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Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
(Post 13990073)
As I've commented already, you're absolutely correct that you have the right to the seat you're assigned to. In fact, it is 100% your choice whether you move or not.. and no one can take that right away from you.
I've noticed its nicer for father, mother and kids to sit together if possible.. for kids it seems like an eternity, and parents consoling the children may make it a better situation sitting around. |
For a short flight, say 2 hours or less I don't really mind where I sit and would possibly swap so a parent can sit next to their child (honeymoon couples don't count in my book). It would still be dependant on how i'm asked/their attitude etc. For longhaul though, you better be offering me at least as good or a significantly better seat or it's a simple no.
Your seat is between you and the airline and I am not suffering an uncomfortable flight so that I may [possibly] get some good "karma" at an indeterminate date in the future. |
Originally Posted by aktchi
(Post 13970360)
Perhaps, but our experience has led many of us to suspect that often this is the ruse for getting a better seat. In 30+ years of flying, I am yet to encounter a single case in which the person's desire to sit with a companion was so strong that they offered to trade down to an inferior seat. Not once.
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Originally Posted by pinworm
(Post 13989394)
"What goes around comes around.. you'll probably continue to receive good experiences with your seat switching in the future."
That is baseless, logically fallicious, and irrational. In terms of human behavior, the tone each of us takes, and our choices to be nice, indifferent, or unkind to others DOES make a difference in how others respond, and the more people choose to be nice to others, the greater the odds that any given person will choose to be nice. |
Originally Posted by nkedel
(Post 13992867)
In terms of strict causality, it is absolutely irrational.
In terms of human behavior, the tone each of us takes, and our choices to be nice, indifferent, or unkind to others DOES make a difference in how others respond, and the more people choose to be nice to others, the greater the odds that any given person will choose to be nice. |
the tone each of us takes, and our choices to be nice, indifferent, or unkind to others DOES make a difference in how others respond, and the more people choose to be nice to others, the greater the odds that any given person will choose to be nice. |
Originally Posted by pinworm
(Post 13998541)
But those on the next flight are unaware of your behavior on the last. You can change tone anytime you wish. Only those who remember prior behavior will reward you for it.
I await some statistician or game theorist to show I'm wrong, but intuitively - the odds of being treated the way you want depend on the number of people behaving the way you want to be treated - the only input you've got is your own behavior. So the total number out there can be +1 or -1... your call.
Originally Posted by Cha-cha-cha
(Post 13999536)
I couldn't agree more, which is why I hope everyone will make a point of being nice enough to other passengers not to try to appropriate their assigned seats.:)
That said, I think there is still some value to sometimes taking a slightly worse seat (or a much worse one on a sufficiently short flight that it's tolerable.) People occasionally doing nice things for strangersis a good social lubricant as long as you don't do it so often or consistently that you're letting yourself be taken advantage of. |
Originally Posted by nkedel
(Post 14000087)
Absolutely; that's the dilemma of it - any long-term payoff is going to be very indirect, in the very slight impact you have on herd behavior.
I await some statistician or game theorist to show I'm wrong, but intuitively - the odds of being treated the way you want depend on the number of people behaving the way you want to be treated - the only input you've got is your own behavior. So the total number out there can be +1 or -1... your call. Depeding on what you mean by "appoproate" I'd either agree or disagree strongly. Seat-squatting or being a jerk about how you ask (or about it if someone says no) are all very bad form. So is being a jerk about how you say no. There's nothing BAD about always saying "no" ... the obligation is simply to be polite about how you say no (as long as they asked politely to begin with.) That said, I think there is still some value to sometimes taking a slightly worse seat (or a much worse one on a sufficiently short flight that it's tolerable.) People occasionally doing nice things for strangersis a good social lubricant as long as you don't do it so often or consistently that you're letting yourself be taken advantage of. |
Originally Posted by PTravel
(Post 13990742)
I agree its nicer for the family. It's not nicer for me to change seats to accommodate them. One more time: I'm not responsible for ensuring other passengers' seating preferences.
