wrp96

By asking for the seat swap, the employee invited the OP to thrust himself into his affairs. So no, I don't think that's officious. Would I have done it myself? No, but the employee opened himself up to it when he did what he wasn't supposed to do.

rickg523

It's the idea of reporting the guy to his bosses that's officious.
Fortunately, I'm positive that in this circumstance the guy and his boss would have had a good head shaking giggle at the things some people will take time out of their own lives to tattle on..

rjque

I completely agree. Waiting in your assigned seat can greatly complicate the boarding process. I'll never understand why this is an issue.

rickg523

The big deal is that entirely too many people become convinced they are ENTITLED to the seat they poached simply because they're in it and instead of politely moving when asked by the passenger assigned to that seat, they argue, whine, go entirely non responsive. If so many poachers didn't pull that nonsense, if they simply accepted that this is not a negotiation, that they are ASKING FOR A FAVOR, and that their wishes are not automatically granted by the passenger they've apparently mistaken for the Seat Genie, there wouldn't be hundreds of posts about how messed up the simple process of getting on a damned airplane has become.

vanillabean

Haha, don't people have better things to do than going out of their way to inconvenience those around them? Maybe if they had gotten a toy bear to play with in early childhood, the craving for attention would be less common.

cbn42

The employee was not in the wrong with respect to the passenger. The employee did not wrong the passenger in any way. He may have violated an employer's policy, but that has nothing to do with the passenger.

That may be the case, but why make that assumption? If the person sitting there acts entitled, you can respond appropriately.

zitsky

Where do you draw the line? What behavior deserves to be reported?

Henla

Poaching is presumptuous. The poacher presumes I should make the trade by the very act of sitting in my seat. Rather than him/her asking me, I'm in a position where I have to initiate contact, informing the poacher that it's my seat. And, as the poacher will be ensconced comfortably with his/her significant other, colleague, etc., there is an intentional application of pressure for me to make the trade.

If I decline and the poacher thinks it's a discussion, he/she may try to debate me from a seated position while I'm waiting to take my seat. Then, of course, the poacher may huff and puff while passively-aggressively slowly collecting possessions. This also seems to leave the poacher's companion with an attitude about the whole thing.

I'm fairly alpha and have no problem at all saying no, and the annoyance of the poacher's companion makes me happy (yes, I'm that guy who replies to an extreme attitude with, "this seat's great...I'm sure glad I didn't trade it!"). Someone trying to push me makes it far more likely not to happen. However, as you see from this thread, many just passively make the move. So, I don't wish to reward such behavior.

I'll almost always make the swap, but ask, don't infringe.

Yes, that is ideal, because it puts all the effort on the person desiring the seat change, not on me. It's simple enough for the person's companion to ask.

Perhaps. You're entitled to your opinion and all, but if you wish to trade seats, I think following the suggestions ITT will help you to be more successful.

rickg523

I think after it happens a few times, you just get to a place where you expect a hassle if someone's sitting in your seat. This leads to anticipation of an uncomfortable interaction which makes most people just want to avoid it, thus making that even the most innocent intentions and polite responses feel like an imposition.
As I said before, if so many poachers weren't such a bunch of jerks, most people wouldn't really mind being asked. But it is what it is. Stop poaching.

DeepUnderground

I would personally draw the line at an impolitely worded request or negative reaction when I declined the swap. I appear to be in the minority. I don't feel it's my job to enforce an employer's policies unless I see a safety risk.

vanillabean

Exactly. It isn't always easy to shake off such an initial encounter.

rickg523

Behaviour that actually impacts another person. Not behaviour that simply upsets their idea of the order of things.
I dislike poaching, and whether it's another passenger, a non rev, or the king of Siam, I'm not granting you my assigned seat if you presumptively take it. But if you move without drama, I'm moving on with my life and in this case wouldn't really want to spend the time reporting the guy...or spend a lot of time with people who would.

Proudelitist

It's an issue because it creates and places a burden and inconvenience on the legitimate seat holder and unexpectedly places them in an awkward situation, forcing them to acquiesce or appear like a jerk in public. It's presumptuous and forces the poachers problem upon them.

Proudelitist

Yeah, apparently you missed the fact that non-revs have strict rules regarding asking rev pax to switch and most policies state that asking revs to switch is enough to get your non-rev privileges revoked. That's just ASKING. What do you suppose poaching will get you?

It is a serious violation and SHOULD be reported.

Proudelitist

It was the employee who thrust himself into MY affairs by putting a burden on me..one I was not in the mood for after a 32 hour trip from South America. Not only did he break the rules, he broke them on the assumption that the person whose seat he stole wouldn't know the rules. Perhaps no more non-rev travel for a year and mark in his record will make him think twice about doing this again.