Honesty with customers (seat blocks)

[mrpooky]

I want to throw this one out there though: how do you WPs feel about random non-status pax just sitting in your shadow at the pointy end regardless?

I hate it! But it's not just a VA thing; it's happened to me twice in the past few months on QF, as well.

mrpooky.

 

[JohnK]

Not exactly a shadow issue, but indicates VA does seem to have seating problems....

I preselected 1A BNE-MKY a couple of weeks back and when I boarded, a lady was already in 1C. I jokingly made the comment about "sorry, I bet you thought you had a shadow". The lady said she had hoped so as her mother was back in 2F. Of course I had no issue about swapping with her, but I was somewhat amazed as all of row 2 just had just that 1 seat occupied but VA wouldn't allow her to move back to be with her mother until everyone had boarded. So in the end, all of row 1 was full and I was the only pax in row 2. Suited me....I'm actually of the belief row 2 beats row 1 all hands down! You can stretch out but why on earth did VA not allow her to move? A business class pax and surely they can check the manifest!

That could be due to the trim of the aircraft.

I flew NTL-BNE on Sunday and had 4D on an E190. I asked if bulkhead was available and told no. I asked about load and told 19 out of 98 seats. One didn't turn up which made it 18. I asked can I go down the back and she said no had to keep everybody up front and then started telling me the restrictions she had in front of her.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

That could be due to the trim of the aircraft.

Between row 1 and row 2? :shock:

 

[JohnK]

Between row 1 and row 2? :shock:

Possibly.

The check-in agent told me there could only be a few people allocated seats between row 15-21. Perhaps the seating software does not allow changes in these types of situations.

 

[markis10]

Between row 1 and row 2? :shock:

Its possible that moving from row 1 to 2 could tip the scales.

 

[Jousams]

Nice to make new friends of course

Sometimes I try and pick up by starting up a conversation with a non lounge member at checkin / gate and get her into the lounge and allocated to 3B / 3E next to me. The other week a suit in 3C had a winge to a FA about about me (he deliberately made me hear the whole convo) because he didn't get a shadow he had asked for at checkin.

LMAO my favourite WP benefit

 

[Jousams]

Sometimes I try and pick up by starting up a conversation with a non lounge member at checkin / gate and get her into the lounge and allocated to 3B / 3E next to me. The other week a suit in 3C had a winge to a FA about about me (he deliberately made me hear the whole convo) because he didn't get a shadow he had asked for at checkin.

LMAO my favourite WP benefit

If he is on here - Soz not soz lol.

 

[Lowgoz]

90% of the time I'll get a row 3 seat window or aisle seat. It's a nice perk, but agreed, not an automatic right. Rarely get a shadow. That's all fine.

What does irritate me a bit is that off the main trunk routes, it's a lottery who gets seated next to you cause plats and golds may be few on say, MCY - MEL.

On my last flight to MCY two old dears in their 80s were in 3A & 3B and off to MCY for 10 days and spent 2.5hrs discussing their medical ailiments (particularly their feet), their uncaring kids/grandchilden, and the curried sausages one of them had stashed in her luggage for dinner the next two nights. Oh, and they needed to buy milk that afternoon and plans were made for this. I know all this cause I had to listen to it all for 2.5 hours. A week or two prior to that, ex OOL, I had a mother and adult son combo who clearly came from the bogan side of the family no-one talks about. I will not start on them.

I really don't care what your FF status is, but if you are going to sit up the front with the grown ups, can you please sit quietly, stay in your own space, and just be normal. Read a book. You do not need to access your bag in the overhead five times in ninety minutes.

And that's my row 3 rant for the day.

I think we need a briefing akin to this which is completed by the FA's after their exit briefing

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I know all this cause I had to listen to it all for 2.5 hours.

Noise cancelling headphones.......

 

[Dan_]

Noise cancelling headphones.......

Best investment I have made to date

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Best investment I have made to date

You're not wrong. They're not so much for entertainment, rather giving some privacy in very close confines.

Just on Tuesday I was in 14C (738 exit row) and during the pre-flight briefing, the idiot next to me couldn't shut up even for a second.......pure unadulterated drivel. The part came about the demonstration of the life jackets and he starts on about how useless those are because by the time you hit water it's too late, so his take was to ask where his parachute was.......I kid you not, this is factual. His other pearler was during the part about knowing your nearest exit and the goose starts on about using the big hole in the side of the plane, because in his infinite depth of FFer wisdom (not), a plane that needs to ditch must have a big hole in the side of it which must be easier to use than the exit doors.......again, I kid you not. Just the type of pax you possibly do NOT want to seat in an exit row, yet there he was.

Out came my MM550Xs and then I sat staring at the seat belt sign just waiting to be able to arc them up! I then spent the flight peacefully listening to Pink Floyd whilst I did note a few times, the poor guy in 14A forgot to pack his headphones and the twerp yapped most of the way. I could have kissed Mr Sennheiser!