For those of us who don't mind switching, its our choice whether to or not. |
Originally Posted by Fornebufox
(Post 13991410)
It CAN happen. A man once swapped his intl. business class seat for my coach seat so he could sit next to his young son. Of course SAS catered the same mediocre meal in coach and business, but it was a pleasant switch for the 8-hour flight.
The airliners did their marketing well.. 5 inches more leg room, and pay increased bucks for it.. back of the bus, not as popular.. or just downright demeaning. Doesn't work for me.. just get me coach, and give me the lowest priced ticket.. I worry more about the 5 star hotel 1 bedroom suite waiting for us at the other end. I find flying is such a privelege, that anywhere on the plane.. even if I sit in the lavatory, I thank God everytime that I'm on the plane going to where we're going together as a family. We take a couple trips at least per year. |
One of my workmates books trips with her two kids and never pays to pick seats ahead of time, but counts on the FAs to move people around so they can sit together.
Inconsiderate morons abound. Watch out they're lurking everywhere. ;) |
Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
(Post 14002069)
You've missed my entire point.. If you don't want to switch seats.. don't. You have a ticket with a specific right to that seat.. it is a legal right, so don't switch if that is not your cup of tea.
For those of us who don't mind switching, its our choice whether to or not. |
Originally Posted by PTravel
(Post 14004126)
"I understand there are curmudgeons like you who won't change seats for a family, and you don't have to, but NICE people would." Well, my view is that NICE people, traveling as a family, don't have the attitude that traversing society with children entitles them to special consideration. Children aren't the Congressional Medal of Honor, they're a lifestyle choice. They don't vest parents with a superior moral right to anything, including my seat. There is, of course, no legal obligation from playing the parental entitlement card. If you want want to ask someone to switch seats, by all means do. You can ask someone else to inconvenience themselves on your behalf . . . it's a legal right. Of course you don't have to play the, "think of the children," card, if it's just not your cup of tea.
Nor do I expect anyone to change seats if they don't want to.. My point is, from my perspective, I would and I have changed seats in the past so that others can be with their families. Now as a father, any parent would want the dignity to make their children feel wanted, by sitting beside them.. it is an instinctual feeling a parent has, even at the back of the bus.. I can remember when an airline we prereserved seats with, made a bonehead move splitting our family up.. this after reserving seats a couple of months ahead. To be polite, we did everything possible to pre-arrange the seats together once again. Failing that, we did end up having to transfer seats in the cabin with the help of an FA.. it didn't matter where to us.. back row seats I think we ended up with.. but that was ok 100% with us.. so long as I'm with my then 2 year old kid. |
Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
(Post 14006056)
Not in the very least did I even allude to anything above you've suggested. Even nice people have the legal right not to change seats.
Nor do I expect anyone to change seats if they don't want to.. My point is, from my perspective, I would and I have changed seats in the past so that others can be with their families. Now as a father, any parent would want the dignity to make their children feel wanted, by sitting beside them.. it is an instinctual feeling a parent has, even at the back of the bus.. I can remember when an airline we prereserved seats with, made a bonehead move splitting our family up.. this after reserving seats a couple of months ahead. To be polite, we did everything possible to pre-arrange the seats together once again. Failing that, we did end up having to transfer seats in the cabin with the help of an FA.. it didn't matter where to us.. back row seats I think we ended up with.. but that was ok 100% with us.. so long as I'm with my then 2 year old kid. |
Originally Posted by hgdf
(Post 13968224)
This is the essence of why we hate seat swappers. The requester is almost always the person with the better seat who wants to offer your better seat to their companion.
As for all the people here with the "sorry, but it's not my problem" attitude, I have a co-worker who has always been like that, taking this attitude that his role in life is to watch out for himself only and maximise his own interests without concern for others. Two days ago, at 46, he got diagnosed with terminal cancer, and will almost certainly be dead before year end. Karma will get you every time, so I'll just keep on thinking about others and consider my small efforts to make the world a better place reward enough in themselves. |
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