This is not a rant, merely an observation.
Last week, I was flying IAD-DEN on a full 777.
After I settled in my seat, I noticed a guy standing somewhere around 23E. He was looking around and was accompagnied by a wife and a few kids.
In the meantime, a girl tried to sit down in 23F or G. The guy pointed at her and said: "Wait, don't sit down yet, you may need to sit elsewhere cuz we want to sit together". The girl just looked at him and said: "Oh, ok..."
How would you react to that? I don't think I would do too well with an approach like that.

An "ugh," a grunt, a scowl, and my arse planty firmly in the seat.

Are you 100% sure they were strangers?

Oh yes, I am 100% sure.

"Sorry sir, this isn't Southwest."

A demand like that would make me real stubborn.

"I'll be happy to move if you get me an aisle seat further forward".

You may need to pay $50, because I want to sit here.

I almost started a new thread on this when I first got home a couple weeks ago, but got lazy. Seeing this thread rekindled my memories so here goes...

A couple weeks ago I traveled JAX-SNA via ORD. I got to witness firsthand some nice poaching on 3 of the 4 flights.

JAX-ORD: Soccer Mom with 3 kids in tow. I was sitting 4A on a CRJ. Mom had 3A, B, and D but not C. Of course she filled the whole row with her offspring anyway. Turns out that her teenage son had 4C and she couldn't bear letting him sit 4 feet away for the 2 hour flight. When the real 3C arrived and inquired with the son about his seat Mom insisted that it was "OK because they were all flying together and that he could sit in the son's seat in 4C." I could tell the px was irritated but begrudgingly took 4C anyway. Here's the clincher...Mom stuffed her huge duffel bag underneath her seat eating up much of my legroom. She also instructed all three kids to do the same. Even though I didn't speak up about it I had no qualms over using her bag as a nice footrest!^

ORD-SNA: I was sitting in 5D (window) in first class. Two NRSA's board and take 4 A-B. A minute or two later a gentleman approaches them and apparently one of the NRSA's was in his seat (4B). No problem here...the NRSA kindly explains the situation and offers the gentleman her ticketed seat...1B. He seemed fine taking it, but I wonder if he regretted it after sitting down and noticing the difference in legroom.

ORD-JAX: This time I am sitting in 4C. 3A and 4A/B are occupied by family with the most cracked out, ADD, screaming child EVER (I could dedicate an entire thread to this kid but thats another story). 3B is an older businessman who is not happy to be dealing with "Damian the Omen". First class is pretty open so he inquires with one of the FA's about upgrading. Now, I didn't hear what the px said, but I clearly heard the FA's reply: "Well, I'm sorry but unfortunately there are about 10-12 other Premier Executives on this flight and if we let you upgrade then it wouldn't be fair to them".

So evidently this guy tried to use his elite muscle to acquire a free upgrade...no dice. The FA told him that he was welcome to move to any open pair of Y seats as there were a few. So this guy moves to an open pair behind me (5C/D) and seems to be happy. Just as the door is about to be closed a last minute px comes blasting in and takes his seat...right next to the relocated businessman. Apparently this made him feel "crowded" because he decides he wants to switch again...BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL SEAT! He gets up and the FA urges him to "take any open seat please" as we are now pushing back. "Any open seat you say!!!"....low and behold he grabs 1A...

...30 seconds later the FA returns and firmly ushers him back to 3B! It was quite the circus I can assure you...I felt bad for him, but at the same time I was a little put-off by his "pushiness".

Anyhow, thats my little tale.

Craig

Gar, that really ticks me off!

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe NRSA's are any lesser than any other passenger, but it really annoys me when people sit down in MY seat and I find it already filled, then basically trying to force me into another seat. What's even worse is that they knew how bad row one was, and took advantage of a passenger that probably didn't.

I recently saw an NRSA family of four in PS F, and they came later and nicely asked the guy in 2C to move to 1C, which was a reasonable deal and was done in a nice manner.

Hate to see it done the wrong way!

"Unless you want to fight me for this boarding pass, I'm sitting here."

Heh, call me weird, but my favorite seat on 757 is 1A Window corner. I don't find the leg room to be that restricted. I can comfortably cross my legs and put a small bag in the cut out.

I can't cross my legs in non bulkhead if they recline into my seat. I also can't really put my legs under the seat in front of me because of those darn boxes.

And, as a bulkhead, I often do not have to disturb 1B to get out of their seat to use the lavatory. I just have to walk up and all 1B have to do is to slant their legs to the right. Actually, in most cases, i have no problem getting in 1A without asking them.

And, row 1 gets served first so I get to pick the bread basket

Right, I like the left side of row one as well. The right side is awful though because it doesn't have the cutout in the bulkhead.

This really bugs me when someone does this. I'm glad you had a nice footrest.

When I flew ORD-SJC a week and a half ago a women with a young daughter told me to move from 3A to 2C so she could sit with her daughter. I did not like her tone, but politley asked her to ask 2D to switch instead. Because the girl was only four or five, I would have switched had 2D refused, but I shudder at the entitlement mentality of so many flyers.

I hope you told her that!^ I've done it once before (I usually don't get bugged to switch seats), and it shut them up pretty quickly.