Seat Swap Request Horror Stories
Apr 5, 2016, 11:04 am
#631
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
What most swap seekers seem to do is assume incorrectly that the airline will put people together automatically, they fail to plan ahead, they fail to book their seats in advance (either by going online or calling) and by assuming total strangers care as much about their sitting together as they themselves do.
Apr 5, 2016, 11:06 am
#632
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 41,705
That advice is pretty rubbish.
If someone is already sitting in the seat you want, no amount of nagging various people on your journey through the airport will get them to change that person's seat. They can ask, just like you, but everyone should be prepared for the 'no thank you' reply.
If someone is already sitting in the seat you want, no amount of nagging various people on your journey through the airport will get them to change that person's seat. They can ask, just like you, but everyone should be prepared for the 'no thank you' reply.
I was flying bulkhead, 3-4-3 configuration, I had my favorite window seat. I was flying LAX-SFO-HKG*. I had booked the ticket and chosen my seat weeks before.
I checked in the day before, printed BPs at LAX. I had a 90-minute layover in SFO. Because I'm bulkhead and I don't want to swim upstream to get my bag when I land, I'm one of the first to board in Y.
Machine spits out a new BP and I am in a center, non-E+ seat! I hand the BP to the GA and ask what happened. Fortunately for me, she hit the keyboard and soon, I had a new BP with my original seat. I board and take my seat.
It turns out, the middle seat next to me is empty. There is a guy on the aisle. There's a woman across the aisle from him - his wife. Pretty soon, they have an FA and an urgent whispered conversation ensues. I'm trying to read my book, not paying too much attention. Then the FA asks me if I'm happy with my seat. Um, yes. He asks if I want to switch to an exit row farther back with more legroom - but farther back, no window. Um, no.
I don't know if the couple got someone in the lounge or a lazy GA, but they had asked for a seat reassignment and the result was that I got booted from an E+ seat to a non-E+ center seat - even when there were other E+ and non-center E seats available, including the center seat next to mine.
The wife kept raising her voice during the whispered conversations and saying "but he's my husband"! It turned out that they wanted the 3-seat bulkhead section to themselves with an empty middle seat. They tried to convince the FA that something fishy must have gone on and that they'd been screwed - the husband argued that one of them should be allowed to take an open seat up front as 'compensation'.
Apr 5, 2016, 11:13 am
#633
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
Not always, as I almost found out the hard way.
I was flying bulkhead, 3-4-3 configuration, I had my favorite window seat. I was flying LAX-SFO-HKG*. I had booked the ticket and chosen my seat weeks before.
I checked in the day before, printed BPs at LAX. I had a 90-minute layover in SFO. Because I'm bulkhead and I don't want to swim upstream to get my bag when I land, I'm one of the first to board in Y.
Machine spits out a new BP and I am in a center, non-E+ seat! I hand the BP to the GA and ask what happened. Fortunately for me, she hit the keyboard and soon, I had a new BP with my original seat. I board and take my seat.
It turns out, the middle seat next to me is empty. There is a guy on the aisle. There's a woman across the aisle from him - his wife. Pretty soon, they have an FA and an urgent whispered conversation ensues. I'm trying to read my book, not paying too much attention. Then the FA asks me if I'm happy with my seat. Um, yes. He asks if I want to switch to an exit row farther back with more legroom - but farther back, no window. Um, no.
I don't know if the couple got someone in the lounge or a lazy GA, but they had asked for a seat reassignment and the result was that I got booted from an E+ seat to a non-E+ center seat - even when there were other E+ and non-center E seats available, including the center seat next to mine.
The wife kept raising her voice during the whispered conversations and saying "but he's my husband"! It turned out that they wanted the 3-seat bulkhead section to themselves with an empty middle seat. They tried to convince the FA that something fishy must have gone on and that they'd been screwed - the husband argued that one of them should be allowed to take an open seat up front as 'compensation'.
I was flying bulkhead, 3-4-3 configuration, I had my favorite window seat. I was flying LAX-SFO-HKG*. I had booked the ticket and chosen my seat weeks before.
I checked in the day before, printed BPs at LAX. I had a 90-minute layover in SFO. Because I'm bulkhead and I don't want to swim upstream to get my bag when I land, I'm one of the first to board in Y.
Machine spits out a new BP and I am in a center, non-E+ seat! I hand the BP to the GA and ask what happened. Fortunately for me, she hit the keyboard and soon, I had a new BP with my original seat. I board and take my seat.
It turns out, the middle seat next to me is empty. There is a guy on the aisle. There's a woman across the aisle from him - his wife. Pretty soon, they have an FA and an urgent whispered conversation ensues. I'm trying to read my book, not paying too much attention. Then the FA asks me if I'm happy with my seat. Um, yes. He asks if I want to switch to an exit row farther back with more legroom - but farther back, no window. Um, no.
I don't know if the couple got someone in the lounge or a lazy GA, but they had asked for a seat reassignment and the result was that I got booted from an E+ seat to a non-E+ center seat - even when there were other E+ and non-center E seats available, including the center seat next to mine.
The wife kept raising her voice during the whispered conversations and saying "but he's my husband"! It turned out that they wanted the 3-seat bulkhead section to themselves with an empty middle seat. They tried to convince the FA that something fishy must have gone on and that they'd been screwed - the husband argued that one of them should be allowed to take an open seat up front as 'compensation'.
LOL. I would have spoken up and said "You can sit together! The middle beside your husband is open!"
Apr 5, 2016, 11:38 am
#635
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 41,705
It took me (and the FA) a while to understand that wasn't all they wanted.
They wanted to sit 'together' but neither wanted a middle seat and they did not want anyone sitting between them.
