“middle seat row hog”

Old Feb 17, 2019, 11:45 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by docbert
I have successfully used that trick more than once when boarding on a flight where E+ was very light but E was full. I was in the window, and the seat map showed 2 empty seats beside me. I knew that odds were someone would consider that too good a temptation and take the aisle seat, thus losing my hobo business class, so I plant myself in the middle seat instead. Works every time...

(Note that this is just while boarding - I'd never try it pre-boarding as there's just too big a chance someone will take the other seats and I'd get stuck in the middle)
just show them your BP for the window seat and say “oh my gosh—what was I thinking!”
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 2:35 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by docbert
I... I was in the window, and the seat map showed 2 empty seats beside me. ...

(Note that this is just while boarding - I'd never try it pre-boarding as there's just too big a chance someone will take the other seats and I'd get stuck in the middle)
Originally Posted by tryathlete
just show them your BP for the window seat and say “oh my gosh—what was I thinking!”

So you don't actually change your seat on the app (I assume it would be too late). You just sit in the middle seat in hopes that no one decides to move over to the aisle (from their assigned seat?)

If I were directly across from you and in the middle, as soon as the door closes, I'd just move over and take the empty aisle seat.
If you were still seated in the middle, I'd ask if you could move over.

If i were in the window/aisle, I'd encourage the middle person to move.
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 4:05 pm
  #33  
 
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I'm happy to get any seat as a non-rev and more and more frequently I am ending up in middle seats. Knowing that, I especially like SWA's model of choosing my own middle seat (if I get on). I always choose it in one of the first few rows because it just drives those people crazy who thought they could hold out with "I'm holding (the empty middle seat next to them) for someone" in order to have more elbow room as they happily let a plane-load of others pass by their row. Sorry, when the door is ready to close and I have to quickly pick a seat, I'm not waltzing all the way to the rear (and still getting stuck in a middle seat).
The look of horror on some guy's face as I recently did this was priceless. As I'm actually getting into the middle seat in his row (he's on the aisle) and I'm saying "excuse me", he says "you're sitting here ?? (with such disdain). Wish I could have said "No, I'm just going to hit your knee caps for a few seconds and then climb out, just because I feel like it"......
Do some of these people actually believe they have squatter's rights to the seat next to them?
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 5:15 pm
  #34  
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Originally Posted by FlyingNone
I'm happy to get any seat as a non-rev and more and more frequently I am ending up in middle seats. Knowing that, I especially like SWA's model of choosing my own middle seat (if I get on). I always choose it in one of the first few rows because it just drives those people crazy who thought they could hold out with "I'm holding (the empty middle seat next to them) for someone" in order to have more elbow room as they happily let a plane-load of others pass by their row. Sorry, when the door is ready to close and I have to quickly pick a seat, I'm not waltzing all the way to the rear (and still getting stuck in a middle seat).
The look of horror on some guy's face as I recently did this was priceless. As I'm actually getting into the middle seat in his row (he's on the aisle) and I'm saying "excuse me", he says "you're sitting here ?? (with such disdain). Wish I could have said "No, I'm just going to hit your knee caps for a few seconds and then climb out, just because I feel like it"......
Do some of these people actually believe they have squatter's rights to the seat next to them?
I think a big part of it stems from keeping an eye on the seat map via the app and seeing an open middle basically at close to door closing thinking "whew!" - and then you show up

David
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 5:43 pm
  #35  
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Originally Posted by FlyingNone
I'm happy to get any seat as a non-rev and more and more frequently I am ending up in middle seats. Knowing that, I especially like SWA's model of choosing my own middle seat (if I get on). I always choose it in one of the first few rows because it just drives those people crazy who thought they could hold out with "I'm holding (the empty middle seat next to them) for someone" in order to have more elbow room as they happily let a plane-load of others pass by their row. Sorry, when the door is ready to close and I have to quickly pick a seat, I'm not waltzing all the way to the rear (and still getting stuck in a middle seat).
The look of horror on some guy's face as I recently did this was priceless. As I'm actually getting into the middle seat in his row (he's on the aisle) and I'm saying "excuse me", he says "you're sitting here ?? (with such disdain). Wish I could have said "No, I'm just going to hit your knee caps for a few seconds and then climb out, just because I feel like it"......
Do some of these people actually believe they have squatter's rights to the seat next to them?
Originally Posted by DELee
I think a big part of it stems from keeping an eye on the seat map via the app and seeing an open middle basically at close to door closing thinking "whew!" - and then you show up

David
clearly the SWA model brings out this behavior in the extreme. I‘m glad I don’t have to fly that clown show for work.
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Old Feb 18, 2019, 1:16 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by eng3
So you don't actually change your seat on the app (I assume it would be too late). You just sit in the middle seat in hopes that no one decides to move over to the aisle (from their assigned seat?)

If I were directly across from you and in the middle, as soon as the door closes, I'd just move over and take the empty aisle seat.
If you were still seated in the middle, I'd ask if you could move over.

If i were in the window/aisle, I'd encourage the middle person to move.
All true and if it was me I would move back to my original seat. However in reality (or at least my experience) most people will just give up if they see the person sitting like that. Also I've seen people put their stuff on the seat as well or also in extreme cases lay down during the final stages of boarding.

To be clear, lest people think ill of me ... My experience doing this is flying ORD-LHR in Dec, Jan and Feb when the planes are full in J but sparse in Coach and on a 767. In my experiences Iast winter doing this, unless it was a couple/group there was no one sitting in a middle seat so grabbing the set of 3 (in the middle section) was quite easy and really didn't negatively impact anyone else's flight. If they did want one of the 3 seats in my row then they'd just be trading one aisle for a different aisle and not really improving their seat.
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Old Feb 18, 2019, 2:38 pm
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by eng3
I don't quite understand this strategy. I've seen couples book a window and aisle in hopes that the middle seat will stay open. Worst case, if the middle seat does show up (and the couple wants to sit together), the middle seat person will always be willing to switch into a window or aisle.

If you are flying alone, why would you risk being stuck in the middle vs just picking a window and aisle. What are the chances the flight will be so empty you will have an empty row. And if it is empty that empty, just pick the empty row.
+1. I've seen the middle-middle seat taken on 3-3-3 configs and always wondered if the person figures it's a better strategy than taking one of the two aisles. Yes, it holds off the couple who wants seats together, but usually they can find another pair to take.

I've sometimes popped in next to that person on one of the aisles, figuring it increases my chances of getting an empty middle (either original pax in middle will move to other aisle, or will move once the other aisle is taken).
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 9:53 am
  #38  
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OMG. I had my own row from DUB to IAD (8A-C) 757-200. Across from the bassinet aisle where a family with two kids were perched. I felt very smug. I didn’t occupy B, but I did spread out quite a bit and thankfully nobody had eyes on the seats.

4 seats in C went open. I sort of wished form an Op-up but wasn’t willing to fare up and GPU up. Scaring them for Asia TPAC.

I got some serious sleep and the FA’s were super accommodating (I was hungry and they brought me a second meal made from C foods on porcelain plates). I guess I’m a semi-official MSRH.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 11:35 am
  #39  
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Originally Posted by tryathlete
[Why on earth with 20-30 empty rows would someone plop themselves down in a middle seat next to me towards the rear of the Y+ cabin. [/left]
Maybe he fancied you.
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