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

[samiam]

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

Turned out I was seated next to an unaccompanied minor (a girl about 10) and on looking around, I seemed to be the only woman travelling alone in about the last 10 rows of the plane.

I hope you charged by the hour to babysit

 

[drron]

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

Just read this whole thread and wanted to respond to this point. This happened to me as well recently but the opposite way around. I did OLCI and got a coughpy seat almost at the back but it was only CBR/SYD so not particularly worried but as I went through the gate I beeped and got reallocated the very back row so from bad seat to extremely bad. Turned out I was seated next to an unaccompanied minor (a girl about 10) and on looking around, I seemed to be the only woman travelling alone in about the last 10 rows of the plane. As it turns out, she was a delight to sit next to (I have a 10 year old myself) but it made me wonder how often women might get bumped from chosen seats to end up sitting next to unaccompanied children as I suspect they prefer children on their own to sit next to women (yes I know there's a whole argument in that but thats probably a whole different post!)

At a guess, I suspect unaccompanied children are probably quite experienced fliers and generally no trouble to sit next to but while I am not a super frequent flier, I do relish those times I manage to get away without the kids a few times a year and I'm not sure that I'd want to sit next to an unaccompanied child every time I do!

I think your experience is the more usual but QF did it to me once MEL-BNE but 5 years ago.Have been moved from my selected row 28 or 29 on DJ(Because you can exit at rear) to Row 30 with unaccompanied kids 3-4 times.6 weeks ago one was put into row 29 with me.So either they trust me or think I am an old woman.:shock:
Then again not once have I encountered a brat-always have been well behaved and polite.

 

[whughes3]

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

I witnessed an attempt at this on Saturday morning (26/2). I was on QF418, sitting in 2K, and was one of the first to board. A little later, a couple boarded, appearing not to be very familiar with the J cabin, and plonked themselves down in 1J/K. A little later again, a woman arrived with a BP for 1J and exchanged a few terse words with the couple; they didn't move, so an FA was summoned, more terse words were exchanged, and the couple eventually rather sheepishly moved back to 3J/K. (I gathered that English was not their first language, but surely most people can tell the difference between "1" and "3"?)

 

[BadgerBoi]

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

I witnessed an attempt at this on Saturday morning (26/2). I was on QF418, sitting in 2K, and was one of the first to board. A little later, a couple boarded, appearing not to be very familiar with the J cabin, and plonked themselves down in 1J/K. A little later again, a woman arrived with a BP for 1J and exchanged a few terse words with the couple; they didn't move, so an FA was summoned, more terse words were exchanged, and the couple eventually rather sheepishly moved back to 3J/K. (I gathered that English was not their first language, but surely most people can tell the difference between "1" and "3"?)

Classic seat poaching, right down the alleged language difficulty.
Mind you I was once guilty of the same, sat down in 2a when I should have been in 2c - very tired after a long trip home from Europe, been sitting in window seats both ways on the whole trip and just automatically sat by the window for the flight from Melbourne back home to Sydney.

Rightful owner of the seat was very pouty, I apologised and moved and tried to explain (mistake, shouldn't have bothered explaining because she didn't care anyway), but she was still glaring at me when we arrived in Sydney Stupid thing is I dislike window seats anyway and was much happier in my correct seat.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

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

Timely thread as this just happened to me last week on qf first - I was asked to move from (my) prized 3K to 4K to allow a couple to sit together.

Not only was the proposed swap pretty lousy - 4K being right by the galley and sticking out into the aisle, but the request was made worse by the CSD asking me in front of both passengers. I politely declined, explaining I has selected the seat at the time of booking several weeks ago and wanted the extra space and privacy. unfortunately the couple were none to pleased by this. And i was surprised the CSD didn't handle it in a better way (for example calling me to the boarding door or something like that.)