Worked for me - I got my seat back, fortunately. If I had boarded after them, I probably wouldn't have gotten it back.
They wanted to sit 'together' but neither wanted a middle seat and they did not want anyone sitting between them.
Worked for me - I got my seat back, fortunately. If I had boarded after them, I probably wouldn't have gotten it back.
Apr 5, 2016, 4:41 pm
#636
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
According to the poster, "seats just opened up" and they were assigned. So was that seat actually chosen?
Apr 5, 2016, 4:42 pm
#637
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
I remember flying back from STT on Delta in an aisle exit row. The young lady in the middle seat asked if her friend a few rows up and in a middle seat could swap seats . Politely declined and then suggested that the passenger next to her friend would probably switch with her. She became indignant and pouted the whole flight. As someone said earlier the majority of the seat swaps are for an inferior seat.
Apr 5, 2016, 4:51 pm
#638
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: BOI
Posts: 223
Nope. They were assigned and there was no way to make any changes on the website. The website also said changes need to be made at check-in. On a whim, I called anyway and the agent made the change.
Apr 5, 2016, 6:49 pm
#639
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 960
Not always, as I almost found out the hard way.
I was flying bulkhead, 3-4-3 configuration, I had my favorite window seat. I was flying LAX-SFO-HKG*. I had booked the ticket and chosen my seat weeks before.
I checked in the day before, printed BPs at LAX. I had a 90-minute layover in SFO. Because I'm bulkhead and I don't want to swim upstream to get my bag when I land, I'm one of the first to board in Y.
Machine spits out a new BP and I am in a center, non-E+ seat! I hand the BP to the GA and ask what happened. Fortunately for me, she hit the keyboard and soon, I had a new BP with my original seat. I board and take my seat.
It turns out, the middle seat next to me is empty. There is a guy on the aisle. There's a woman across the aisle from him - his wife. Pretty soon, they have an FA and an urgent whispered conversation ensues. I'm trying to read my book, not paying too much attention. Then the FA asks me if I'm happy with my seat. Um, yes. He asks if I want to switch to an exit row farther back with more legroom - but farther back, no window. Um, no.
I don't know if the couple got someone in the lounge or a lazy GA, but they had asked for a seat reassignment and the result was that I got booted from an E+ seat to a non-E+ center seat - even when there were other E+ and non-center E seats available, including the center seat next to mine.
The wife kept raising her voice during the whispered conversations and saying "but he's my husband"! It turned out that they wanted the 3-seat bulkhead section to themselves with an empty middle seat. They tried to convince the FA that something fishy must have gone on and that they'd been screwed - the husband argued that one of them should be allowed to take an open seat up front as 'compensation'.
I was flying bulkhead, 3-4-3 configuration, I had my favorite window seat. I was flying LAX-SFO-HKG*. I had booked the ticket and chosen my seat weeks before.
I checked in the day before, printed BPs at LAX. I had a 90-minute layover in SFO. Because I'm bulkhead and I don't want to swim upstream to get my bag when I land, I'm one of the first to board in Y.
Machine spits out a new BP and I am in a center, non-E+ seat! I hand the BP to the GA and ask what happened. Fortunately for me, she hit the keyboard and soon, I had a new BP with my original seat. I board and take my seat.
It turns out, the middle seat next to me is empty. There is a guy on the aisle. There's a woman across the aisle from him - his wife. Pretty soon, they have an FA and an urgent whispered conversation ensues. I'm trying to read my book, not paying too much attention. Then the FA asks me if I'm happy with my seat. Um, yes. He asks if I want to switch to an exit row farther back with more legroom - but farther back, no window. Um, no.
I don't know if the couple got someone in the lounge or a lazy GA, but they had asked for a seat reassignment and the result was that I got booted from an E+ seat to a non-E+ center seat - even when there were other E+ and non-center E seats available, including the center seat next to mine.
The wife kept raising her voice during the whispered conversations and saying "but he's my husband"! It turned out that they wanted the 3-seat bulkhead section to themselves with an empty middle seat. They tried to convince the FA that something fishy must have gone on and that they'd been screwed - the husband argued that one of them should be allowed to take an open seat up front as 'compensation'.
Apr 6, 2016, 11:11 am
#640
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950
My policy is simple. Choose an aisle seat, if one is available. If a non-aisle seat is arbitrarily assigned, contact the airline and ask to be moved to an aisle, if one is available. If none are available, bad luck.
You can't always get what you want. Sometimes, what you want is not available. That is just a fact of life.
You can't always get what you want. Sometimes, what you want is not available. That is just a fact of life.
Apr 6, 2016, 11:27 am
#641
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
That's what I thought you meant. So the person in 1K probably didn't select it either, just got randomly assigned it, and might well be willing to switch.
Apr 7, 2016, 2:52 am
#642
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
+1
Apr 7, 2016, 12:28 pm
#643
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: CMH, West Coast
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, oneworld emerald
Posts: 2,741
Sit in your own seat. I really don't care why you want mine. I booked this seat and/or picked it for a reason. I'm sure someone will quote this opinion as Exhibit A for why I'm a terrible human being, but I would posit that that label should be reserved for the ones that feel entitled to my seat.
Apr 7, 2016, 1:20 pm
#644
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
Sit in your own seat. I really don't care why you want mine. I booked this seat and/or picked it for a reason. I'm sure someone will quote this opinion as Exhibit A for why I'm a terrible human being, but I would posit that that label should be reserved for the ones that feel entitled to my seat.
Apr 7, 2016, 2:31 pm
#645
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Its not just the love seats. As a solo traveler, sometimes I think I have a sign on my head that says "Ask Me to Move to Accommodate Your Seating Arrangements". Happens everywhere.