Someone's in my seat

[pugwombat]

Reminds me of the time I was flying with my family SYD-BKK a few years back... in the days before self-serve seat selection.

I got stuck in a window seat while my family (Ms Pug and two puglets) sat in the centre row of 4. Ms Pug was a little grumpy about this, so I asked the person sitting next to her in the aisle seat if she would like to swap so I could sit with the family. She declined to give up her seat, which seemed fair enough to me. So, what could I do... I shrugged my shoulders and went back to my comfy window seat.

Half way to BKK, 8 year old puglet did a projectile vomit all over the place... herself, her mother, the floor, the seat in front, and just a bit on the person in the aisle seat. I was rudely awakened with my wife yelling at me to assist, getting the FAs to bring serviettes, PJs and new seat cushions. We had to buy some replacement travel clothes in BKK and I had to do BKK-LHR stuck in the middle while my wife claimed the window seat.

Sometimes sticking to your allocated seat and keeping families apart can have undesireable consequences.

As a rule though, if you've pinched my seat you can bugger off to your own.

 

[OATEK]

On a recent flight from Seattle to Kona I was asked to give up my aisle seat for a couple who wanted to sit together. The seat offered was also an aisle so I agreed - to the joy of the couple. The FA called me a darling, gave me a hug and free food and drinkies for the duration of the flight - yay!

Welcome to AFF adamkps, and what a great little story to get you started.

 

[Buzzard]

If we are traveling together but in separate seats, I will either call the airline in advance and try to change, check in early and ask or just sit apart. Seriously, the world will not end if you don't sit together and one of you might even get some peace.

 

[Milefest]

Been avoiding this thread because it makes me angry :evil: And I don't want to sound like a DYKWIA

Was on a 737 flight in J. I took my time getting to the plane from the lounge. I had my BP checked as I was entering the cabin and I noticed someone sitting in my window seat. I went up to them thinking they had misread their tickets and I told one of them that they were sitting in my seat. They replied that they'd been both allocated aisle seats across from each other and because they were a couple they should be able to sit next to each other. I replied with an "Ok" and walked back to the FA who checked my BP.

I told the FA that I had specifically booked and paid for my window seat and that I was disappointed that these pax had ignored their seat allocation. I asked the FA to tell the person sitting in my seat to move to their allocated seat. The FA awkwardly agreed and asked the pax to move, I got some bad looks from the couple.

Normally I wouldn't care but it's not what they did, it's how they did it. If they had been sitting in their allocated seats and asked nicely if they could swap seats, I would have happily done so (which is what I normally do in Y anyway).

I don't fly J often (and when I do, it's at my own expense) so next time I'm just going to get on board as quickly as I can to avoid awkward interactions like this.

 

[clazman]

If the seats had been changed by the airline i feel sorry for them, but i doubt that you have plenty of time and resources to select your seats so tough luck.

 

[Sukina]

Just happened to me early in March on a SYD-HKG on QF in J on the upper deck of the old 747. I always like a window seat, but it was a full load, so chose an aisle (better than a middle J seat which you can get in those 747s!) Arrived to find someone in my seat, and (luckily, rightly) presumed she'd just misread or changed to the aisle at her own volition. I just sat in the window seat and was quite happy! Only strange thing was that she'd filled the side lockers with her bags, blanket, pillow etc.....I wasn't sure I was in the position to complain! In a strange twist, half way through the flight she swapped again and ended up in the row behind me. My new seat-mate mumbled something about "the coughpy Skybed Mk I never working properly and put his headphones on.
A strange flight all round really!

 

[matrad]

Early morning VA SYD-MEL, I said the "Excuse me, I think you're in my seat", lady replies with a fair amount of arrogance that she has the aisle seat, and that I was misreading my boarding pass. Being an hour flight I could have climbed over her and her husband but thanks to her attitude I decided not to. She started to tell me that F was the aisle and D was window. I enjoyed asking her if she thought the alphabet went ABCFED? And explaining the little picture on the overhead with a person (aisle) and window. She then berated her husband for booking her a non-aisle seat. Then they both slid across.

Early morning VA MEL-SYD, had a centre seat of three, as I was getting close I could tell the occupants of window and aisle knew each other so I asked if they would like to sit together, "no, I like the aisle and my husband likes the window". OK no problem... until they hold a conversation across me! Favourite part was "tell me what you can see out the window" aargh!! I wished the inflight magazine was bigger!

 

[siri]

My Profile preference is front window and almost always I get that.. So many times I was asked by the attendant , if I can move due to couple request to stay together. My first question is where do I sit and almost all the time it was a coughpy seat and I politely refuse.
One exception is side by side Bus. class seats like in BA, which I am happy to consider switching.. Recently Syd to London BA flight, nice old lady on my seat and she politely asked if she can stay in my seat and I said yes since so looked so frail and one of her grand kid has bought the ticket for her to visit UK.
We had wonderful conversation all the way and she was a nice old grandma with nice manners.

 

[Jaryd]

On Christmas Day 2014, I flew MEL-BNE and there was a drunk guy sitting in my seat (4c). I didn't mind as my partner was in 4A, so I sat next to him.

