquette in seeking airline aisle seat.
Mar 27, 2013, 12:46 pm
#32
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I have actually moved a few times in domestic F to allow others to sit together- not a big deal if it's a simple swap and I don't have a compelling desire to keep the seat I have.
However, this idea that it's the end of the world for two grown adults not to sit together on a flight mystifies me.
For kids I understand, and I also recognize the trouble it probably is for non-elites to get seats together when booking. However, this should be solvable by showing up to the gate with plenty of time to spare so the GA can sort it out prior to boarding.
Mar 27, 2013, 2:03 pm
#33
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My husband and I were on a recent flight and were in first class. We were getting all settled in when the guy across the aisle asked us to trade seats with his wife and their other child...she was in row 1 (we were in row 3). I didn't want to move, but my husband acted like we should, so off we went - to the seats I hate!! I like to have my bag close since it has ereaders, chargers, etc. Of course all that had to go overhead. What does everyone else do when faced with seat changes...Any other row would not have been such an issue for me, but row 1 !!
JUST SAY NO
Mar 27, 2013, 3:59 pm
#34
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Here are a few definitions of etiquette from fairly credible sources. I believe they support my previous statement above.
- "Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." (Emily Post)
- Etiquette is "the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group." (Oxford Dictionary)
- "A rule of etiquette may reflect an underlying ethical code, or it may reflect a person's fashion or status. Rules of etiquette are usually unwritten, but aspects of etiquette have been codified from time to time." (Wikepedia)
- "Etiquette is little more than a way to interact with those around us. It is less about a set of rules than it is about feeling confident and at ease with others." (Modern Etiquette)
Mar 27, 2013, 4:24 pm
#35
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My husband and I were on a recent flight and were in first class. We were getting all settled in when the guy across the aisle asked us to trade seats with his wife and their other child...she was in row 1 (we were in row 3). I didn't want to move, but my husband acted like we should, so off we went - to the seats I hate!! I like to have my bag close since it has ereaders, chargers, etc. Of course all that had to go overhead. What does everyone else do when faced with seat changes...Any other row would not have been such an issue for me, but row 1 !!
In your case I would not have switched. BTW sounds like it was a family of 4 in 2 different rows. At least no one is sitting with a stranger. They should be satisfied with that.
Last edited by stealthpilot; Mar 27, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Mar 27, 2013, 5:12 pm
#38
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In my opinion, a family sitting together is more important than you not having your bag close and having to put it in the overhead. Of course you would have had the right to refuse without explanation, and they couldn't have forced you to do anything, but I would consider anyone who did that to be a self-centered jerk. I'm glad your husband did the right thing.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree completely. Mainly due to the fact that people's situations are different. You don't know why people refuse to change seats (especially if they give no explanation, which they are definitely not obligated to do). It may not be important for a family to sit together (it definitely wasn't for me when I was a kid; I would've been quite happy if I was sitting in a different row from my parents and another passenger refused to switch 
)
If you can't get seats together, you shouldn't expect to sit together. If you do, be thankful to the other passengers that moved for you. Don't expect others to inconvenience themselves to accommodate you.
OP doesn't say what plane and what airline, but AA's 738s have less legroom in the bulkhead. I have relatively long legs, and would much prefer a non-bulkhead F seat. Especially if I was in a window, I'd get cramps if I can't stretch my legs out fully for a few hours.
)If you can't get seats together, you shouldn't expect to sit together. If you do, be thankful to the other passengers that moved for you. Don't expect others to inconvenience themselves to accommodate you.
OP doesn't say what plane and what airline, but AA's 738s have less legroom in the bulkhead. I have relatively long legs, and would much prefer a non-bulkhead F seat. Especially if I was in a window, I'd get cramps if I can't stretch my legs out fully for a few hours.
I actually dislike that people ask this. It puts people in an awkward situation and I have a feeling more people say yes than no because they do not want to come across as an ........
-Nathan[/QUOTE]
Yes, PC and all that !
Mar 27, 2013, 6:11 pm
#39
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Comments like yours above are certainly subjective too. The terse syntax comes across as confrontational and boorish, especially considering the topic for which you claim credibility.
Here are a few definitions of etiquette from fairly credible sources. I believe they support my previous statement above.
Here are a few definitions of etiquette from fairly credible sources. I believe they support my previous statement above.
- "Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." (Emily Post)
- Etiquette is "the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group." (Oxford Dictionary)
- "A rule of etiquette may reflect an underlying ethical code, or it may reflect a person's fashion or status. Rules of etiquette are usually unwritten, but aspects of etiquette have been codified from time to time." (Wikepedia)
- "Etiquette is little more than a way to interact with those around us. It is less about a set of rules than it is about feeling confident and at ease with others." (Modern Etiquette)
I answered your brief question with a brief reply. Your long retort doesn't speak to what I said, viz., that etiquette is not subjective. Look at Miss Manners or Emily Post, for example and see if blue paper is acceptable for wedding invitations. It's either yes or no, nothing "subjective" about that at all.
