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Captain Flush Nov 5, 2016 12:48 am

I had something similar to this happen to me a few years back, though not mid-flight. Transcon redeye, my now-wife and I board and take our aisle-middle combination near the back of the plane. She graciously volunteers to take the middle. Shortly thereafter the seats immediately in front of us are claimed by a couple with a lap infant, dad taking the aisle and mom/baby the middle (this strikes me as being both unfair to mom and inconsiderate in relation to the poor stranger in the window seat, but I digress). While boarding is still in progress, I go back to use the aft lavatory and when I return, I find that mom has gotten up from her middle seat, moved back a row and plopped herself down in my aisle seat, and has settled in with baby now asleep on her shoulder. Hell to the no, I say to myself, miffed at her chutzpah as well as my wife's apparent failure to intervene (which was later explained to me satisfactorily). Mom ignores my initial polite "excuse me" and pretends not to hear my subsequent, louder attempt either. On the third try, she gestures toward the baby and gives a helpless "what do you want me to do about it?" look. She finally got up and went back to her original seat when I told my wife I was going to get the flight attendant and would be right back. Dad proceeds to keep his aisle seat for the duration, declining to hold baby at any point. I did feel bad for the mom, but it wasn't my problem that dad wasn't exactly thoughtful about the seating arrangement and division of parental labor.


Originally Posted by B747-437B (Post 27413005)
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.


The_Bouncer Nov 5, 2016 8:03 am


Originally Posted by Captain Flush (Post 27439243)
I had something similar to this happen to me a few years back, though not mid-flight. Transcon redeye, my now-wife and I board and take our aisle-middle combination near the back of the plane. She graciously volunteers to take the middle. Shortly thereafter the seats immediately in front of us are claimed by a couple with a lap infant, dad taking the aisle and mom/baby the middle (this strikes me as being both unfair to mom and inconsiderate in relation to the poor stranger in the window seat, but I digress). While boarding is still in progress, I go back to use the aft lavatory and when I return, I find that mom has gotten up from her middle seat, moved back a row and plopped herself down in my aisle seat, and has settled in with baby now asleep on her shoulder. Hell to the no, I say to myself, miffed at her chutzpah as well as my wife's apparent failure to intervene (which was later explained to me satisfactorily). Mom ignores my initial polite "excuse me" and pretends not to hear my subsequent, louder attempt either. On the third try, she gestures toward the baby and gives a helpless "what do you want me to do about it?" look. She finally got up and went back to her original seat when I told my wife I was going to get the flight attendant and would be right back. Dad proceeds to keep his aisle seat for the duration, declining to hold baby at any point. I did feel bad for the mom, but it wasn't my problem that dad wasn't exactly thoughtful about the seating arrangement and division of parental labor.

Interesting family dynamics. Are you sure the guy was Dad?

thelark Nov 5, 2016 9:23 pm


Originally Posted by rbwpi (Post 27332697)
You appear to have a some what perverse sense of humor.

:rolleyes:

WillCAD Nov 6, 2016 5:02 am


Originally Posted by Captain Flush (Post 27439243)
I had something similar to this happen to me a few years back, though not mid-flight. Transcon redeye, my now-wife and I board and take our aisle-middle combination near the back of the plane. She graciously volunteers to take the middle. Shortly thereafter the seats immediately in front of us are claimed by a couple with a lap infant, dad taking the aisle and mom/baby the middle (this strikes me as being both unfair to mom and inconsiderate in relation to the poor stranger in the window seat, but I digress). While boarding is still in progress, I go back to use the aft lavatory and when I return, I find that mom has gotten up from her middle seat, moved back a row and plopped herself down in my aisle seat, and has settled in with baby now asleep on her shoulder. Hell to the no, I say to myself, miffed at her chutzpah as well as my wife's apparent failure to intervene (which was later explained to me satisfactorily). Mom ignores my initial polite "excuse me" and pretends not to hear my subsequent, louder attempt either. On the third try, she gestures toward the baby and gives a helpless "what do you want me to do about it?" look. She finally got up and went back to her original seat when I told my wife I was going to get the flight attendant and would be right back. Dad proceeds to keep his aisle seat for the duration, declining to hold baby at any point. I did feel bad for the mom, but it wasn't my problem that dad wasn't exactly thoughtful about the seating arrangement and division of parental labor.

I'm sorry to pry, but I am just burning with curiosity, and you did mention it - why didn't your wife intervene or call the FA when this woman plopped into your seat?

