Aussienarelle

You are right findark, it was J. Perhaps it was 9L (or the last row in J).

JVPhoto

Not so much l/h J but on "honeymoon"/vacation spots (CUN, LAS, KOA, SDQ, SJD) one of the reasons I like to board the 737/A3s early is that I'm usually a solo traveler and I want a non-bulkhead F aisle. I've had one time a couple plop down in my seat and another ask me to move....and I've witnessed similar in the cabin.
I work in weddings now and then, if you can hire me as a photographer 10 months in advance you can book your honeymoon flights just as early.
I do not move to windows or bulkheads.

PTravel

Not at all. My rule is I will rarely, if ever, swap seats. However, I make an exception for emergencies exactly like this. Not only would I switch with you, I'd do everything I can to assist you and your husband. I suspect most people would do the same.

azzurro

Well that's not true. I care. And I am glad they posted...especially since this thread is for people who are curious as to others experiences about impromptu seat swapping.

azzurro

This is a great process but is 3 steps too many for the average flyer....

txaggiemiles

This is my thoughts exactly and why I never understand the “if you presume to take my seat before asking crowd” may be jumping the gun a lot of times.

hughw

This should normally work, unless your your SO is attractive, and the person in the middle a few rows ahead is a POS.

WineCountryUA

You have been lucky. For many, the presumptuous taking of another's person assigned seat is a dealbreaker.

Additionally on UA front and some of the middle of economy is E+ so the process needs refinement for UA aircraft.

hughw

It looks like I may have to ask someone tuesday.....I think we're going to cleared on a waitlist in Business for a TATL non-stop vs. a connecting flight. there's a half dozen scattered seats...if possibly, I'll take 3B and 4A on a 767. We'll ask the passenger in 4B if they'll switch to 3B....

username

I need my aisle seat so I say no if it is not comparable. On one hand, you do feel like a jerk saying no. On the other hand, if sitting together is so important, then people should have done that to start with or decline upgrades.

Most of the time the requests I hear are not comparable swaps. Multiple times, I have seen people in Y requesting to swap with people in E+ and people actually agree to it! I don't know if they purposely try to pull a fast one or they just don't know better. Occasionally I remind the "victim" that they are getting a bad deal...

I was once asked by a non-rev standby to swap my row 21 to row 20 (non-recline). When I said no, the wife said "busted!" to the husband

Two Bee

About 10 or so years I'm sitting in my favorite seat (3B) on a 320. Prior to walking down the jet way I hear this gate agent cackling where the entire terminal could hear her. She was glad handing a pax that was definitely her bud. About 10 mins after I board and I am casually sipping my G&T & on walks Buddy and yells, "Mr. Two BEE", and shoves a new b/p in my face and tells me,'You're now in 2D!" I remember my answer vividly, as I informed him that I purchased this ticket a year ago and have had this seat ever since, AND I'M NOT MOVING! He does a beautiful 180 and about 4 mins later here comes the cackler who just happens to be a supervisor. At first she tells me that I must move (no response), then she tells me that I am in violation of some federal rule (no response), Then she asks me to walk back behind the curtain so we can speak (no response), then she softly whispers (something between a chirp and a cackle) that she will give me 5K miles if I move to 2D ---PLEASE---!!! Something about the fact that this guy was a big shot and he asked for my seat, and she accommodated him, and now she is in big trouble. My only response, "Hey, if you would have taken the initiative, on your own, and not deputized another pax to come on here and throw a new b/p in my face, telling me where my new seat was, things could probably have turned out differently. By this time Buddy said, "It's O.K., I'll sit in 2D, no problem.

Well there was a problem, and that problem was a letter written by me to H.Q. It took about 2 weeks and I began getting calls from shirts all over the system, and they even flew me to DEN so I could be interviewed, as they fired her a few weeks later (actually she retired). Some of my angels over in DEN told me that the company wanted her OUT, and that's the end of the story! One less bird flying around inside terminal "B"!!!

PTravel

With all this negativity, I suppose I should tell this story:

Back when I had my horrible fear of flying (happily gone for a number of years, now), one of my requirements for maintaining my sanity as a frequent flyer was a window seat, so I could look out -- for some reason it always helped. I had missed my earlier flight and a GA switched me to a later one. I asked for a "true window seat," which was I always did back then because of those horrible planes that had window seats with no windows. The GA said, "no problem." Well, surprise, surprise, when I boarded I found the GA had given me the no-window window seat.

I asked the FA if there was somewhere else I could sit -- anywhere, even a jump seat. She said the flight was completely full. I told her I was going to get off and take another flight -- this was a transcon and I couldn't cope without a window to look out, and I had specifically asked for a window. Well, there was a non-rev who, apparently, heard the conversation and volunteered to switch seats with me (I knew she was a non-rev because she had the lanyard with the tags). I told her she didn't have to as I was alright taking a later flight. She assured me that she didn't mind at all and we switched seats. I thanked her profusely.

I don't recall at this point whether this was on CO or UA, but that non-rev was my angel!

JVPhoto

Stop. This is FT where all non-revs do is take away upgrades from 1Ks.

oopl

Last year I had a aisle seat in the back on an AA transcon. I show up to see my seat occupied by a kid with his mom in the middle. She tries to point me across the aisle to the middle seat saying "You can sit there." Sorry but I booked a aisle seat. I think if they hadn't simply taken the seat before hand and the attitude when asked I would have considered switching.

Also, watch this clip from Curb Your Enthusiasm. UA flyers will hear something recognizable beginning around the 1 minute mark.

JVPhoto

Is that what you want? To spend the night in Lubbock, TX as a Days Inn with a $15 voucher from Cinnabon?