I've seen it happen now twice in the past two weeks. Not really a big deal to me as I'm still happy in my E+ seat, but if United wants to maintain the E+ brand, things like this should not happen...

Seat shuffling when the doors are closed. Twice I've seen, most recently yesterday PIT-DEN, a pax from E- make his way up to E+ and find himself an empty seat before departure. Again, it really doesn't bother me unless I somehow lose my empty, middle seat in the process. But when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, it ain't right. Espceially if some of the current E+ pax are ones who did pay the $200 to earn that right.

As a quick little addendum... the FA's were spectacular on this particular flight.

The FAs have not been as consistent in enforcing E+ seating as they ought ... which has brought about suggestions in various threads here of another curtain, although the bathroom situation would probably preclude that.

That happened to me on a LHR-LAX flight, but I did not complain. What was initially all five seats to myself went down to 3 after 2 women jumped from E- to E+.

That has happened to me a few times also where I have lost the empty middle seat next to me when a co-worker moves from E- to E+ to sit next to his/her co-worker in my row. One time was a rather large person.

They have been short flights either LAX-LAS-LAX or BUR-DEN or LAX-DEN. However, I still would probably not say anything no matter how long the flight.

I for one would like to see original seating enforced by FA's although I accept that it is often difficult. My regular route is ORD-LHR and I have seen people move from C to F and from E- to E+. As ststed on previous threads this seems unfair given use of SWU's miles, purchased upgrades let alone revenue passengers. I hope that the reintroduction of some curtains may make some difference but I doubt it. %The only thing that will make a difference is FA intervention to the extent that passangers acknowledge that moving up a cabin is not acceptable. I would definately like to see this applied to E+ particularly given UA's E+ advertising campaign.

I will state from my own perspective and not generalize.
As a 2P, I am usually seated in the E+, instead of F, so those folks who sometimes see people sneaking up to F from E, what I am about to say does not apply to you.

Before I became addicted to this forum, I would be pissed off if I see someone sneaking from E- to E+, regardless where I sit, E+ or E-. However, nowadays, I completely agree with what someone pointed out from another thread (what do you do when the FA moves pax from E to F), just because something positive happened to some other people does not mean something negative happened to you, or me in this case, since I am speaking for myself only. Good for them to snatch those E+ seat. The meal service, the drink service and everything stays the same! As long as they do not snatch the E+ seat that belongs to me (or the empty one next to me ), I do not really give a damn.

Maybe the universe is throwing those pax a bone that day because they've got good karma... Everyone needs a bone from the universe every now and then. I just look at it this way

(a) Those pax are obvioulsy leisure travelers or they would have been seated in E+.
(b) Good for United to sell one more set of tickets.
(c) Next time when those pax want to buy a ticket, they will think about snatching one more of those E+ seats again and they will book United.
(d) (b) + (c) imply more revenue for United.
(e) (d) implies more perks for loyal customers and elites like us.

It is a all-win situation... ^ ^ ^

If a passenger in E- moves up to E+, somewhere other than the seat next to me I feel it's the FA's issue to deal - or not deal with.

But I think the Op and I believe that if they plop themselves down next to me in what should be an open seat......I will go right ahead and question the person... "I don't think this is your seat"...and get the FA if necessary.

As a newly (re)minted 2P, I'd have to disagree with you. Many business travelers are in the 15k EQM/yr range and thus NOT in E+. But, they fly enough to (and I count myself in this pack even pre-FT).
a) Know what it is and how good it is.
b) Know that I'm often allowed to switch seats after the door closes.
I'd often wait for the GA and inquire about a better seat "further forward" if I got a seat waaay in the back. Often these would come through on lightly loaded flights, but I'd never go for a middle. For me, an aisle in E- beats a middle in E+, less needed legroom, but a little more "personal" space.

I also doubt that a leasure traveler is going to pony up the added cost for a YBM fare to get E+, or even (for most) pay the check-in upgrade if offered.

How does one get away with this? That's a nice trick if you're not invited by an FA!

I think on this matter the reason I would get a little peaved about someone moving from E- to E+ is the fact everyone sitting in E+ have either a) earned it through making MP Elite level, or b)they paid for it. That said I would have a slight prob with someone moving to E+ when booked on an E- ticket. Just my 2 cents.

I was wondering the same. FA's are less attentive than they used to be, but . . .

This is why we need a curtain separating steerage from steerage-minus!

i thought i would add my 2 cents to this discussion also. i recently flew ROC-SFO and got treated to some fantastic E+ seats i didnt even ask for. In the first case the wife and i had booked A and C of a 3 seat row assuming the middle would stay empty. it didnt despite the plane having 10-12 empty seats. when i asked if we could be put together she took all 4 of my tickets and tore them up. she gave me back not only E+ but E+ EXIT ROWS. on both legs of the flight. i was shocked. i honestly did not ask for them.

but the return trip is an even better story. SFO to IAD as you guys know is a long 5 hour flight. the wife and i booked an a/b row. they made us use easy chicken at SFO and first the machine asks if i want E+ for $100 each. that was crazy since the tickets were only $300 so i passed. but then the machine spit out B and G seats. so at the gate i asked if there was any way we could sit together since i booked it that way. i showed her my confirmation e-mails and everything. she took my coupons and said give me until everyone is on board and then come back and see me. i said ok.

we waited the 15-20 minutes and wham there it was again. A and B in E+ in an EXIT ROW.

trust me these were very enjoyable flights. i am not a 1k or anything close although i do usually fly united and have the united credit card which may have scored the necessary points for me but i was still shocked and happily surprised.

for those of you who know they gave us 30 A and B on the 777 from ORD to SFO. those seats are about as good as you can get if not in one of the 2 classes above it

not sure what it all means. like i said just adding my 2 cents.

I think that this may be an adverse side effect of the E+ advertising campaign. I've often been amazed at how crowded E- is when there are lots of nice empty middle E+ seats and I've thought that these folks might not know that there are five extra inches of legroom just a few rows ahead. Now they know. Watch out!

What I'm not clear about any more - in the post-9/11 world - is whether it's OK to switch seats within your cabin after the door closes. I used to look for the empty middle section in the back of E- SFO/FRA so I could create my own "flat bed". But now I don't know if that's kosher any more.