LtKernelPanic

I can only recall being asked to switch twice.

The first time I had a window seat , which I prefer on short to medium haul flights, in the first few rows of Y and some guy asked if I'd switch for his aisle seat that was literally in the last row of seats. I started laughing and shook my head no.

The second time I was in domestic F on an AA flight and while putting my bag in the overhead a guy asked if I'd either switch with his ~8 year old daughter who had 4A or his 4E on the other side of the aisle from her. I would have gladly swapped her window seats except they were actually in the row behind me. The guy behind me in 4F happily agreed to swap her seats when asked. I really appreciated that not only was the dad polite and friendly when asking but that he also offered the people he asked their choice of seats so they could keep their window or aisle seat if they preferred.

dcman

9 times out of 10 I will switch seats if people ask nice. The one time I can remember not I was flying JNB>IST>LAX I lucked out and got bulk head window on both flights. As I get to my row there is an older couple in my seat and the one next to it. I say something like "excuse me I think your in my seat" and the husband responds "Oh yes, ours seats are over there(points at two random middle seats) but we much prefer these." At this I'm a little mad and tell them that "This is my seat and that if you would have come up to me after boarding I would have traded with you. But because you just took my seat and the seat of some other person I'm going to ask you to move." As they are packing up my real seat mate shows up and they tell him how rude I am. I explain what happened to my seatmate and he laughs and say "he would have not have moved for them" and is happy that I'm the one that looks like the bad guy.

PS: Thinking about it now I think this may not have been a one off for the older couple. This may have been SOP for them to self upgrade and people just letting them because they are old or what ever.

KDS777

You know what, I have only refused once. But, I've probably only been asked 3 times or so that I can remember, in the last 10 years. And like others, if it is a significantly lesser seat they want me to move to, I won't do it. If people would read the seat map first, and/or understand what they're doing when they buy the tickets, this should never happen. But is that asking too much ?

I was sitting in an aisle in J and the pax beside me wanted me to switch for the bulkhead window, so her husband could sit with her. It was on one of those Skywest CRJ's for a 4 hour flight from ORD to YYC. As I'd sat in 1A on that plane before, all I can say is, never again.

Didn't feel like a jerk at all. She was very polite, as was I, and judging from her reaction I expect she figured I was going to say no.

Loren Pechtel

We always book that way but we simply sit window/middle and see if someone shows up. If they do I offer them the aisle. As with you, nobody has ever turned us down.

Loren Pechtel

Huh? We've been together 30 years now, we still want to sit together.

TravelLawyer

I booked First on a domestic 4+ hour flight last year for a mileage run months in advance. I had the entire cabin to chose from, and I chose 2nd row aisle as I don't like bulkhead or window. After I sat down, someone proceeded to strap an infant in the window seat next to me and told me to sit in her bulkhead window seat "or else you'll have to take care of my infant." This was the first time I've ever refused. Would I have switched if I wasn't given an ultimatum? Maybe, but not when being barked at. The person in the bulkhead aisle seat ended up switching with the infant so they could sit together in the bulkhead seats. I personally would have preferred to take care of her infant. The baby didn't cry the entire flight.

phkc070408

A few years ago we adopted a 6 month old. Unfortunately due to the nature of adoptions, we weren't able to make any flight reservations until less than a month before departure.

For the trip back on a CO777, the plane was already relatively full and there were no sets of 3 seats together in Y. We decided to book 2J seats instead and do the lap thing. Unfortunately the 8AB and 8KL, with the bassinets, were both already taken. In fact, we weren't able to select seats at all. I even started checking very frequently at T-48 but everything was blocked (I don't know if the cabin was oversold or not).

The GA assigned us 11DE and said she would talk to the FA about getting us moved to a seat with the bassinet. The FA asked the people in 8AB (I believe they were separate travelers) if they would move so we could use the bassinet and they both said no. I felt really bad and and we were just going to deal with 11DE, but the FA had a different opinion and said the bassinet seats are reserved for people needing them when they are needed and made the other people move.

