One problem that comes up with the type of request that you now feel guilty of refusing is that all too often the requesting party seeks both family unification and a promotion in seat status.

I don't know all the facts, but I wonder if these people first offered a person in Row 4 a better seat in Row 2 before approaching you and asking you to swap your Row 2 seat for an inferior seat in Row 4. In the coach section, more often than not those seeking to unify groups will seek to do so by placing the unified group in the front of the cabin versus offering the seat or seats they have in front to a person or persons in the rear.

Perhaps the airlines should stop giving out seat reservations for the very back row of coach, and perhaps even of first class. These rows can be treated as family unification areas. Anyone wanting to be unified with their family should be allowed to move to the back row, with new seat assignments being given, preferably before boarding.

Not everyone considers the last row of F to be the worst row of F. I'd take the last row in a heartbeat over the bulkhead any day.

Same here. I avoid the bulkhead whenever possible. Row 4 in F isn't that bad and at least I don't have to stare at a wall.

Did not know where our seats would be
 

On a free miles trip, one leg was from Chicago to Frankfurt on Luft. Prior to boarding my wife and I were ask to change seats so a family could be together. No problem, we have traveled when our kids were young and sometimes you are not able to get seat together. Then we are called up a second time to change seats, again no problem. As long as I had leg room I would make the change (I'm 6'5"), their reply was that I would have no problem. This was our first overseas flight and did not pay attention to the seat number. When we entered the plane we found out we were bumped up to business class. Way to go! Sure made that overnight flight comfortable.

Point well made. But I do think everyone considers the last row of coach to be the worst row of 2nd.

This guy certainly agrees....
http://www.gadling.com/2007/06/28/hi...ine-complaint/

Not really a horror story - was flying from NY to Denver. I had an aisle fairly close to the front, my husband was also in an aisle seat about 10 rows back. Young couple boards - one has the middle next to me, the other middle across the aisle. Man asks if I'd switch with his wife. I said no at first but they were a cute young couple so I changed my mind and moved. As I sat, the gentleman in the aisle next to me said something to the effect of, "You gave up an aisle for a middle?" I told him it seemed more important to them and this wasn't my first (nor probably my last) time in a middle seat. Besides, my husband and I were split up so - no big deal. He asked me if my husband had an aisle seat. I said yes, about 10 rows back. With that, he got up, asked me my husband's name and switched seats with him.

I called it quick karma.

Virgin Atlantic, circa 1996. My father and I were flying BOS-LHR... this happens at check-in:

AGENT: Oh dear... your seats were erroneously assigned to someone else (taps on his keyboard) shoot, flight is completely full - looks like all we have are scattered middle seats.

DAD: You don't have anything together? My son is only 10 and I don't want to sit apart from him for seven hours.

AGENT: Unless you want to fly tomorrow this is all we have. Tell you what, as soon as you get through security go straight to the gate and talk to the agent, I'm almost positive they'll be able to move somebody around so you can sit together.

He hands us our boarding passes and puts our bags on the belt. As we're walking away he calls us back.

AGENT: Hang on, I found a pair. Here's your new boarding passes.

My father looked at the boarding passes and his jaw dropped, they were for 1H and 1K

DAD: Thomas... you and I are both going to sleep very well tonight.

After that experience I've been finding ways to fly in front of the curtain ever since :D

I wouldn't beat myself up on this. There was another seat swap that could have happened. Whichever of the two that was sitting next to you could have moved back to row 4, sacrificing the recline and meal.

It's funny because it's true :p.

Here's a conundrum: SEA to EWR I was asked by a gentleman if I would switch an E+ aisle with his middle seat so he could sit with his wife and son in my row.

Well, no. I don't think so.

The wife had the worst sewer breath. The stink was awful especially when she took these large heaving breaths... the kinda stank cloud where you squirm and kick and can't think straight.

There's no winning sometimes.

A story I forgot to share in the OP: I was in the aisle seat of a five-seat middle section on a wide-body. The flight was an 8-hour TATL flight.

The woman next to me, in the middle, asked me to switch because she'd be going to the bathroom often. I declined.

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/...reyfus/n35222/

Julia Loius-Dreyfus doesn't get why people wouldn't switch with her, even her Dentists husband! LOL

LOL, that was great! Thanks for sharing.

:confused: What makes this a horror story?