 

[m_ratt]

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

Experienced a couple of seat poachers on a DJ CBR-MEL late last year. Had selected 4F on the 73G, and boarded to find a couple of large elderly women (also half deaf) had taken D E and F (arm rests up). I pointed out that the window seat was mine, though instead of paying much attention they both shuffled to the right slightly. Not worth the effort to make them move further I just took the aisle seat.

So while I was annoyed that they'd presumed they could just spread out, 4D ended up probably being better and meant I was 2nd off the plane after arrival.

 

[Justinf]

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

I had a seat poacher on a BNE-MEL flight just before Christmas. I had been up BNE to visit friends and caught a Sunday afternoon flight back home. After what turned into a very long liquid lunch, I was quite pleased I had selected an aisle seat as all that amber fluid had to go somewhere and getting upto go the loo frequently would annoy the hell of out anyone seated next to me if I was on the window or the middle.
I was in no way drunk asI was drinking midstrength beer so was quite Ok to fly.
Got to my seat and young woman was sitting there. She refused to move. I explained to her my long liquid lunch and that it was probably in her best interests to move to her window seat (the middle seat was vacant). She still refused so I took my seat on the window and each time I used the bathroom she was reminded of why I selected the aisle seat in the first place.

 

[simongr]

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

Got to my seat and young woman was sitting there. She refused to move. I explained to her my long liquid lunch and that it was probably in her best interests to move to her window seat (the middle seat was vacant). She still refused so I took my seat on the window and each time I used the bathroom she was reminded of why I selected the aisle seat in the first place.

There is a massive difference between being asked to move by the CSD and someone refusing to move - I would have called the cabin crew and asked them to deal with her.

 

[jamesatfish]

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

Timely thread as this just happened to me last week on qf first - I was asked to move from (my) prized 3K to 4K to allow a couple to sit together.

Not only was the proposed swap pretty lousy - 4K being right by the galley and sticking out into the aisle, but the request was made worse by the CSD asking me in front of both passengers. I politely declined, explaining I has selected the seat at the time of booking several weeks ago and wanted the extra space and privacy. unfortunately the couple were none to pleased by this. And i was surprised the CSD didn't handle it in a better way (for example calling me to the boarding door or something like that.)

Assuming this was a 747, why wouldn't the CSD have asked the passenger in 3E to move (as I assume the partner was in 3F)? And indeed bad form to ask in such a public manner - though to my mind the fact that the couple themselves weren't the ones asking is even more disappointing.

To be honest I don't mind people asking me to swap seats as I give them the benefit of the doubt most times having been a travel ignorant myself at one time. Many years ago when flying United J on a RTW trip my wife and I were allocated non-adjacent seats (i.e. 3A & 4C rather than 3A & 3C) on several flights - noting this was well before online check-in and we certainly didn't know about seat pre-allocation or which seats on the aircraft were 'good' or 'bad'.

When boarding the aircraft my wife would take her assigned window seat whilst I waited for her neighbour to board in order to ask if they would swap seats so we could sit together. I assumed they were solo travellers given they were seated next to a stranger (i.e. me) but didn't have any idea whether they were just assigned that particular seat or if they had chosen it for some special reason. As it was nobody ever declined our requests and I always ended up being able to sit next to my wife, but if someone had declined the request I probably would have been upset in my ignorance of their reason for choosing that particular seat in the first place.

Now that I've been a member on AFF for some time and through reading, research and BIS miles in J and F have developed a feel for my preferred seats on each different aircraft on each different carrier, I can understand why those people I asked to move may have declined my request and I realise it may not be simply because they're rude, selfish or otherwise socially unpleasant.

But similarly, when someone on my flight asks me to swap seats, I have to remember that they may be in the same situation as I was all those years ago, ignorant of the process of or reasons behind advance seat selection. To someone who has never flown in First I'm sure that all 14 seats seem to be equally as fantastic as each other, and so in asking you to swap 3K for 4K they may not understand that you would be giving up something to move back a row.

The only thing that upsets me is when the passengers feel the need to get the flight crew involved in what should be a really simple request - I am far more inclined to move seats for a passenger who asks me personally.

