Offered earlier flight but only middle seat available!

[JohnK]

What would you do?

Interesting situation yesterday.

Got to SYD airport a little early and check-in kiosk offered me earlier flight. I accepted and saw the seat allocated was 44E. :shock: Looked at seat map a number of times and only one other seat was available and that 55E.

I would love to go early but not in a middle seat.

But now I was stuck on that flight and had to get assistance to be moved back to my original flight and just as well no one snagged my 5C.

As it was the person sitting to me was solid and it wasnt just a case of armrest hog but seat creep and he also spread his legs out making my flight uncomfortable. If you end up with this type of person either side if you get stuck in a middle seat then flight will be like a nightmare.

P.S Noticed this lady in BNE lounge a few days ago and then saw her again on my flight. We were both in first row of economy. Saw her again yesterday on the same flight as me sitting in 4C while I was in 5C. Interesting coincidence.

 

[Hvr]

So why not ask what seat is available when you're offered the earlier flight and make a decision on the answer?

Or do they present it as a once you've expressed interest you're committed scenario?

 

[love_the_life]

It looks like the earlier flight for JohnK was offered at a kiosk not the desk where it would have been possible to check what seating was available.

 

[TonyHancock]

Depends on circumstances for me. I have taken earlier flights and sat in a middle seat but it has meant getting home a couple of hours earlier.

 

[Ewing]

If using a kiosk, I check ExpertFlyer before accepting.

If using a service desk, I get them to check before accepting the change. I don't do middle seats

 

[sjd]

As it was the person sitting to me was solid and it wasn't just a case of armrest hog but seat creep and he also spread his legs out making my flight uncomfortable. If you end up with this type of person either side if you get stuck in a middle seat then flight will be like a nightmare.

Had someone asleep next to me on a domestic flight last year, he spread out completely into my seat space and leg space. Was not able to wake him to get him to move, despite trying, and the light was full so there was no where to move to. Very uncomfortable.:evil: This was before attaining the lofty heights of WP. My WP shadow never hogs my seat and leg room.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Depends on circumstances for me. I have taken earlier flights and sat in a middle seat but it has meant getting home a couple of hours earlier.

I agree. It depends on how eager I am to get to my destination.

It would be useful to see seat options prior to accepting a change of flight.

 

[samh004]

If an earlier flight is really something you'd consider, then where you sit shouldn't be a big deal, IMHO. I'm happy to sit wherever I can to get home earlier, but agree a middle seat would at least be annoying.

 

[JohnK]

So why not ask what seat is available when you're offered the earlier flight and make a decision on the answer?

Or do they present it as a once you've expressed interest you're committed scenario?

Check in desk would have been fine but they were really busy and I had to go to baggage services as well.

This was checkin kiosk and once you accept new flight a human needs to intervene.

Depends on circumstances for me. I have taken earlier flights and sat in a middle seat but it has meant getting home a couple of hours earlier.

Good point but she would have to be really special for me to sit in middle seat to get home earlier.

I was only going back to BNE anyway.

 

[The Rok]

Had someone asleep next to me on a domestic flight last year, he spread out completely into my seat space and leg space. Was not able to wake him to get him to move, despite trying, and the light was full so there was no where to move to. Very uncomfortable.:evil: This was before attaining the lofty heights of WP. My WP shadow never hogs my seat and leg room.

Just start slowly spilling water on his crotch. When he wakes, he will realise that sleeping on a plane is a really bad idea for him…

 

[sydflyer]

I'm with you. Sitting in waiting for booked flight in lounge and working/reading is better than suffering in middle seat.

If using a kiosk, I check ExpertFlyer before accepting.

If using a service desk, I get them to check before accepting the change. I don't do middle seats

 

[sydflyer]

One of my worst air travel fears is someone spilling over the armrest into my seat. I'm a pretty small framed person and am a certified germaphobe so physical contact with a sweaty person on a plane does my head in. As far as I'm concerned it's an invasion of the personal space that I have paid for...

Had someone asleep next to me on a domestic flight last year, he spread out completely into my seat space and leg space. Was not able to wake him to get him to move, despite trying, and the light was full so there was no where to move to. Very uncomfortable.:evil: This was before attaining the lofty heights of WP. My WP shadow never hogs my seat and leg room.

 

[Kangol]

This is an easy "bird in the hand" situation.
Unless you are desperate, I would not change for a lesser seat unless the benefit outweighed the disadvantage.
Significantly more F lounge time would be one example...

 

[Mr_Orange]

Had someone asleep next to me on a domestic flight last year, he spread out completely into my seat space and leg space. Was not able to wake him to get him to move, despite trying, and the light was full so there was no where to move to. Very uncomfortable.:evil:

Gosh, I would not have tolerated that for one minute.

In my view, if you want to spill over into a neighbouring seat, you pay for 2 seats!

 

[Aus ATC]

I'm a pretty small framed person and am a certified germaphobe so physical contact with a sweaty person on a plane does my head in.

For a moment there I was wondering why Germans in particular were sweaty!

But seriously I have enough trouble with occupied middle seats when I am next to one, let alone in one myself.

 

[amaroo]

A few years ago we were offered a direct flight to BNE from SIN (booked SIN-SYD-BNE). Tickets were J classic award on BA........trouble is the offer was for QF MK1 skybed - knocked it back. The agent dug her heels in and tried to strong arm me into accepting. Seems like they had already counted on us accepting and they had to go back and change a few things.

No way - Had a lovely sleep in the BA flatbed. I hate those sloping seats:!:

 

[Robert Qld]

Last year I did trade in 4A on a MEL-BNE flight for some random middle seat as I was wanting to get to BNE earlier then when I orginally booked the ticket. It would've been okayish (dinner service and it was a 738 with AVOD) had not weather caused us to stay in the air for an extra hour.