My issue was when the FA came up to him and started addressing him by my name, and then started giving him J wine because she through he was me!!

 

[NZflygirl]

Oh I would LOVE that kind of seat mate!! I sat next to a very nice island guy that introduced himself, shook my hand etc and we had a small chat. Even that just made my flying day.

I had a family help themselves to my seat, didn't speak English ..... I begrudgingly moved to a worse seat. Emailed NZ re: future ways to avoid stuff like this and eventually got over it. I did feel like I would be the a-hole at the time. Anyway, I've thought through various y and outcomes and have vowed never to move again!

Prior to that event I was on an ATR and a teenager was next to me and dad across the aisle. When I saw the dad trying to stretch across to help do his seatbelt up and was told he had special needs I was like - wanna swap???? Thinking why didn't he ask in the first place?? Short hop flight I wouldn't have cared! I like my window seats but I'm not completely unreasonable!

oops - that was in reply to Siri's post. Wrong button.

 

[spudseamus]

Well well what a considerate bunch we all are lol! I said earlier that I had the popcorn ready! Lol! My take on this is " I'm a mirror to your attitude " my flights these days are long haul in J so I'm pretty focused on the seat and where it is in the cabin( solo) so fronting up to an almost full cabin and huffing and puffing to all and sundry is going nowhere with me ! Ok you wanted to sit togeather ? I'm sure the seat numbers on your tickets gave you a clue that you were sitting apart ! The second thing you got wrong was demanding that I should the right thing, in your eyes ,that I should give up my allocated seat for your one down beside the galley ! Hhhmmmm not going to happen lol!

Second flight again in J a couple arrive in the cabin ,late and flustered , take their seats and proceed to make themselves as comfortable as they can for a 14 hr trip. All three of us has aisle seats the husband adjacent to me with his wife two seats further up the aisle 1-2-1 . I intercepted the wife on one of her trips back to talk to her husband and asked is she would like to swap seats ? She was overjoyed at my offer . As we were arranging to do so the FA became involved and said" no no I will fix this immediately " and then proceeded to evict a staff member from the front seat of the centre two seats so all was fixed to everyone's satisfaction! The FA was very appreciative of my effort to help the couple and I felt there was a little more attention paid to me for the rest of the flight ! Grin .

Now one wonders if Karma is to be believed but on the way back , AUH /MEL , i was in the lounge when I got the tap on the shoulder as I was upgraded to F for the flight ! Who knows ?

 

[adamkps]

Welcome to AFF adamkps, and what a great little story to get you started.

I've got another....way back in the 80's we were flying some bucket and spade airline from Gatwick to Palma. After being told that the flight was delayed we were just wandering around the terminal when we heard our names being called. We raced to the gate and were rushed onto the flight and down the back to our seats we go, only to find them occupied. I said to the nearest pax "You're in my seat" "No I'm not" he said..."Yes you are" says I "Here's my boarding pass" and he shows me his and they both have the same seat allocation.....I call the FA and she takes a look at the BP and we're on the wrong flight! Turns out Sleazyjet or whoever it was had two flights going to PMI that day within a couple of hours of each other....

As they were closing the doors the FA said just sit anywhere....so our bags were on one flight and we were on another....

Wouldn't happen today!

 

[katiebell]

None of this is rocket science: if you would like to ask a favour of another pax do so nicely and it might happen; be rude and arrogant and it's not unreasonable if the answer is 'no'. It seems that pax being seated apart is increasingly common which is not right when the computer allocates the seats.

When we have travelled with separte PNRs I always call QF FF help line ASAP and ask politely if the PNRs can be linked: so far this has worked really well and we are able to sit together. Having said that, the trend in refurbished J cabins is direct aisle access and not sitting next to anyone (I've heard pax whinge about this).

On the post re the man with the post-op knee: many airlines do not allow less-than-able pax to sit in the aisle seats as they hinder the evacuation of the able-bodied in an emergency.

The crew responses say a lot about the culture of the airlines and whether they want to do what is right or not (SQ seem to rate poorly)

 

[love_the_life]

Just last week on my usual MEL - CBR leg I found someone in my seat, 6D.

When I said, "I think you're in my seat" she played dumb so I asked to see her boarding pass which she grumpily refused before sliding over to 6E and mumbling something to the effect of "They're all the f*cking same mate".

My response was much clearer "Then you won't mind moving your f*cking cough over then".

No one puts me in the middle seat!

She was obviously a very refined and well bred lady by the sound of her reaction :shock:

 

[Pushka]

None of this is rocket science: if you would like to ask a favour of another pax do so nicely and it might happen; be rude and arrogant and it's not unreasonable if the answer is 'no'. It seems that pax being seated apart is increasingly common which is not right when the computer allocates the seats.

When we have travelled with separte PNRs I always call QF FF help line ASAP and ask politely if the PNRs can be linked: so far this has worked really well and we are able to sit together. Having said that, the trend in refurbished J cabins is direct aisle access and not sitting next to anyone (I've heard pax whinge about this).

On the post re the man with the post-op knee: many airlines do not allow less-than-able pax to sit in the aisle seats as they hinder the evacuation of the able-bodied in an emergency.

