FreeBirdie

Thanks for all the kudos. Anyway, we both got our seats including all you can drink cheap-a$$ red wine, straight-away. ^^

ivoryboi

Hey all OP here.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. It does seem that I am too soft after all. The most recent time, I asked the lady to pull out here BP - and she had 16H (one seat behind). She gave me a lame excuse about her travel agent must have screwed up (pathetic I know...), however she was about as 'settled' in that 15H seat as it is possible for anyone to be. Clothes, blanket, magazine, earplugs, ambien, QC3's the works. And as I was last to board and totally exhausted from not sleeping the night before the 6.40am departure I let it slide for the sake of not disturbing an otherwise full and sleepy upper deck. I only had to move one seat back - next to a sleepy guy - so figured it was worth letting go on this occasion.

She, a large and heavy lady, would likely have taken 10/15 minutes to shift her butt anyway....15 mins less seat-time that I would be comfortable - and I didn't really want her sitting behind me with potential to make my flight uncomfortable by kicking, grabbing my seat every time, if as she said 'I need to get up frequently'.

As it turned out she got up 3 times (about the same as everyone else) and during landing started a conversation with her seatmate about how she always books THAT seat on every 747 flight she takes.

She knew exactly what she was doing......

If I see her again I will not be so nice and passive trust me.

bdschobel

Because all airlines occasionally make errors, including double-booking seats, I board as soon as possible when I have a coveted seat like row 15 in a 747. I just can't take a chance that someone else has a legitimate boarding pass for the same seat -- and got there first! If I get there first, then possession is 9/10ths of the law, or whatever. I won't willingly move for the second guy, who has no more claim to the seat than I do. Somebody has to sit there, and it might as well be me!

Bruce

ivoryboi

Yup, I always ask them to check. Although the two occasions that this has happened to me I ended up with an op-up. I guess it's a crapshoot but it worked out well for me both times that I was the guy left standing!

asya999

Not a problem: I figure I'll just take the OP's seat in heaven and when he gets there I'll tell him I'm all settled in, would he terribly mind taking my seat *DOWNSTAIRS*. :

SiliconValley1k

That is remarkable. Now, if they had a companion next to them and were requesting a trade, that is a bit more understandable, but aggravating nonetheless. Personally, I am much more likely to do a "trade" when it benefits or at least equals out to me someway, or if I am in a good mood. I usually am not in a good mood when the person who wants to trade is already sitting in my seat.

Agree with the posts that your best bet is to mention politely that you think it is your seat and perhaps there is a mix-up and they should check their BP.

If they give you the song and dance as you've suggested, personally, I would be even less likely to let it go.

Not all seats are created equal and you chose 15 for a reason.

I can honestly say I have not experienced any poachers, but wow, maybe I will sometime soon.

SiliconValley1k

On a sidenote, I had 15B coming back to SFO from FRA a few weeks back. I inquired in the RCC in FRA about possibly trading to a side window seat in the upper deck, as I like the bins to dump all my junk into and on top off. The nice RCC agent stated that no less than 10 people had already asked her if there was anything in 15 and that they would gladly trade with me. I inquired if I could sell the seat rights, jokingly of course. The RCC agent did not quite get the joke.

SiliconValley1k

That's a great idea. I will start to do the same. Have several "15's" in the next few months. It's a way for us to driver better behavior, and do some minor policing of proper etiquette. Plus, I am kind of curious to hear the various excuses.

why fly

I was sitting in 15a with my Baording pass..... a guy comes up and yells thats my seat.... i am 99% sure i had the correct seat, and say hold on let me look at my boarding pass... he says no need to... look.... lol he had row 16a.
He was Mortified.... lol...... he said he had 15a on his paper booking.... how did I get his seat!?!? I smiled and said UA give out the seats.
the FA told him to sit down....Who knows perhaps i did take his seat... lol on FT somone posted the ORD-HKG flights were swapped to 777 so our seats were screwed up.... lol they then POSTED the 747's were back and YIPEE I got row 15... months before the flight... so he might have "thought" he had 15a.
I should have told him about FT... so he could keep 15 next time

SkiAdcock

That's my philosophy. One time on LHR-JFK a guy came on & started yelling that I was in his seat - and that I had to move right then. He was quite ugly about it. Figuring on the 9/10th possession I didn't move, and just signaled for the FA & said we both have the same BP. She took it to the GA, came back & had me move - to F. But short of an op-up I wouldn't have moved, as I picked that seat specifically & I was there first. Too bad the op-up didn't happen on an LHR-LAX flight!

Occasionally I've been asked by someone if I'm in the right seat, and turns out it was honest mistake on my part; read B for C at quick glance or flight before was & like Pavlov I just sat in the same seat. I have no problem in that situation of vacating immediately.

If someone 'poached' my seat I would ask them to move to their own assigned seat, and if they didn't I'd call the FA over & have them move the person. No one poaches my seat & gets away w/ it.

Cheers.

SJC1K

I feel the same way. If I believe it's an innocent mistake, and their seat is in my opinion comparable to or better than mine, I just say "Don't bother, I'll just take your seat." If I believe they're deliberately poaching, I'll insist that they move even if I consider their seat better than mine.

A couple of times they've argued, and I've resorted to saying "So you like this seat better than the one you were assigned?" When they say "Yes," I say "So do I, and I have a boarding pass for it."

Once I arrived to find a more-important-than-thou type in my seat, who said "My seat is over there," pointing dismissively without even making eye contact. I just smiled, stood slightly inside his personal space, fixed my gaze on him and said, "Yes, and mine is right here," not moving until he rolled his eyes and started getting up.

Miles Ahead

Ah, but what if they don't? There seem to be a subset of FAs who will let "open seating" slide, and in the E+ poaching thread, apparently the instructions given to the FAs are somewhere between tolerant and ambiguous on this front.

Facedoc

I suggest boarding the plane early. Why go through all that possible negative interaction? Have a glass of wine and relax.

Sneezy

So, you've learned your lesson regarding rewarding rude behavior?

The only reason seat poachers try is because too many people let them get away with it.

jfhscott

It wasn't a 747, but just yesterday, I was on TED IAD-LAS, and had purchased three seats on the 320 just for me, as they were nice and cheap. Prior to take off, a passenger helped herself to one of my seats. I told her that I had purchased that seat, produced three BP's as evidence.

This lady proceeds to instruct me that I cannot take up three seats (apparently even if I buy them) on an otherwise fully loaded plane. I'm a lawyer, and know quite well that this is a bit incorrect.

Anyway, I tell her firmly and loudly enough to generate some attention from the neiboring rows that she should get out of my seat. Still no budging. FA eventually instructs her to go to her middle seat. I'd have put her in cargo.

What gives? FA's intercession - while appreciated - should never have been required.