ChaseTheMiles

My question is really long, so here's the full question:

"Would you switch a good seat for a worse seat if a mother asked you to accommodate her child to sit with her?"

I actually witnessed 2 cases in one trip recently. In both cases, the passenger who was asked was kind and gave up an aisle or window seat to sit in the middle in another row.

However, I did not like seeing how the women asked the passengers. They approached their "targets" in a demanding way, as if the passenger wouldn't be a good person if he/she were to decline the request.

One of them didn't even say "excuse me" or "please" in what I heard. She simply talked like she was a flight attendant, by saying that she "was trying to get two kids to sit together."

Fortunately, I wasn't asked. But, as I was sitting in my aisle seat in the crowded plane, I was wondering what I would have said. I was particularly tired with a back pain that day, so I didn't feel like moving as I was already settled. But, honestly, I would have agreed if the woman had asked nicely. I really didn't like the way she asked as if it was her right.

What do you all think?

SRQ Guy

It depends on the situation. As a parent I understand the predicament. That said, I probably wouldn't do it for a transcon or longer. I'd do it for a short flight up to a couple of hours. Rude people bother me, but I probably wouldn't let that color my decision.

KENNECTED

A common topic in many of the airlines forums.

I wouldn't move. I booked my flight and based on where I'm flying, I chose my seats for the best view.

MSPeconomist

Just say no. There's no need to explain or give a reason why you selected your seat. Too often people trying to change seats want the better seats rather than being willing to take worse seats in order to sit together. Moreover, in some cases they are seated apart because they refused to pay seat reservation fees or they deliberately picked one good seat hoping to get another good seat next to it rather than picking two less good seats that were adjacent.

If someone rudely demands that I switch seats, I will say no rudely in return and I will not feel at all guilty about this.

tom911

I'll trade for a similar seat, but never for something worse. I traded aisle for aisle in first class on an ORD-SFO on AA in November so a child could sit with a parent. I would not have traded aisle for a middle if I was back in coach for this 4.5 hour flight.

One trade request I do recall was years ago on the upper deck emergency exit row of a UA 747 to Australia. This row had double the legroom of any other row in that cabin. The passenger next to me asked me to swap with his wife a few rows ahead. I declined and noted I had booked this seat months out. I noticed he did not ask the person sitting next to his wife to swap with him - clearly he did not want to give up his premium seat.

tcook052

It's one thing if a pax asks but quite another if an FA 'suggests' it on their behalf. I get that FA's are just trying to keep everyone happy but some FA's I've seen present the request in such a way as they don't expect you to answer with anything but a 'yes'.

Not often but I've politely said no to seat swap requests if the alternate seats wasn't as good.

CPRich

It depends on the quality of the "from" and "to" seat, the length of the flight, any potential missed viewing, needs to climb over other pax, etc. Short flight, minimal impact, I probably would, having been in the situation. But I'd have no problem saying no on a 5 hr. flight moving from front-aisle to last row-middle. I'd suggest moving the other "next to" passenger, if that swap isn't as bad

Plato90s

"The airline charges $119 extra for this seat, I'll give it to you for $100"


"You don't love your kids enough to pay $100?"

WIRunner

I have always been of the belief that the party that wants to swap should take the "lesser" seats. I've declined swaps for bulkheads because a couple has wanted to sit together, and they seem to get huffy when suggesting that the try to swap for the non-bulkhead. Apparently love exists only when there's a bulkhead in play.

Doc Savage

Now that's really unfair.



I've observed that love also apparently exists in exit rows.

It'sHip2B^2

I've asked fire swaps before but always like for like (same seat different rows). I'd never ask for a better seat.

The parent and child thing is tough. If both have a middle seat I don't see much of a way around it. For me it would depend mostly on the age of the child. Little kid, then I'd consider the switch. Ten or older, then I'd probably not consider the switch.

TrojanHorse

My swaps are only when I get an equal or better seat

No way I'm giving up my aisle for a middle in the same cabin.

I've never been asked by an FA but if one did, I'd just say listen, I have an aisle seat, I went online to select it and made sure that I got the seat I wanted only to have someone try to get this seat, think about it (speaking to the FA), so if you are asking me which I believe that you are, I respectfully decline the request to change my seat.. then see what goes from there.

it really at that point would depend how bad I needed to get to the next destination whether I pushed it further.

Doc Savage

Aisle for aisle only. Sorry, I gotta have the extra legroom.

manneca

I once swapped an aisle for a middle so a family could sit together (father was in the middle in the row behind). The window seat was taken by a quite large person and the aisle by her partner. No good deed goes unpunished. It was a five hour flight.

TrojanHorse

so you had an aisle, got that
family was in aisle, middle (large person in window) correct?
father was in middle behind child I presume?

How did you switching seats get them any closer? the only person that could have put them together was the large person in the window? Being in the middle one row behind the mother & child (I presume this was the case) is not something that really needs to be done. Granted you can switch with whomever asks you but in that case, I don't even consider it for one tick on the clock.

the kid was already with the mother or at least a family member. Again, that is what I read in your post