Putting myself in their shoes, I would have been highly annoyed, as I knew they were being shortchanged, but I also felt that we needed the bassinet more than they needed the large footwells.

findark

I wouldn't feel bad about that one - fixed bassinet positions are a feature of the aircraft, and any frequent flyer should know that booking a bassinet row risks this happening to them.

Aussienarelle

I boarded my LAX-LHR flight. 787 and had 6E. Love the footwell area for when I am sleeping as apparently I move a fair bit when I am sleeping.

See a young lady (probably mid20s) put her luggage above 6D and smile at her as think she is my travelling companion for the next 9 hours and then turn and continue a conversation with the gentleman in 6K. She disappears and I assume she has gone to change into comfortable clothes for the flight but then see her sitting in 10L. Odd.

Five minutes later she walks up to me and tells me she doe not like her seat and wants to sit next to me. I commented I thought the person assigned to 6D may have a problem with that. She comments she liked the extra room of the seat in 6D. I let her through and she sits down next to me and I go back to talking with Mr 6K.

Mr 6D then turns up and Ms 10L tells him that she wants 6D and he can sit in 10L. He reiterates 6D is his seat (he needs to do this a couple of times) so she gets up in a huff and turns to me and says quite snarkily meet your new seat companion. Both Mr 6D and Mr 6K ask me is I am travelling with her and I say I do not know her.

So Mr 6K and I watch as she stands in the galley area for ten minutes or so and then apparently someone in the front of the cabin swapped with her which was nice of them and presumably a better approach than poaching someone's seat.

zrs70

Another perspective....

my husband was just just hit by a car while traveling in Charlotte from Los Angele. He will be fine. But result is two leg fractures.

I flew lee out there to help bring him home. All very last minute.

I booked two F class seats on AA. But the only seats available are two windows.

I will I’ll be working to get him a seat where he can stretch his leg. (Econ is sold out, otherwise I would have booked a full row for him).

So- in the case, I will be the one asking others to move from aisle to window. I will be the one others might think, “if he wanted an aisle, he should have booked one.”

FlyfromDenver

This is entirely different situation - talk to the disability people at AA - they should help you out before you get on the plane.

WineCountryUA

Hope the recovery goes well

You may want to check if AA blocks any seats (even in F) until check-in (as UA does on some aircraft) for those with medical / disabilities related issues.

Folks are generally more sympathetic to these sort of requests versus some of the other requests posted earlier.

azzurro

Same here, but we travel with 2 older kids so we do that over 2 consecutive rows, and if the flight fills up, we end up sitting 3 in one row and 1 behind aisle seat. The person moving from middle to window has never complained, but we are also ready to accept strangers in-between us if someone prefers middle, lol. We also book the last few E+ reclining rows as GA usually books middles from front to back, so as long as flight is not totally full, we end up with empty middles

azzurro

The overwhelming response in this thread is that people often ask for a seat trade that could be considered an upgrade for them. Some are aware of it and try to achieve that end, others simply don't know that you place a value on the seat they are asking for that is greater than what others place on it. So in situations where I am asked to switch, if it is like for like or better I will gladly oblige. Even on occasions where it is slightly less I might also if they asked nicely and didn't expect me to do it. Most of the time if the trade request is for a seat I place lesser value on, I will let them know that a more fair trade is for 'x' seat and direct them to find someone in a similar seat that would end up with them being in the position to sit with their companion. If they ask with attitude, especially if they first tried to poach and explain later, NO I will not give in nor will I help out. If they give me any grief, I just get an attendant to help as I don't want to end up in an argument when they are in the wrong. Like most who posted here, I plan ahead and choose my equipment and seat for very specific reasons which include flight duration, latitudinal direction, amenities, lav location, whether I want to sleep or enjoy a few drinks and need the lav, whether I want someone making me move each time they need aisle access, etc, etc. I will not cave on those items when someone else didn't plan ahead, their reasons are generally unimportant. And yes, when IRROPS screws with my schedule, I just deal with it quietly. No issue and I rarely ask to trade myself but if I do, I plan on offering like for like or better to the person I make the request of. But again, I don't think most people place different values on seat location or expect others to unless they have flown as often as most of us...

findark

There is no Row 10 on a UA 789, which leaves me to wonder.. this must have been another J seat, right?