 

[Justinf]

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

There is a massive difference between being asked to move by the CSD and someone refusing to move - I would have called the cabin crew and asked them to deal with her.

True, but she ended up riding the karma bus, having to stand up out of her seat three times when I had to use the bathroom and then three more times when I came back to my seat. Sometimes things just sort themselves out in a much better way naturally.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

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

Assuming this was a 747, why wouldn't the CSD have asked the passenger in 3E to move (as I assume the partner was in 3F)? And indeed bad form to ask in such a public manner - though to my mind the fact that the couple themselves weren't the ones asking is even more disappointing.

That was my question, but the pax in 3E was travelling with the passenger in 3A - and they had selected seats close to each other but didn't want the middle ones together!!

You are right, lady was in 3F, hubby in 4K, they asked me to move 3K to 4K.

 

[serfty]

...

You are right, lady was in 3F, hubby in 4K, they asked me to move 3K to 4K.

Interesting; if travelling alone and given a choice of 3K or 4K I would take the latter always.

(Personally I prefer 1A/K but 4A/K do have more storage space.)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

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

Interesting; if travelling alone and given a choice of 3K or 4K I would take the latter always.

(Personally I prefer 1A/K but 4A/K do have more storage space.)

I guess YMMV! 4A/K may have the additional side stowage, but that is not important for me. I want privacy. The 'negatives' which for 4A/K are the narrow aisle, being 'stuck out' in the middle of nowhere, and right by the galley with all the noise.

The physical difference of the seat is also important - the rounded partition at the end of the seat severely restricts leg movement while sleeping. Seats 2A/K and 3A/K have large square spaces to put your feet and (if it's important to you) you can move your legs.

 

[simongr]

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

Interesting experience this week. I had preselected 25B MEL-SYD on a 763. I did OLCI and had confirmation on my MyFlights app of the seating. At the gate the seat allocated was 23F. Now this is technically a better seat and I had an empty seat next to me. My main beef (which is not really a beef) is that I have never had this happen before - a seat change without notification...

 

[serfty]

OT:

FWIW, I avoid selecting row 25 on a QF 763 as a late substitution to a 763-336 (VH-ZX series) may have undesirable effects.

 

[JohnK]

Re: OT:

FWIW, I avoid selecting row 25 on a QF 763 as a late substitution to a 763-336 (VH-ZX series) may have undesirable effects.

Most times I get moved to row 26 when this happens.

The one that irks me is any ABCDEF seat on a 767 and the aircraft is substituted for a 737! :shock: I have noticed that I have ended in a middle seat down the back as the computer feels that my 25B on a 767 ia the same as a 25B on a 737!

 

[dizperliz]

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

My favourite sayings comes in at this point 'well you can't please everyone so you might aswell please yourself'. End of the day a tall pax should know to pre-allocate seats with additional legroom.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

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

Most times I get moved to row 26 when this happens.

The one that irks me is any ABCDEF seat on a 767 and the aircraft is substituted for a 737! :shock: I have noticed that I have ended in a middle seat down the back as the computer feels that my 25B on a 767 ia the same as a 25B on a 737!

I've been caught out a couple if times with that and it's a sad moment when you realise! This is why I stick with D seats on the Dom legs

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Re: OT:

Most times I get moved to row 26 when this happens.

The one that irks me is any ABCDEF seat on a 767 and the aircraft is substituted for a 737! :shock: I have noticed that I have ended in a middle seat down the back as the computer feels that my 25B on a 767 ia the same as a 25B on a 737!

I thought you sorted that dilemma JohnK by selecting 25J when on a 767 which of course doesn't exist on a 737.

 

[JohnK]

Re: OT:

I thought you sorted that dilemma JohnK by selecting 25J when on a 767 which of course doesn't exist on a 737.

I thought it was solved but then it does not allocate me a seat at all on the 737 if there is an aircraft substitution.

Just need to keep one step ahead and constantly look at bookings in the next month or so.