Originally Posted by kipper

On my flight from LHR to JFK last night, I experienced an odd seat swap situation. First, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, who was traveling with his son, asked the man behind me if he would switch seats with me. The son was supposed to sit next to me, and he did not want the son sitting next to a female. The man behind me and I switched seats, because I really just wanted to get home and didn't want to hold up the flight (which was full). The father was sitting across the aisle and a row back. The father was sitting in the middle seat, and a couple (husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend) had the aisle and window. The father somehow convinced the wife to take the window and the husband to take the middle seat so he didn't sit next to a woman either. As they are still trying to stow their luggage, they realized that as the son is in the row of 4 (it was a 3-4-3 configuration), there was a woman sitting next to the son on the other side too. The father tried to argue with a flight attendant about having the woman move, but the FA told him in no uncertain terms that he could've reduced the issue by paying for seats next to each other so they would only need to worry about one person sitting next to them. The FA said the father could ask a passenger to switch, but the FA wasn't going to do anything to help.

The poor man who switched seats with me and who had an aisle seat, eventually agreed to move to the son's seat, so the son ended up with an aisle seat as well. The son was seated in front of me and spent most of the flight with his seat fully reclined. As I told Mr. Kipper, that is the last time I switch seats with anyone.

Originally Posted by LondonElite

Can you draw me a diagram, preferably with arrows? I probably would have said no...these things always end in tears.

Originally Posted by kipper

I feel like I needed a diagram. Add to it that someone else vomited on another passenger, Mr. Kipper's seat wouldn't recline, and it was just a very challenging flight. I will not agree going forward.

Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

[deleted] Father and son both ended up in aisle seats when initially father had a middle and if I follow the logic correctly, so did the son. [deleted]

Originally Posted by kipper

On my flight from LHR to JFK last night, I experienced an odd seat swap situation. First, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, who was traveling with his son, asked the man behind me if he would switch seats with me. The son was supposed to sit next to me, and he did not want the son sitting next to a female. The man behind me and I switched seats, because I really just wanted to get home and didn't want to hold up the flight (which was full). The father was sitting across the aisle and a row back. The father was sitting in the middle seat, and a couple (husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend) had the aisle and window. The father somehow convinced the wife to take the window and the husband to take the middle seat so he didn't sit next to a woman either. As they are still trying to stow their luggage, they realized that as the son is in the row of 4 (it was a 3-4-3 configuration), there was a woman sitting next to the son on the other side too. The father tried to argue with a flight attendant about having the woman move, but the FA told him in no uncertain terms that he could've reduced the issue by paying for seats next to each other so they would only need to worry about one person sitting next to them. The FA said the father could ask a passenger to switch, but the FA wasn't going to do anything to help.

The poor man who switched seats with me and who had an aisle seat, eventually agreed to move to the son's seat, so the son ended up with an aisle seat as well. The son was seated in front of me and spent most of the flight with his seat fully reclined. As I told Mr. Kipper, that is the last time I switch seats with anyone.

Originally Posted by kipper

I feel like I needed a diagram. Add to it that someone else vomited on another passenger, Mr. Kipper's seat wouldn't recline, and it was just a very challenging flight. I will not agree going forward.

Originally Posted by kipper

... First, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, who was traveling with his son, asked the man behind me if he would switch seats with me. The son was supposed to sit next to me, and he did not want the son sitting next to a female...

Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

[deleted] Father and son both ended up in aisle seats when initially father had a middle and if I follow the logic correctly, so did the son. [deleted]

Originally Posted by rickg523

Yeah, I hear these "won't sit next to" stories and
I'm wondering what would happen if one of the men who were next to a swap out had said they'd prefer sitting next to a woman than an Orthodox Jew.

Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge

Sorry if your religion forbids you as a male (in this case his son) to sit next to a woman then you should purchase seats. Good for FA standing her ground. In this case they should have purchased an extra seat as the airline can't reserve a seat for a "male only." Flights are packed today. This person's religion requirement isn't practical.

Originally Posted by Visconti

You're too nice, I wouldn't have agreed to begin with. In this the post UA seat affair era, I'd refuse to move for any reason, won't even bother listening to the explanation, unless ordered by a FA in his/her official capacity. Even then, I'd want the reason, but would comply.

Originally Posted by TWA884

That's a fairly common occurrence on Tel Aviv flights.

Originally Posted by zitsky

What if one of the men they sit next to is Muslim or Hindu? Is that a problem?

Originally Posted by kipper

Yes, both ended up in aisle seats while both originally had middle seats.

Originally Posted by HMO

Unbelievable two different people had agreed for worst seats in an int'l flight. We are not talking about 1~2 hours here...

Originally Posted by rickg523

Yeah, I hear these "won't sit next to" stories and
I'm wondering what would happen if one of the men who were next to a swap out had said they'd prefer sitting next to a woman than an Orthodox Jew.

Originally Posted by Annalisa12

Do they need to buy an extra spare seat like larger passengers?

Originally Posted by kipper

In this case, had they been willing to pay to reserve seats, there were a few rows in the back that had 2 seats/section, so they could've reserved those and not had a problem.