The crew responses say a lot about the culture of the airlines and whether they want to do what is right or not (SQ seem to rate poorly)

Certainly not rocket science to know that politely asking is the way to go, sadly it is becoming a lost art with the 'entitlement' brigade who despite what is says on the BP, think they can pick whatever they like. And suddenly you become the bad person for refusal.

 

[Milefest]

Certainly not rocket science to know that politely asking is the way to go, sadly it is becoming a lost art with the 'entitlement' brigade who despite what is says on the BP, think they can pick whatever they like. And suddenly you become the bad person for refusal.

It's even worse when the FA sides with the culprit..

 

[Dee#]

I was the last to board a domestic Virgin flight once (I'm a platinum) to ??? sometime ago. Glad I was, it seemed full. I proceeded to my aisle seat I booked and in the central seat was a very large man. He was so large he had the armrest up, could not lower it and had a very large behind that was flowing onto my seat. He must have known he couldn't fit and should have booked 2 seats or business. The poor guy on the window was crammed it-no way would I take that. Basically there was only 1/2 of my seat remaining and I had paid for a full seat. Yes fatso looked at me daggers and said whats your problem so I told him much to the hilarity of other passengers.
So I went to a hostie (she was surprisingly big for a FA too) and said I do not have a seat, thankfully she agreed and found me another less attractive centre seat in the plane. So the big guy wins and gets 2 seats.
This has also happened to a friend of mine on Qantas, she did the same as me, said she had paid for a full seat and would get off and they would have to take her luggage off. They soon sort it out.

So if this ever happens to you, don't accept it. Better the bird in the hand than a possibility of being upgraded for being nice.

Also if someone of normal size is in my allocated seat (I would have chosen it. Also I believe I am normal average human being size 1.73m and 70kg) they can get lost bye bye.

As for couples...goodness do they really have to hold hands and sit together. My partner and I both like the aisle in economy and window in business. We might be as close as across the aisle or one behind the other or maybe not. Except when as Virgin platinum we get a 3 economy row to the 2 of us, then we prefer that.

The only one I can understand is people with small children getting separated and the kiddy is on their own. You don't want that. Kid needs to be kept in control. Not that parents these days even do that anymore. I don't want to be anywhere near kids on a plane anyway.

 

[BAM1748]

I was the last to board a domestic Virgin flight once (I'm a platinum) to ??? sometime ago. Glad I was, it seemed full. I proceeded to my aisle seat I booked and in the central seat was a very large man. He was so large he had the armrest up, could not lower it and had a very large behind that was flowing onto my seat. He must have known he couldn't fit and should have booked 2 seats or business. The poor guy on the window was crammed it-no way would I take that. Basically there was only 1/2 of my seat remaining and I had paid for a full seat. Yes fatso looked at me daggers and said whats your problem so I told him much to the hilarity of other passengers.
So I went to a hostie (she was surprisingly big for a FA too) and said I do not have a seat, thankfully she agreed and found me another less attractive centre seat in the plane. So the big guy wins and gets 2 seats.
This has also happened to a friend of mine on Qantas, she did the same as me, said she had paid for a full seat and would get off and they would have to take her luggage off. They soon sort it out.

So if this ever happens to you, don't accept it. Better the bird in the hand than a possibility of being upgraded for being nice.

Also if someone of normal size is in my allocated seat (I would have chosen it. Also I believe I am normal average human being size 1.73m and 70kg) they can get lost bye bye.

As for couples...goodness do they really have to hold hands and sit together. My partner and I both like the aisle in economy and window in business. We might be as close as across the aisle or one behind the other or maybe not. Except when as Virgin platinum we get a 3 economy row to the 2 of us, then we prefer that.

The only one I can understand is people with small children getting separated and the kiddy is on their own. You don't want that. Kid needs to be kept in control. Not that parents these days even do that anymore. I don't want to be anywhere near kids on a plane anyway.

Yes, the way to deal with half a seat is to ask to get off, but you'll only get away with that if the door is still open. Kides should never be separated from the parents.

 

[Milefest]

He was so large he had the armrest up, could not lower it and had a very large behind that was flowing onto my seat..

I thought if an armrest was movable, it be in the down position for take off and landing? Wouldn't that make the pax ineligible to fly in Y?

 

[legroom]

..... When I returned one of the senior SQ crew approached me requesting I change to a (normal, non bulkhead) seat a few rows back. I declined but suggested I would be happy to move back to the bulkhead in row 91. After checking they helped me move there...

Had it been me, I would probably raise it with SQ management itself.

Operational issues aside [where none of us would quibble], this is more like an issue of etiquette which should have been in your favour as you had taken the time out to select a seat.

They might brush it off as "nothing is guaranteed" but that would be lame IMO.

The couple's failure to plan ahead - not your fault - has now disadvantaged you and cost you time.

The line "nothing is guaranteed" could equally be applied to them as well as there is no rule anywhere saying that as a couple, you will be seated together - no matter what.

SQ FA was wrong to ask you to move IMO.

*****

For argument's sake, what would you do if you had been moved to a windowless seat and/or next to the loo ?