Doppy

Another best practice of seat swapping is to immediately explain what the proposed new seat is as part of the initial request. Some people want you to agree to a swap before you find out what the whole proposal is.

Generally I don't mind swapping for a similar seat, but just tell me what the other seat is upfront.

I was flying on a 15+ hour flight on AA once in premium economy with an empty middle seat next to me. Two hours into the flight I'm in a deep sleep and some guy starts aggressively tapping my shoulder and indicating that he wants the seat next to me while I'm still half asleep. Luckily for him I quickly judged that fully waking up to prevent the poaching (he was in regular economy) would have been more disruptive to me than letting him sit down and falling back asleep. 12 hours or so later he went back to his original seat.

abaheti

Had periods with and without an EA. :-) But, can relate... aside from a client or someone wanting to "help me" by making arrangements, it can get awkward when needing to travel with work colleagues (or boss). I have a version of "the chat" when I have to explain to a colleague that "it isn't you, it's me...." and I may just need to meet you at the hotel or see you in the gate area after a Southwest flight vs sitting together. :-) I once told a colleague to check out flyertalk to get an idea of how "special" I can be. Thankfully my wife is very tolerant and lets me do all the flights for us.

Goodoldflyer

Not cool.

Would be better to have your companion (or whoever is in the row you're going to) work it out when the passenger arrives. That would tend to cause less hard feelings, and most people won't mind with an equivalent seat. It also gives you two chances, as if one is turned down, you can ask the other. Again, without too much consternation.

Same result, less risk of animosity.

jp12687

Agreed before the switch to the new Polaris seats that really was the only seat I wanted when I flew (I did sometimes end up somewhere else-- but more often then not I got that seat). People always had a reason to want to move into it-- but its a 16+ hour flight I was taking every 6-7 weeks I wanted to be comfortable and had planned ahead accordingly.

One time a WNBA player was on the plane and had asked someone in the window seat in that row to swap so she could have extra room. They said yes-- she was TALL

dilanesp

The only time anyone ever needs to sit with someone is when a traveler is a child or otherwise has special needs, and that should be handled through the airline.

I had a poacher the other day. Took my exit row seat to sit across from 2 other people he was traveling with. When I said he was in my seat he didn't move and asked me to sit in non exit row.

I told him I would only give up my seat if a FA directed me to. The FA overheard this and told the guy to get out of my seat.

LondonElite

Some people really do have nerve, don't they. It's good that you let the FA handle this. I probably would have asked to see his BP.

bocastephen

I would not have said this, nor given the FA the option of re-assigning me. I would have told him to get out of the seat immediately, or I would call the flight attendant to make him get out....then I would have called the FA, made sure my status was clearly understood to hedge any "just sit anywhere, we need to go" nonsense and would have stood in the aisle until I had my seat one way or the other, even if a GA had to come on, or bring the pilot back. I have zero, absolutely zero tolerance for this kind of nonsense. These people need a cattle prod jabbed in their ear - once should teach them to knock it off.

Repooc17

752 - seated in 2A. A large family took up most of the 16-seat cabin already boarded. GA got distracted after calling for children under 2 (the entire family boarded) and never called for 1K preboarding...I boarded with the rest of group 1.

The lady next to me (in 2B) spotted me boarding behind a gentleman seated next to her husband. Instead of asking if I would be willing to switch seats, so she and her husband could sit together (and I would), she asked if 1F is my friend? Apparently we look similar of the general ethnicity.

Then FA then asked me if I wanted a window. I went from more than willing to give up my seat to not a chance.

ExplorerWannabe

WRT the question about the best way to approach seat swaps, I will say that sitting in my seat in advance -- ready to move or not -- is one o fthe worst. Most of the time, I'm more than willing to swap for an equivalent seat (sometimes even for a slightly worse one) but my orneriness kicks in when I find someone has presumed and jumped into my seat already. Hovering nearby would indicate the interest before I drop my gear and get settled but don't sit in the seat itself.

MojaveFlyer

But you've got to clear the aisle, so hovering anywhere is going to be someone else's seat So my approach is to stand at the seat I would like, with my bag in hand and not overhead or under seat. I hope that conveys that I am looking for a swap, but not being presumptive. And always, always, always, give up the ask promptly and gracefully, with a smile, if it is declined.

ms_go

I had my seat swapped this morning by a gate agent at ORD, and I didn't even have a chance to say no. I first noticed the change when I opened the pass on my app when boarding began and saw that my seat had changed from 4B to 1A. I asked the gate agent why, and she told me a family had asked to sit together. When I told her I chose the seat I did because I prefer not to be on the bulkhead, the response was, "Sorry, that's all we have left." Apparently I was not the only one with a surprise last minute seat change. I heard another couple asking the flight attendants during boarding why their seats had been changed.

bocastephen

I would report this - doing an unwelcome seat change without asking the customer is unacceptable in any case, but to do it to a first class passenger is over the edge of unacceptable, especially given the flippant response you received. Please report this to customer service and escalate as needed.

dilanesp

I can't imagine doing this. I want the plane to take off on time, and quickly sitting in my assigned seat, as I am supposed to do, and stowing my bag increases the likelihood of that happening.

MSPeconomist

You should absolutely complain about this. The GA's actions were way out of bounds, although I do wonder whether this was a request from a GS who had paid for a number of FC tickets, perhaps late purchases at an expensive fare.

ms_go

I'm not one to complain too much, but I am planning to report this. Not sure about the status of others, but I did watch to see when they boarded, and it was somewhat after me (1K), so probably after pre-boarding with group 1. And I was the one on a late-purchase expensive fare.