Ever self-upgraded to E+?
 

I recently flew FLL-EWR and booked myself in a cheap Y seat. I noticed the flight was more than 50% empty, so I noticed an E+ row that was completely empty on the seat map minutes before departure, and moved to that row. Didn't get any heat from the flight attendants.

Sounds like you are referring to a United flight?
If so, sounds like you had a crew that didn't notice or was not inclined to ask you to pony up $$$ that you should have paid, or been entitled to with status.
Many, many threads on this topic over the years, including
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...t=self-upgrade
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...t=self-upgrade
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...t=self-upgrade

Yeah, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

(In before the close!)

IME, DL does a good job keeping pax who did not pay out of EC seats. I've heard announcements on numerous occasions that non-EC pax can move around, but not to the EC seats with gray headrests.

:eek:

I'm unfamiliar with this mythical 50% full flight. ;)

On every UA flight I've been on in the past 3-4 years, nearly every seat is occupied: no one is self-upgrading anywhere.

I guess it depends on the crew and the airline. I've seen AA and JetBlue FAs kick people out of MCE/EMS seats who don't belong there.

oh boy. I don't see a happy end to this thread.

IBTL.

I was on a flight on AA, had an empty row by myself in "main cabin extra" (their version of E+) and prior to takeoff another lady moved into the row with me. I had the window, she took the aisle.

I was somewhat unhappy at having another person, but whatever.

This. ^ Absolutely this. What the OP did is completely uncool, regardless of whether the FAs gave him/her heat or not.

I had the same thing happen to me, but when the poacher sat down, I asked her what she was doing... the lady said "just spreading out". I told her that was my seat. She looked confused since I was sitting in the window seat. Told her I bought the entire aisle. She said sarcastically "oh, right". I said "I'm serious". Then she went back to her old seat.

The fun games we play on airplanes....

It's a completely empty row, therefore affecting exactly ZERO people other than OP himself.

I'm slightly amazed at the rush to defend airlines after they do their best to work us over day after day after day for things that were standard 10 years ago.

Dear OP: I would do the same thing and not think twice about it. If anyone has a serious problem with it they really need to take a moment and think for a second. It's different if someone moves into an already-occupied row, but seriously...we're all in cattle class, some of us are in marginally better cattle class, don't be so godawfully miserable.

That is because if 50% of the flights are at 50% load and 50% of the flights are at 100% load, 67% of the passengers are on full flights even though half the flights are empty. Or a similar calculation. :)

If 50% of the flights are at 25% load and 50% of the flights are at 100% load, 80% of the passengers are on full flights even though half the flights are empty! :eek:

So would you also move to an empty Business row just because it is empty? Or where exactly do you draw the line? If you want a better row, you pay for it. Moving to an empty row in your class of service is fine. But this is not your class of service - regardless if you are calling it marginally better or whatever. Self-upgrading is cheating.

So you stole something and got away with it?

as the old saying goes ...
"Figures don't lie; liars figure!"
:D

Guy left his car running when he ran into a store the other day. I saw it and drove it away. Nobody said anything. Guess it's OK.

Seriously, OP knows it's theft of services. He just got away with it. Maybe next time he'll get caught. Who knows.

Are we really doing this again?

Yup. This is exactly the same as sitting in an unoccupied row of a plane. Great analogy.

Wow some of these responses are so odd. How is it stealing switching seats on an half empty flight? FA's are some of the most no nonsense people out there. If they had a problem with it, it would've been made known. I once got sat in Business class on a long haul because my legs were hurting me. Did I steal the seat? I mean I didn't pay for it.

While I doubt the airline would pursue it that far, the OP could be criminally charged with Theft of Service. Your sentence above should be corrected to say "If they had a problem and noticed it, it would've been made known". Stealing and getting away with it is still stealing.

