Asked to give up your Meticulously Selected Seat when on board.

[KateMayo]

I had deliberately chosen a flight that had this seat free [80K, QF 388], and, as soon as the booking was confirmed, went online to grab it.


Shortly after settling into the seat, I was approached by the CSD, who asked me whether I would mind swapping my seat with a tall gentleman who wanted more leg room.


He emphasised, quite strongly, that I could, of course, say no. (I got the impression that he may have been badgered by the “gentleman”.)


I said no…

 

[reductionist]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

Shortly after settling into the seat, I was approached by the CSD, who asked me whether I would mind swapping my seat with a tall gentleman who wanted more leg room.


He emphasised, quite strongly, that I could, of course, say no. (I got the impression that he may have been badgered by the “gentleman”.)


I said no…

This post made me really angry. You have to wonder about the mentality of someone who knowingly pays for a regular seat and then pressures the FAs into hassling passengers on their behalf. If you need more leg room just fricken pay for it. Why make other people's lives miserable because you're a selfish moron?

I'm glad you said no, I would have too.

That concludes my rant for the day.

 

[Grooba]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

Here here. I'be been bugged to give up my bulkhead seat on the last few long haul qf flights. After politely declining the offer I've had a quiet chuckle to myself and thought exactly the same thing.. you want the leg room then you pay for it.

This post made me really angry. You have to wonder about the mentality of someone who knowingly pays for a regular seat and then pressures the FAs into hassling passengers on their behalf. If you need more leg room just fricken pay for it. Why make other people's lives miserable because you're a selfish moron?

I'm glad you said no, I would have too.

That concludes my rant for the day.

 

[reductionist]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

I'be been bugged to give up my bulkhead seat on the last few long haul qf flights.

By whom? Passengers? Or FAs on behalf of passengers?

 

[Grooba]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

Twice by the FA (so taller pax could have more room) and once by the guy sitting next to me (he was hoping I would give up my aisle bulkhead seat so his mate down the back could move up and sit with him). Short haul maybe, longhaul, no chance.

By whom? Passengers? Or FAs on behalf of passengers?

 

[JohnK]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

Twice by the FA (so taller pax could have more room) and once by the guy sitting next to me (he was hoping I would give up my aisle bulkhead seat so his mate down the back could move up and sit with him). Short haul maybe, longhaul, no chance.

There is a real simple solution in these cases. If you really want to sit with your mate then move down the back. How hard can that be to understand?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

I had deliberately chosen a flight that had this seat free, and, as soon as the booking was confirmed, went online to grab it.


Shortly after settling into the seat, I was approached by the CSD, who asked me whether I would mind swapping my seat with a tall gentleman who wanted more leg room.


He emphasised, quite strongly, that I could, of course, say no. (I got the impression that he may have been badgered by the “gentleman”.)


I said no…

Good for you!! Outrageous request, the passenger would have fared better with a fake plaster cast ;p

 

[TonyHancock]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

I said no…

Good for you!

I learned my lesson the hard way. I gave up my preferred J seat on a CX flight to help keep a family sitting together.

What I actually found was that three children could sit in the same row whilst their parents sat in first class.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

Good for you!

I learned my lesson the hard way. I gave up my preferred J seat on a CX flight to help keep a family sitting together.

What I actually found was that three children could sit in the same row whilst their parents sat in first class.

Ouch !!!!!

 

[tuapekastar]

Re: Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

I had deliberately chosen a flight that had this seat free, and, as soon as the booking was confirmed, went online to grab it.


Shortly after settling into the seat, I was approached by the CSD, who asked me whether I would mind swapping my seat with a tall gentleman who wanted more leg room.


He emphasised, quite strongly, that I could, of course, say no. (I got the impression that he may have been badgered by the “gentleman”.)


I said no…

You said no? You did good! As did the FA by the sound of it.

 

[dfcatch]

Seat 80K on the new A380 QF

You said no? You did good! As did the FA by the sound of it.

I agree.

I'm annoyed by the post too.

You did well, but it's bad form to even ask. The FA sounds like he was in a jam but handled it well.

Danger - I'm with you on that too. He shouldn't even ask, he can swap with the person next to his mate if he likes.

 

[drewbles]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

I've at various times had this requested of me (never for a taller pax to have more leg room; i'm 6'4", if they asked, i'd stand up and object) and have declined every time.

I don't feel rude or anything as like the OP, I select the seat I want prior to flight.

