Seat Swap Request Horror Stories
Oct 29, 2016, 11:45 pm
#887
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 6,338
Unless that was converted into some kind of "comfort seat" with an issued BP etc I don't think the OP has any claim to it once the other pax no shows.... even if he paid for the ticket originally.
More detail required.
I rang an airline once when I was unable to take a planned trip with friends to see if the seat, or more importantly, the baggage allowance lol could be "retained". Nope.
More detail required.
I rang an airline once when I was unable to take a planned trip with friends to see if the seat, or more importantly, the baggage allowance lol could be "retained". Nope.
Oct 30, 2016, 2:10 am
#888
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
Same here. I purchased two tickets for a major sporting event but went alone. I told the person on the other side of the empty seat that I had in fact purchased 2 tickets so this was my 'penthouse'. So when he saw me spreading my things over 2 seats he knew why.
Oct 30, 2016, 3:41 am
#889
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,580
I don't think you had any right to the seat. Your wife failed to check in and therefore gave up her right to the seat. The airline could have assigned someone else to sit there from the beginning. It's unfortunate, but I would just suck this one up.
Oct 30, 2016, 3:54 am
#891
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: BAEC, IB+, TAM multi+
Posts: 453
Not disagreeing with anyone, but I have a question - If that seat was purchased for someone who never got on the flight, then would the OP have checked in and received a boarding pass for that seat? And scanned both boarding passes as he boarded the plane?
It seems like from the standpoint of the airline this wouldn't be any different than a misconnect, where if the passenger hasn't checked in by T-15 or so, the seat can be given to a standby passenger?
That said, I would have likely asked to see his boarding pass, or called the flight attendant over to referree.
It seems like from the standpoint of the airline this wouldn't be any different than a misconnect, where if the passenger hasn't checked in by T-15 or so, the seat can be given to a standby passenger?
That said, I would have likely asked to see his boarding pass, or called the flight attendant over to referree.
No need for referreeing by a Flight Attendant here.
However I would have certainly argued with that guy as he only gestured to sit there and did not politely ask. I would assume he spoke English so you could have talked about it with him in a polite manner.
Oct 30, 2016, 8:39 am
#893
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AAdvantage Lifetime Gold/Some Years Platinum
Posts: 995
But...neither does the random dude who wants to self-downgrade
into a middle seat.Since no one has a valid claim on the seat, that's who should sit there - no one.
I don't see any reason why the OP should have to put up with a seat poacher, even if the seat being poached isn't technically "his" or "hers".
Oct 30, 2016, 12:35 pm
#894
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG, Enterprise, Avios, Nexus
Posts: 8,355
So on a recent early morning 3 hour flight I was sitting in 1A, a seat with no bulkhead, so a nice long stretch out. 1A & 1B were paid for by me, for the mrs, but she didn't' come, so the seat was empty. 1C was occupied.
As is the norm, we both nicely spread ourselves out, and threw magazines etc onto the spare seat.
At some point in the flight, the guy sitting in 1D (D, E & F all having a bulkhead) got up, and pointed at our seat, making a breast stroke swimming motion, ie please move your things away, and proceeded to sit down in between us, stretch out pull his eye shades down and go to sleep, which obviously had a big comfort effect on myself and the neighbour, who was clearly as miffed about it as me. Obviously I felt a bit of a (misplaced) sense of ownership over that seat since I had paid for it, but ignoring that it certainly had a direct effect on my comfort, I was in essence trading my comfort, for his.
Thoughts? Deny him? suck it up?
As is the norm, we both nicely spread ourselves out, and threw magazines etc onto the spare seat.
At some point in the flight, the guy sitting in 1D (D, E & F all having a bulkhead) got up, and pointed at our seat, making a breast stroke swimming motion, ie please move your things away, and proceeded to sit down in between us, stretch out pull his eye shades down and go to sleep, which obviously had a big comfort effect on myself and the neighbour, who was clearly as miffed about it as me. Obviously I felt a bit of a (misplaced) sense of ownership over that seat since I had paid for it, but ignoring that it certainly had a direct effect on my comfort, I was in essence trading my comfort, for his.
Thoughts? Deny him? suck it up?
Oct 30, 2016, 1:03 pm
#895
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,660
A new one for me a few days ago on Ethiopian from Addis to Dubai.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Oct 30, 2016, 6:10 pm
#896
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 183
A new one for me a few days ago on Ethiopian from Addis to Dubai.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Oct 30, 2016, 8:43 pm
#897
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
A new one for me a few days ago on Ethiopian from Addis to Dubai.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Oct 30, 2016, 10:53 pm
#898
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,580
If no one has a valid claim on the seat, it's first come, first served. Anyone can move to that seat. OP could have moved to that seat if he wanted to.
Oct 31, 2016, 2:37 am
#899
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Explat, SPG Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 56
AA ORD-STL, Someone was seated in my pre-selected window seat. I sat down in the adjacent aisle seat, not a word was said. PD Bloody Mary's ensued. A short, but sweet flight. Sometimes the silent request is the most effective.
Oct 31, 2016, 4:39 am
#900
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950
A new one for me a few days ago on Ethiopian from Addis to Dubai.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.
Got up mid-flight to use the lav and returned to find a Nigerian lady had appropriated my bulkhead seat and was pretending to sleep there with eye-mask and headphones on. Summoned the crew to intervene and they eventually shook her "awake". She flatly refused to move and said that I should take her seat instead (middle seat some rows back). She also had the gall to try to lecture me for "disturbing" her sleep and said that she wanted this seat because it was "more comfortable to sleep" and she noticed that I wasn't sleeping so I didn't need it.
Heated argument ensued between her and the crew including threats to have her arrested on arrival and she eventually grudgingly relocated back to her own seat.