I understand your point of view, I just don't agree with it. Calling it stealing implies that the airline had a direct loss because of it. The flight commenced they weren't going to make money on that seat. I guess this is one of these grey areas that people aren't going to see eye to eye on.

the never-ending debate between situational ethics and "choose your battles"

It's more than just a point of view. Had the airline caught him and decided to pursue it, he could have been charged with a crime. That's not a gray area.

Analogy: Once a movie starts and the theater isn't selling anymore tickets, can I sneak in the back door? After all, they weren't going to make any money on me.

Consuming something you didn't pay for, knowing that there is a cost attached to it and that you are supposed to pay for it, is not "situational". It does fall under the "choose your battles", though.

The grey area I was alluding to was the difference in opinion amongst the members here not the law. Your analogy doesn't really fit because you are saying you didn't buy a ticket and are sneaking in. A more proper analogy would be you bought movie tickets changed your mind and went into a different movie than the one you originally chose.

A movie that cost a lot more than the one you bought the ticket for, to make a proper analogy. Or buying standing room only at a concert and then heading for a vacant front row seat.

It's theft.

Okay I concede, no changing opinions here. Lets all be cops and go after these thieves. They are ruining the economy.

I must have missed the posts where anyone said that.

I take it your opinion is that it's a perfectly honest thing to do.

IBTL

It is something that I have never done, I just think calling someone a thief for switching seats is quite harsh and a little silly.

Very simple. if I pay for the privilege of sitting in E+ (either by spending $$ directly, or by spending lots of $$ to get status and thus free E+), it's gonna annoy the hell out of me if someone comes up and just takes it without paying for it.
If you don't like the concept of E+ and E-: go fly southwest.

Let's complete your sentence and try again. "switching seats into a more expensive seat that he knew was more expensive and he did it hoping he wouldn't get caught..."

At the beginning of every UA flight I've been on the past few years the FAs make an announcement that you cannot move into an E+ seat and that if you want to use an E+ seat please let the FA know and she will arrange payment.

It's theft. Pure and simple.

You may have missed the part where OP said he went into a vacant row.

Let's take it one step further...does everyone here agree that putting your stuff into a vacant middle seat when you're in the window seat is theft? Because by most of the logic displayed here, yep, that's theft too. To me, the people in E+ who would be mad about this are playing their DYKWIA card more than anything.

Nope, didn't miss a thing. Someone takes something that is more desirable, has a price tag because of that, and someone wants that thing without paying for it. Not cool.
Now if the airline decides to give me back the money I paid for the privilege, I would be totally cool with it.

and to go one up: what if there's an empty row in BE? Is it ok to just take that seat too then? Or is that really a magic curtain between Y an J?

Oh boy the can of worms.

If you take anything from this post OP.

Some of us don't think you did anything to warrant being called a thief.

And some of us thinks you should be ashamed of yourself.

What about the seat selection process, then? Many airlines charge extra for seats, even in economy, such as BA. If you paid less for a middle seat, then luckily the window or exit row was open, and you shuffled over, this is the same for you? Right now on LAX-LHR I'm given the option of paying $30 or somesuch to buy an exit row, and $60 to get a window, and even more for an exit row. Would you get upset if someone didn't pay for choosing a seat, then decided to move to the window in a mostly-empty row?

Because I don't think you'd willfully sit in the middle seat if the window was open. Etc etc. You can get so pedantic about this, that it just isn't worth giving a second thought to.

They do suffer a loss actually: the perception that it is worth $$ to buy up to E+. If people just go sit there without paying, other people that do pay will not do that again, and just take it for free next time too.

So move up to the free BE seat next time you fly. See how well that goes for you.

The problem is that the cocky/arrogant/entitled will rule the plane. Just because you are arrogant enough to claim something that is not yours, does not make it acceptable.
Now of course you could ask the FA, and definitely in the case of a window for a middle on your own row, there will probably be no objection.

(Shrug) theft of service.

my god, what a bunch of puritans. OP did absolutely nothing wrong.

What are you doing?!? Quick retreat before they call you arrogant and entitled. Learn from my mistakes my dear, nothing works.