I have been asked several times to switch seats and politely declined without any great fanfare, they just kept working the rest of the cabin until they found someone. Sometimes I have switched when it works, and sometimes not, but it's never been a major issue whenever I turn a request down.

I did have this flight from hell once flying into Cleveland on a UX flight. I get on board and sit down and there is a crew bag wedged under my seat across the entire length of the two seats in front of me on this little RJ cropduster that has no legroom anyway. Clearly labeled "crew". FA comes flying by and I explained the problem and she just ignored me and kept going forward. Me and a seatmate lugged it under the other empty seat across the aisle. We did the usual departure routine, then when we reached altitude, she just stayed forward and never served drinks or anything. It was weird, like she was having her last day of work or something.

My rule is if someone asks nicely and the seat they have is comparable I'll consider it. If I show up to my seat and your already in it the probability of you staying in it is zero.

Totally agree. In all my years of flying, I've never turned down a polite request to switch to a comparable seat. And I've never been refused when asking someone to do the same.

"Hello seatmate. I'd like to apologize in advance for all the times I'm going to need to get up and go to the lav during this flight (being pregnant as I am). Would you prefer to switch seats with me so I don't have to dusrupt your working / sleeping during the flight?"

I know I'd be happy to switch seats if someone approached me this way!

T

"There probably isn't any sand on board, but perhaps we can find something else for you to pound."

(Sit)

LOVE IT^^

I pity the fool who says No to The Big Belly!

This is a nice way to ask.

You could also discreetly ask one of the FA's, if you don't have any luck getting seated together prior to boarding. I've found that people feel more comfortable saying no to an FA's request than to another passenger, from whom even a polite request could come across as a bit of a guilt trip.

Same policy for me. Please ask and just do not sit on my seat first!

If asked politely (and before my seat is usurped) and the offer is to a better or equal seat, I will switch. If the seat is worse, (aisle or middle when I need a window, back of the plane instead of front of the plane, next to a COS, etc.), I will not switch no matter how politely the request is framed. And hockeyguy, I understand it can be very difficult to fly with your family, particularly if your family is large. However, it is still your challenge to accomplish, and not anyone else's problem. If you ask me nicely to switch to a comparable seat, I'd certainly do it. Sorry, though -- the fact that you're traveling with your family wouldn't effect my determination.

I completely understand and respect anyone's decision not to change seats. The problem for families or any small to medium groups of pax is that the airlines (in general) don't help you out in terms of getting seated together.

I actually don't travel with more than one companion very often, but I do have sympathy for those who do and who get little help from the airline. I don't think it's my responsibility to make up for the airline's shortcomings, but depending on the situation, I may be willing to give a little (i.e. take a slightly worse seat) to help someone else, at least sometimes. But if I do so, it's because I decide I want to do it for an individual -- that whole good karma, pay it forward thing. If I feel in any way obligated or pressured into doing it, my interest drops really fast.

My favorite experience was an LAS-DEN TED flight. Wife and I are booked on a fairly empty flight and middle seat is blocked. While we're fine if the plane fills up, she'll stay in the window and I'll stay in the aisle. We've been married 30 some years and can take a LAS-DEN flight without sitting together.

BUT, the plane is not very full, yet the GA has managed to put someone in a middle seat between us (don't get me started on the GA putting someone in a 70% full flight between a UGS and 1P spouse).

The FA sees what happens and comes over, offers the guy an aisle seat in E+ two rows behind us (I didn't grab Ted First Class 11ABC this flight), telling the PAX, "these two are flying together." I assume the guy will jump at the opportunity, so while he contemplates it (that should have been my clue - he had to take 30 seconds to think about it) I whispered to the FA, "don't worry about it, thanks). Well, the PAX must have heard her BECAUSE HE SAYS, "THIS SEAT IS FINE, I'LL JUST STAY HERE!!!!"

Next time the wife (who is very petite) gets a middle seat or I buy the middle seat.

Unbelievable....

I'll put it this way...this child (who was about 3-4 years old) was running up and down the isle during boarding, each time he passed his family one of them tried very unsuccessfully to restrain him. Once most of boarding had completed he began running up into F, and at two different points he ran straight into the cockpit, stopping just behind the pilots' seats. The FA's initially were smiling and being patient, but finally one of them stepped up and made the point clear that he needed to stay in his seat for the remainder of the flight. Of course once this happened he began throwing the biggest tantrum ever, accompanied by some of the shrillest crying I've heard in awhile. I think his parents were as much to blame as he was, as there was definitely some parenting skills lacking.

Fortunately for everyone he fell asleep as soon as we were wheels up. I was fully prepared to crumble a Xanax into his juice had he not shut up.

I think that most any other time I would have piped up. In this particular instance my co-worker and I were too busy laughing to each other about how unbelievable it was. Add to that the fact that our flight at this point had been delayed by 3 hours so we were just happy to be leaving.

Craig

That happened to me recently as well. It was on a TED flight and my wife and I are sitting in 2D and 2F. A husband and wife (I'm assuming) came on board and he indicated he had 2E so my wife took the middle and he took the window.

What was inexplicable is that his wife took 3E and 3F was empty. Not to mention there were at least three rows with only one person sitting either in the window or aisle seat.

So for whatever reason, he got the middle seat between a 1K and 3p. No big deal since it was a short flight but I still can't understand how it came to be that way.

I've had this happen to me way too often when sitting in the row behind the bulkhead. To avoid this, I simply avoid this row when selecting a seat, and go a few back. When sitting a row behind the bulkhead, I've been the recipient of evil stinkeye looks from pax when its obvious I've asked the f/a to have them take their stuff out that's blocking my legroom.

As a solo traveller, its work enough to deal with the seat switching and poaching crowd, let alone to add a legroom thief into the mix.