Mar 27, 2013, 6:18 pm
#40
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"Confrontational and boorish?" Not at all. Give me a break, please "[t]opic for which you claim credibility?" Are you reading my posts? What did I claim? Nothing.
I answered your brief question with a brief reply. Your long retort doesn't speak to what I said, viz., that etiquette is not subjective. Look at Miss Manners or Emily Post, for example and see if blue paper is acceptable for wedding invitations. It's either yes or no, nothing "subjective" about that at all.
I answered your brief question with a brief reply. Your long retort doesn't speak to what I said, viz., that etiquette is not subjective. Look at Miss Manners or Emily Post, for example and see if blue paper is acceptable for wedding invitations. It's either yes or no, nothing "subjective" about that at all.
Mar 27, 2013, 6:51 pm
#41
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I think a little common sense goes a long way. When UA moved me from an aisle seat to another aisle so a father could sit with his 2 girls, I was happy to do it (and the father was very grateful). However, when 2 brothers, who had both booked middle seats, tried to take my aisle so they could sit together, I said (nicely but firmly) no.
BTW, this has come up in a number of other threads. There was a long thread about seat changing etiquette here:
woman in my seat
Wow, try "serenity now." Or just reveal a little of that attitude onboard, and you'll have plenty of passengers willing to move far away. You should remember that respect for fellow passengers is a 2 way street.
BTW, this has come up in a number of other threads. There was a long thread about seat changing etiquette here:
woman in my seat
Wow, try "serenity now." Or just reveal a little of that attitude onboard, and you'll have plenty of passengers willing to move far away. You should remember that respect for fellow passengers is a 2 way street.
Mar 27, 2013, 7:07 pm
#42
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I think a little common sense goes a long way. When UA moved me from an aisle seat to another aisle so a father could sit with his 2 girls, I was happy to do it (and the father was very grateful). However, when 2 brothers, who had both booked middle seats, tried to take my aisle so they could sit together, I said (nicely but firmly) no.
BTW, this has come up in a number of other threads. There was a long thread about seat changing etiquette here:
woman in my seat
Wow, try "serenity now." Or just reveal a little of that attitude onboard, and you'll have plenty of passengers willing to move far away. You should remember that respect for fellow passengers is a 2 way street.
BTW, this has come up in a number of other threads. There was a long thread about seat changing etiquette here:
woman in my seat
Wow, try "serenity now." Or just reveal a little of that attitude onboard, and you'll have plenty of passengers willing to move far away. You should remember that respect for fellow passengers is a 2 way street.
Maybe the lady needs to pay up so she can be far away from the rest of us !....Matter of fact I would chip in on an onboard collection !
Mar 27, 2013, 7:49 pm
#43
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Mar 27, 2013, 8:28 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 2010
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IMHO, it is an unmitigated bother that people who ask others to move often cop the very attitude you express if refused. A reasonable accomodation would be helping reunite a child or elderly or handicapped person who has been split up from their companion. Mom, Dad and all the kids don't actually need to sit together.
Mar 27, 2013, 9:24 pm
#45
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Most of the time, I travel solo so it's not a big deal to change as long as I don't get downgraded. When couples or families are traveling, I'm usually glad to take the opportunity to give them a better travel experience.
Often people are put into United Economy Plus as a courtesy after a cancelled flight and I can tell they've been waiting at O'Hare for much of the day when I take (e.g.) a late evening flight to the west coast. That was the case once for one family from Oregon who were on a college tour for their fraternal twins ... it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, so a number of us organized a Rubik's Cube-like set of maneuvers to get the parents in one row and the kids behind them. This was in the pre-UA-CO merger days so it was on an A320 with a third to half of the drop-down LCD screens broken so other people actually wanted to see the movie (the "Poseidon Adventure" remake - ugh!).
Often people are put into United Economy Plus as a courtesy after a cancelled flight and I can tell they've been waiting at O'Hare for much of the day when I take (e.g.) a late evening flight to the west coast. That was the case once for one family from Oregon who were on a college tour for their fraternal twins ... it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, so a number of us organized a Rubik's Cube-like set of maneuvers to get the parents in one row and the kids behind them. This was in the pre-UA-CO merger days so it was on an A320 with a third to half of the drop-down LCD screens broken so other people actually wanted to see the movie (the "Poseidon Adventure" remake - ugh!).