Tchiowa Nov 6, 2016 11:59 am


Originally Posted by aceman (Post 27408071)
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?

What did you do with her ticket? Change for a different day? Refund? Donate it to the airline out of the goodness of your heart? Since I doubt it's the latter you have no claim to the seat. You can try reserving it with your stuff as you did. But if it was me and I wanted that seat I'd approach an FA and get permission. Then you wouldn't have any options.

Frankly I don't see him as being any more rude that you. Unless, as I said, you threw the ticket away and let the airline keep the money.

MSPeconomist Nov 7, 2016 9:14 am


Originally Posted by aceman (Post 27408071)
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?

I've seen this stunt before. Three are traveling together, for example in seats DEF. They see an empty seat nearby, such as B in the same row and send E to move into B so that two of their party, namely D and F, have more space for themselves at the expense of the strangers A and C. So E/B is equally uncomfortable, but D and F win at the expense of A and C.

o mikros Nov 9, 2016 5:56 pm


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 27448358)
I've seen this stunt before. Three are traveling together, for example in seats DEF. They see an empty seat nearby, such as B in the same row and send E to move into B so that two of their party, namely D and F, have more space for themselves at the expense of the strangers A and C. So E/B is equally uncomfortable, but D and F win at the expense of A and C.

Seems strange, though. If you were in the middle, wouldn't you rather be sitting between two friends than squeezed between strangers?

kingstontoon Nov 10, 2016 7:05 am

BA flight LHR-DUS on an A321 two weeks ago. Myself and another chap (stranger) were in exit row seats 9D and 9F, with 9E seemingly "blocked" by BA thanks to status and the fact it wasn't a particularly full flight. All settled in and just before doors closed, the man in 8D asked the cabin crew if he could move into 9E for more legroom and she said yes! In this row there is no 8F. So instead of 2 people being comfortable and 2 being uncomfortable, you move to 1 being comfortable (Mr 8E with 2 seats to himself) and 3 being uncomfortable. Sigh. He was a big guy too and took up all the shoulder space!

MSPeconomist Nov 11, 2016 12:39 am


Originally Posted by o mikros (Post 27460548)
Seems strange, though. If you were in the middle, wouldn't you rather be sitting between two friends than squeezed between strangers?

I thought it was bizarre, especially since the flight was somewhat empty so that the party of three could have moved into their own row on both sides of the aisle farther back.

LondonElite Nov 11, 2016 2:00 am


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 27448358)
I've seen this stunt before. Three are traveling together, for example in seats DEF. They see an empty seat nearby, such as B in the same row and send E to move into B so that two of their party, namely D and F, have more space for themselves at the expense of the strangers A and C. So E/B is equally uncomfortable, but D and F win at the expense of A and C.

A good example of near-Pareto Optimality.

be001 Dec 14, 2016 8:54 pm

A crazy thing happens when you start traveling with an infant. Suddenly everyone, and I mean everyone, is completely willing to go out of their way if you want to swap seats to be next to your wife and (soon to be crying) baby.

Tizzette Dec 14, 2016 9:16 pm


Originally Posted by o mikros (Post 27460548)
Seems strange, though. If you were in the middle, wouldn't you rather be sitting between two friends than squeezed between strangers?

I lost my empty empty middle to somebody moving out of his family's row of three to give the other two more room. When the FA asked if he was in his assigned seat, he wouldn't move back and she didn't force him. He said he was more comfortable in my row. Most FAs just want to avoid confrontation.

be001 Dec 14, 2016 9:19 pm


Originally Posted by Tizzette (Post 27613829)
I lost my empty empty middle to somebody moving out of his family's row of three to give the other two more room. When the FA asked if he was in his assigned seat, he wouldn't move back and she didn't force him. He said he was more comfortable in my row. Most FAs just want to avoid confrontation.

I would have been pwning that dudes arm rest and coughing the whole flight

LondonElite Dec 16, 2016 6:17 am


Originally Posted by Tizzette (Post 27613829)
I lost my empty empty middle to somebody moving out of his family's row of three to give the other two more room. When the FA asked if he was in his assigned seat, he wouldn't move back and she didn't force him. He said he was more comfortable in my row. Most FAs just want to avoid confrontation.

Tough call. It's annoying but it was never really 'your' middle seat.

theddo Dec 16, 2016 8:38 am


Originally Posted by LondonElite (Post 27620387)
Tough call. It's annoying but it was never really 'your' middle seat.

Nor is the now free seat middle seat actually anyone else's.


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