Reseated due to Infant/Bassinet
 

Hello everyone, I am new to FlyerTalk and had a question about something that happened a few months ago.

I was flying back from FRA-IAH (UA47/767-400) on a business trip. I desperately needed to work on my laptop during this flight, so I selected the only available bulkhead seat (28F) and paid the E+ fare (which was reimbursable anyway). All the A/B and K/L bulkhead seats were taken. Since this was work related the booking was made three days prior to flights.

After boarding, the GA came onboard and asked to reseat 28 D/E/F due to a couple and an infant and the need for the bassinet. I declined, explaining I specifically selected this seat so I could fully open my laptop and work. The pax in 28D & 28E voluntarily moved. GA left at this point.

About 5 minutes later GA said lady wanted to breastfeed and would be uncomfortable doing so with me sitting there, and that I had to move. I ended up moving back to E- to 33F rather than get into an argument, but the FA who witnessed this later came back to my seat and said I didn't really have to move.

My question is: do you really have no choice in this instance?

I was refunded for the E+, but I didn't care about that. I really needed that time to work, and in E- (or non-bulkhead E+ for that matter) opening a 15" laptop and working is just about impossible.

I don't know what the official policy is, but the human in me thinks that if the lady is uncomfortable breastfeeding that is her issue and she should take measures to accomodate her "nervousness". Inconveniencing other people is selfish and inconsiderate.

I probably would not have moved. Not sure what I would have done if the FA insisted, but given the fact that you specifically purchased that seat, I would have stood my ground - and been fairly upset about it.

The FA later telling you you didn't have to move sounds like an apologist. Kind of like when one person backs out of an event cause there aren't enough tickets, and only afterwards do people say "oh you didn't have to do that..." just to sound gracious.

You shouldn't have moved.

If the breastfeeding lady felt uncomfortable, she could have done it somewhere else (the lav).

So now the lady had three seats to herself and the baby?

Bad United.

Offer to move to business class, but otherwise that's really a personal issue for the other passenger.

The lavatory is the clear option for the woman in this case. It might not be ideal, but if she wanted a better situation she was obligated to ensure she could secure one by paying for that seat/row in advance.

Mommy has a "right" in most places to breastfeed but she does not have the right to have FAs even ask other passengers to move, and especially to move from paid Y+ seats. If she's uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, that is her problem, not yours. Perhaps the FAs could have offered her the use of jumpseats in the rear of the aircraft if she didn't want to use the lavatory for this purpose and to avoid having her monopolize a lavatory for long periods.

Since these were last minute seat assignments, I wonder whether the family even paid for Y+ or otherwise was entitled to it. They also apparently got an empty seat as it seemed to be mother, father, and infant rather than three paid tickets for seats.

Bassinet can only be placed in the bulkhead, so it's standard practice to move pax who already have seats assigned in the bulkhead in order to accommodate.

However, the woman has NO right to demand other passengers be moved in order to breastfeed. I would have stood my ground on principle.

To answer the questions:

There were no available seats in First, Business, or E+ open.

The bulkhead consisted of the lady, husband, infant, and about 6 year old son. I assume she used the breastfeeding line to keep her family seated together.

She left her boarding passes in the seat pocket of 33F, they were E-.

you paid for E+ they didn't.

Well you got shafted. But of course if you'd stayed in the bulkhead with (presumably) the mom and 2 kids that would likely have been a worse flight than moving back. I doubt the mom would have gone out of her way to assure you were comfortable and able to work with being disturbed.

This is a tough one for the crew too, I'm sure the mother was giving them a very difficult time.

Here's the UA bassinet policy:

A limited number of bassinets can be reserved for use, free of charge, on international aircraft only. Bassinets are available for customers traveling international segments in United BusinessFirst® on select 757, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft and in United Economy® on 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. Bassinets are not available for customers traveling in United Global FirstSM, United First® or United Business® at this time.

Bassinets are large enough to hold an infant weighing 22 pounds (10 kg) or less. They may not be used during taxi, takeoff or landing, or when the seatbelt sign is illuminated. Along with bassinet requests, we will provide accompanying seat assignments for an adult traveling with an infant and up to one travel companion. Call the United Customer Contact Center at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) within the United States, or call the appropriate Worldwide Contact Center. There will be no fee for these seat assignments when arranged by the United Customer Contact Center or with a United representative at the airport. Bassinet availability is limited, so we recommend that customers call ahead of time to make these arrangements.

Note that they don't have to pay for the E+ seats. But there is no right to bump a pax from an existing seat assignment.

Sure there is. UA reserves that right in all cases. Seat assignments are not guaranteed.

I could have phrased that better. Of course the crew can always make you change seats. But wanting a bassinet seat does not give the mother the right to have pax bumped from the bulkhead.

This is how I see it, also.

She doesn't get to throw you out of the seat.

You guys have to read the OP's post one more time. FA DID NOT make OP move. Lufthansa agents did. Also jumpseats are only to be occupied by qualified crew members, it's FAA regulation.

I can see the family needing two of three bulkhead seats for the bassinet. I don't see why they must have all three of them.

The mother should have the right to breastfeed whenever she wants, but she should not have the right to remove someone from their seat because she feels uncomfortable doing that in front of other people.