Seat Swap Request Horror Stories
Dec 11, 2018, 11:48 pm
#1021
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 had a memorable incident with United 2 years ago that I posted about here. Short version: 2 non-revs travelling together...she was a UA FA and he was a WN Mechanic. He poached my seat to sit next to her, told me I could have his old one..showed me a BP for a middle, but insisted he was "really" in the aisle because he swapped with the aisle guy in that row. BP also said NRSA. The male FA just looked on sheepishly and clearly didn't want to say anything because he knew her. I refused, took my seat, got a sarcastic "Thanks a lot" from the non-rev UA..reported them both at the destination, with UA customer service, and to a sup here on FT who actually did something about it. Point is, at the departure the non-rev FA was noticably buddy buddy with the gate staff. Hugging, talking about old times, even boarded first..I knew going in they were non-revs, but yeah when I boarded,..sure enough...MY seat would be the issue. Of course.
Dec 12, 2018, 7:41 am
#1022
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: UA 1P
Posts: 545
But having the sick baby in Y would be fine? Is the health of F passengers more important than those in the back?
If anything, I think that having the sick baby in F would be better, because passengers are more spaced out than in Y, so there is less chance of someone else catching the illness if it is contagious.
If anything, I think that having the sick baby in F would be better, because passengers are more spaced out than in Y, so there is less chance of someone else catching the illness if it is contagious.
Dec 12, 2018, 10:04 am
#1025
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
Dec 13, 2018, 10:18 am
#1027
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
That's where I started - I thought that he took my seat because I had taken his. But that wasn't the case. I sat across the aisle from where I was supposed to be, and he took an aisle seat because he didn't want his window.
It was my mistake - that was the point. I sat on the wrong side of the aisle.
When I asked to move to my correct seat, he tried to get me to sit *anywhere but* the seat that was on my BP. I was just recounting his repeated attempts at deflection.
If you re-read my post, it seems fairly obvious to me - the other guy was booked in 3A (window) but was sitting in 3B (aisle). I was booked in 3B, but had mistakenly sat in 3C. I was trying to vacate that seat before the rightful 'owner' arrived, but the guy in my seat didn't want to give it up. He wanted me to take his window. Then he wanted me to swap with his buddy in the bulkhead. Then he wanted me to stay where I was and work something out with the person who showed up with a BP for 3C. At each of those "offers", I said that I wanted to sit in the seat I had been assigned. I don't see how telepathy enters in to the conversation.
Hey, that wasn't you, was it?
It was my mistake - that was the point. I sat on the wrong side of the aisle.
When I asked to move to my correct seat, he tried to get me to sit *anywhere but* the seat that was on my BP. I was just recounting his repeated attempts at deflection.
If you re-read my post, it seems fairly obvious to me - the other guy was booked in 3A (window) but was sitting in 3B (aisle). I was booked in 3B, but had mistakenly sat in 3C. I was trying to vacate that seat before the rightful 'owner' arrived, but the guy in my seat didn't want to give it up. He wanted me to take his window. Then he wanted me to swap with his buddy in the bulkhead. Then he wanted me to stay where I was and work something out with the person who showed up with a BP for 3C. At each of those "offers", I said that I wanted to sit in the seat I had been assigned. I don't see how telepathy enters in to the conversation.
Hey, that wasn't you, was it?
If I pitch up and someone is sat in my seat (it happens quite rarely) I ask them to shift. If they don't I call an attendant to shift them. On the one occasion that didn't work (as outlined upthread) I threatened to offload with my bags and the purser did the necessary rather than piss off a plane load of passengers.
I didn't feel the need to get into a long windy story about not liking windows, not liking bulkheads etc. That is completely irrelevant....I don't like jam sandwiches either.
Dec 13, 2018, 3:09 pm
#1030
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
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Posts: 21,375
Dec 14, 2018, 7:01 am
#1033
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Moderator Note: All posts specifically directed to seating Federal Agents on board have been moved to Omni. Please follow that discussion here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/omni...signments.html
Jul 21, 2019, 3:27 am
#1034
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: BA Gold, A3 Gold, FB Gold, Bonvoy Titanium / LTP, Accor Plat
Posts: 13,896
Ok could do with some advice on how to follow up on this... on a 4ish hour flight, in Y.
About 20 minutes in the CC comes to me and says "Sorry sir, but would you mind swapping seats? The gentleman a few seats forward would like to sit next to the lady next to you. It's still an aisle seat."
Well, I mean ok, an aisle seat for a futher-forward aisle seat, not end of the world if a couple wants to sit together. I look to my seatmate, who says:
"Actually, please don't. You're nice and quiet, but I only just met him, he bought me coffee in the airport, and I really don't want to talk to him."
Uh.
I say to the CC "well, I think it's really up to her", and she pleads with the CC to pass the message forward she's sleeping or somesuch, so not only does he not swap, he doesn't come back to see what's going on. I make it clear I'm not moving if she doesn't want me to.
All that said: WWYD now? Leave it to her to take it up with the airline? Assume the guy spun such a story to the CC that the CC thought it was natural she'd want the same thing? Send a message to the airline explaining what happened and gently suggesting this isn't how the situation should have gone down?
About 20 minutes in the CC comes to me and says "Sorry sir, but would you mind swapping seats? The gentleman a few seats forward would like to sit next to the lady next to you. It's still an aisle seat."
Well, I mean ok, an aisle seat for a futher-forward aisle seat, not end of the world if a couple wants to sit together. I look to my seatmate, who says:
"Actually, please don't. You're nice and quiet, but I only just met him, he bought me coffee in the airport, and I really don't want to talk to him."
Uh.
I say to the CC "well, I think it's really up to her", and she pleads with the CC to pass the message forward she's sleeping or somesuch, so not only does he not swap, he doesn't come back to see what's going on. I make it clear I'm not moving if she doesn't want me to.
All that said: WWYD now? Leave it to her to take it up with the airline? Assume the guy spun such a story to the CC that the CC thought it was natural she'd want the same thing? Send a message to the airline explaining what happened and gently suggesting this isn't how the situation should have gone down?
Last edited by typical; Jul 21, 2019 at 3:58 am Reason: Removed some identifying info