At no time have I ever had a QF FA (or CSM or anyone else) ask for someone to move to allow me more room because i'm tall. If I want more room, i'll pay for an exit row, or Y+/J (of course I never knock back a free beep-at-gate-upgrade, but that's just luck not them wanting to give a WP more leg room).

I've also had seatmates ask if I would mind swapping and i've always said "oh im sorry I actually selected this seat on purpose as I like the legroom/location/insert_reason_here" to which usually gets a dumbfounded look.

As was suggested, if you want to sit with your mate down the back, ask their seatmate to move to your seat.

 

[KateMayo]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

I had another seating “incident” recently when I was asked three times (once after being paged in the Flounge and twice onboard) whether I would like to move from my carefully-selected front-row window J seat to one further back as there would be a passenger next to me with a baby as they required the bassinet.


Not having any issues with babies onboard I said I was quite happy to stay where I was.


The “baby” turned out to be a few days short of his second birthday…

 

[Boris spatsky]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

On My first J long haul on Qf I was moved by the FA from aisle to the middle if the 3 to allow two Us pax to sit across the aisle from each other. The trip was hell. Never again.

On AA from Miami to LA u was moved from 5A to 6A on 767 cos the lady in 6A gets motion sick without a window (misaligned window in 6A). I got no choice, FA moved me.

On PH-SYD last week, I had bulkhead in Y. When I boarded. A lady with child was in my seat. She told me she needed a bassinet for her 'baby'. The kid was about 3, and not a baby!

I asked her to move to her allocated seat (clearly trying to rort the system). The FA got involved but I held my ground and won. The hide of some people.

 

[medhead]

Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board.

The “baby” turned out to be a few days short of his second birthday…

No way a 2 year old can fit in one of those bassinets.

 

[KateMayo]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

No way a 2 year old can fit in one of those bassinets.

Absolutely – the average two-year-old is half of their eventual adult height

 

[simongr]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

This topic comes up frequently (though I note that it hasnt come up in a while).

Generally people who arent sat together ask to be moved together - in principle OK but not once has a pax asked to move backwards in the aircraft.

I have given up my seat once as when I came to sit down guy and girl were already sat in my seat and asking if I could move two seats back. The difficulty in these situations of holding your ground is that you risk the pax next to you being obnoxious for the entire flight.

The bassinet is a tricky one as I am not sure if QF make it clear that although babies are infants up until 2 they will only fit in the bassinet up until about 6 months (in he case of not so little Hagridgr). Also as airlines try to keep the bassinet positions free for babies it implicitly splits up couples. Personally I think that QF should block the bassinet and the seat next to it for couples travelling together to request (but not book) those seats and maybe open to status pax at T-80 when no infants are confirmed.

If this happened to me in the F lounge I would politely request that they ensure I don't get a follow up request on board.

What I think the airlines could do better is making sure less frequent fliers understand what not preallocting a seat implies so that people make sure they preallocate if they can rather than waiting until the last minute.

On my upcoming long haul trips I wont be swapping unless the airline gives me a seat much further forward

 

[simongr]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

Absolutely – the average two-year-old is half of their eventual adult height

This does fill me with dread as not so little Hagridgr is 1 week shy of two years old and I think around 97cms...

 

[ozmille]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

Would be a definite no from me. Have never been asked though.

 

[BadgerBoi]

Re: Requested to give up your Meticulously Researched and selected Seat when on board

Had this twice: first time I boarded a plane in KL heading to Sydney, there were two(!) children sitting in my carefully selected seat. FA explained that it was a family sitting together and told me to sit in another seat. Fortunately the seat she gave me was just as good so I accepted it. That was Lauder, business class, I think in 2000. FA knew I was unhappy with her - she gave me an amenities kit that was only half full, I think out of spite

Second time was in coughet, again heading to Sydney. Had booked the flight, like the OP, because the particular seats were available (front row aisle and window Jetstar starclass, selected so that nobody in front of me could recline) and at check-in was asked if I would give up my seat so that a couple could have it for the bassinet for their baby. I said sorry, but no, and the check in agents were fine with that. Whoever had the seats on the other side of the aircraft must have agreed, the family with the baby were there. The infant was tiny, wouldn't even have been born at the time that I booked my ticket.

I wouldn't have cared if they had to sit in the middle of the plane, they could have done as I did and booked a flight when the seat was available.

For long-haul I always arrive at the airport very, very early so if there are any, ahem, "misunderstandings", I have heaps of time to get them sorted out.