luv2fly1st

I was in transit at PTY for 90 minutes en route to Sao Paulo for business.
Didn't feel much could be achieved in the transit area, so I nursed my hurt and just got on the next flight.

ExplorerWannabe

Unfortunately, courtesy seems to have gone the way of the dodo. All sorts of self-entitled people these days who don’t care who they impose on or what problems they create for others as long as they get their desires satisfied.

I used to accommodate requests to change seats in order to help keep families together. These days, I will generally respond with, “don’t worry, your child won’t bother me,” then go back to my reading.

ExplorerWannabe

Should have asked for an attendant to call for the police. That was assault and it would serve that jerk right to spend a few hours (or days) discussing proper behavior with the police.

mfirst

Is this problem becoming more frequent - if so, it is because passengers are becoming more unrealistic? because they dont realize that all seats are not created equal? or because airlines are making this problem worse by creating a variety of different seating options to monetize things more? ---- especially for the growing group of infrequent travelers who maybe dont understand?

ContinentalFan

I haven’t noticed it become more frequent. If people have the app, things seem pretty clear, particularly if they’re flying in BE. It’s been over ten years, since someone told me that a GA or FA said that they could ask/get someone to move seats.

JAXPax

Yesterday I was in First Class on Amtrak Acela out of Boston... The whole train is reserved seating (First has been for years). First off, I don't understand why it's running of the bulls for the train the moment the track is assigned if everyone has a seat assignment....

But in the First car, so many people seemed to ignore their seat assignments (they knew what they were, they didn't like them) and sit elsewhere... "Oh nobody is sitting here for now, I'll move when they board." Made it a hassle for the car attendants who are trying to hustle hot meals out to every person as they board. The conductor had to get involved with one where a passenger boarded at Providence and wanted her seat... a single seat facing forward. The man who was "just sitting here for a few stops" refused to move. No, she did not want his seat.... a rear facing window in a table of 4. Conductor rightfully said "You don't want your assigned seat, this one is better, what makes you think she wants it?" Conductor told him we aren't playing musical chairs, so get up, take your assigned seat, or go stand in the cafe car until you can get off at the next stop. Swearing and grumbling...

Maybe we need Amtrak folks on board aircraft. I particularly liked the line in the Boston lounge when someone said the new furniture wasn't comfortable for sleeping. "This isn't a hostel."

WineCountryUA

Not that I notice but if I had to come up with reason, it is likely the higher passenger loads providing less available seats and more split groups for late bookers. Plus those purchasing Basic Economy for multi-person PNRs.
IME is being request to move is fairly -- way less than 10%, less than 5%?
Suspect those always in front are more bothered by upgrading couples

abaheti

Not more frequent, maybe, although it feels like it. But I'd say for sure more extreme cases and more entitlement from the poachers. More of what seems to be the norm across society these days -- "I can do whatever I want, I dont need to be considerate of others -- I'll poach your seat, play my movie out loud, and do my calls on speaker phone and it is your problem if you don't like it.". Like a mass Cartman complex ("whatever! I do what I want!")

ExplorerWannabe

I think it’s becoming more frequent because of a general degradation in society. People are more inclined today to go for what they want regardless of rules or inconveniences to others. I think they absolutely realize all seats are not created equal which is why they insist on grabbing the seats they want instead of what they signed up for. You see it regularly in other facets of society, not just air travel.

ContinentalFan

What has surprised me—and all my examples date back to 2018/2019–are passengers traveling as NRSAs asking, and in a few examples demanding, a seat change.

Boraxo

It is definitely more frequent. In the old days everybody had assigned seats without extra fees. Now you have to pay ahead if you want a decent seat. So you have:

• People who buy BE because it is cheapest and don't know or don't care that seats are unassigned
• Families that were moved off cancelled fights and thus end up with seats all over the cabin
• People who aren't satisfied with an upgrade because they end up in different rows
• People buying last minute tix (not BE) when all the seats are already assigned except middle seats

None of these situations are my problem or yours. The airline could proactively fix them (we've all had seats re-assigned when we get to the gate) but choose not to. Saving a couple of rows in the back used to work but maybe not sufficient anymore?

mfirst

I do have to say - as someone who often purchases (and at sometimes significant extra expense, as we all know) tickets less than a week out - it is discouraging, despite my status, that the only options left are middle row seats...... but that is a different problem....

Kacee

Agree. The counterpoint is that there are still nice people out there, and that not all swaps are a bad deal. I will still swap where it's not a downgrade (most recently I volunteered to swap so mom could sit with her teenage daughter) and thankfully, have found that most people are willing to swap when I've been split from my partner (most recently on AA JFK-SFO a couple weeks ago).

United747

Agreed - I’ll swap if it’s like-for-like. Most recently did 5F for 3F in a UA 737-900. Perfectly fine deal IMO, and the guy was really nice about it when he asked if I’d swap with his wife

huey_driver

Kinda off/on topic, but mostly from what I learned here.
Yesterday, board UA2058 (B764), had upgraded with +P. Was a little late boarding, and walking up from the back of Polaris, immediately saw a head in my seat. Not even pausing, I kept walking to the front and just calmly told the FA "there's someone in my seat" and handed her my phone with BP. She nicely said "lets take care of this" and went back and leaned in to talk to a middle age hispanic man. Looks confused and says "no habla ingles" and reaches out with his BPs. She took them and said, "oh no, sir, you are in 11A on your NEXT flight, you are in 44C on this one". All was calm, but I cant think of a more 'honest mistake' by an obviously infrequent flier!
I never would have been able to speak to the guy, and obviously she was an authority figure that he accepted. But what I learned here was obviously the best choice, whether a trade request or a poacher. And to be clear, this guy was neither, just an honest mistake.