After spending all that time choosing your seat...

[Leumas]

It's happened to me several times now... I spend time investigating which seat is best, then for whatever reasons, I end up on some other seats...

- I was supposed to be in the mini-Y cabin on both of my QF legs recently - both times got put to PE (not that I'm complaining, thanks QF).
- A couple of times picked 16x, but also requested a points upgrade and got moved...
- On BA, I picked 64A, even sat down, before being asked to move because a rather tall elderly gentleman tried to book that seat but was taken (by me), so he asked. He was very polite and I respect our elders.
- Another occasion, also on BA, also picked 64A, got an op-up

Anyway, maybe this is karma at work, or maybe if you pick a prime seat and have status, you're more likely to be op-up'ed...

Just wanted to share.

#firstworldproblems

 

[simongr]

I do hope the elderly gent was over 6' 4" (190cm) as under that height I think you could sit any BA J seat comfortably.

I almost experienced the seat shifters on my HKG-DXB-JED flight. I was in 12K with a chap in 11K on CX. I pop to the bathroom to put on the pyjamas and come back to find Mrs 11K stood at my seat conversation went:

Mrs11K: My husband is in 11K
S: And?
Mrs11K: I am in 20K - can we swap so I can be next to my husband?
S: No. Why don't you ask the man in 19K if he will swap with your husband?
Mr11K indicates to his wife to return to her seat
Mrs11K: Please swap (tears welling up)
S: No - if you want to be next to your husband he can swap with 19K*
Mrs11K (to cabin crew): he wont swap seats
S: Correct - her husband can swap - I am not moving
Crew then usher her back to her seat and proceed to coordinate the swap for Mr11K and Mr19K
NewMr11K - Cheers mate - I have a CPAP machine and wouldn't have had any sleep if I had stayed in 19K

I wont swap ever again unless directed by the crew to move forward or into a better cabin class. I also will not be picking 11K on CX at the risk of depriving someone of the chance to use their CPAP machine - useful information to find out.

Fight the seat swappers!

* Note that the conversation had a few more iterations of this rather than just the single repeat...

 

[Leumas]

Yeah, at a guess, he'd be around 2m tall.

 

[serfty]

... I also will not be picking 11K on CX at the risk of depriving someone of the chance to use their CPAP machine - useful information to find out. ...

Hmmm ... that's an interesting little tid-bit.

Coincidentally/Similarly the 11K seat on QF 388's has the same attribute. i.e. Power supply in bulkhead for medical purposes.

But I found out 'the hard way' - upon boarding with SWMBO (11J) my 10 month selected 11K seat metaphorically went "foof" ... just like that.:-|

So 11K is off my list of preferred seats ...

 

[amaroo]

CPAP - the things you never think about!

I'm happy to move if:-

Directed by FA
The new seat is similar or better location/class
Allow a child to fly next to their family
I want to escape from whoever I'm seated next too

Very reluctant to move from an aisle/window seat to the middle of the middle....no matter how short the flight is!

 

[extracta]

If in Y and asked to swap/move the standard response should be something along the lines of

I don't mind moving forward to PE or J if you like.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Hmmm ... that's an interesting little tid-bit.

Coincidentally/Similarly the 11K seat on QF 388's has the same attribute. i.e. Power supply in bulkhead for medical purposes.

But I found out 'the hard way' - upon boarding with SWMBO (11J) my 10 month selected 11K seat metaphorically went "foof" ... just like that.:-|

So 11K is off my list of preferred seats ...

What seat were you "foofed" into post 11k?

 

[drewbles]

I had an interesting one on my latest flight from SYD to LHR via SIN on BA.

I was in WTP (BA's excuse for Premium Economy, until it's refreshed) in 13G. This is an aisle seat on a 747, right aisle on the bank of 4 seats (2-4-2 in WTP).

Upon boarding in SYD (after flying up from MEL) I was knackered. I'd had around 3 hours sleep in the past 30 hours, had had my fill of Taittinger in the F lounge to ensure I could pass out to SIN and be largely devoid of Jet Lag by the time I made it to LHR.

When I reached my seat, there was an elderly couple in 13E/F (what is it with BA's WTP; it's *full* of retirees, and for the money, why wouldn't you fly J on another carrier?). The lady conversation went like this:

13F: I've just had a knee replacement
Me: OK
13F: Would you mind swapping with me as I have to move around a lot
Me: Not really, I specifically chose this seat over a month ago. I've had 3 hours sleep in the past 30, i'm exhausted and I want to pass out
13F: But i'm going to have to get up and move around and disturb you
Me: Sorry

Now, in hindsight (ain't it a wonderful thing) I do feel a little rude for doing this. On the flip side, surely if you've just had a knee replacement, you'd be at the airport as early as you could (this was a 3:45pm departure, not crack of dawn) to arrange an aisle seat? Or am I being too logical.

Should I have given up my aisle seat? for those who have met me, you'll know i'm not a small person, and being wedged in a middle seat is cruel and unusual punishment for not only me but my seat mate.

Of course in SIN, upon boarding my BP was sighted at the gate, and my seat was quite literally crossed out in pen and '60B' proudly written on it. In my woozy state I asked politely "Is that in whY?" to be told 'No sir, that's a much nicer seat on the upper deck for you' (I had forgotten that BA's J starts upper deck where end of whY numbers ended). Needless to say, I got plenty of sleep on the SIN-LHR segment (and my jet lag was non existent).

 

[serfty]

What seat were you "foofed" into post 11k?

18A - the CSD was intently looking for the 11K BP as PAX boarded - seemed to cause him some consternation when he found I was with a +1. In the end at least 4 PAX moved.

So I was out of Emerald City - but too be honest, there's not really a bad Skybed MKII - and were were given a little extra attention/service during the flight ...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

18A - the CSD was intently looking for the 11K BP as PAX boarded - seemed to cause him some consternation when he found I was with a +1. In the end at least 4 PAX moved.

So I was out of Emerald City - but too be honest, there's not really a bad Skybed MKII - and were were given a little extra attention/service during the flight ...

In an ideal situation seat juggling is best done by the airline before people board but not all airline staff would be aware of the attributes of 11K with regard to the medical power supply.

It would be easier for the CSM to call ground staff to find out if "11K" is travelling with someone else & do the move prior to the commencement of boarding.

I had an interesting one on my latest flight from SYD to LHR via SIN on BA.

I was in WTP (BA's excuse for Premium Economy, until it's refreshed) in 13G. This is an aisle seat on a 747, right aisle on the bank of 4 seats (2-4-2 in WTP).

Upon boarding in SYD (after flying up from MEL) I was knackered. I'd had around 3 hours sleep in the past 30 hours, had had my fill of Taittinger in the F lounge to ensure I could pass out to SIN and be largely devoid of Jet Lag by the time I made it to LHR.

When I reached my seat, there was an elderly couple in 13E/F (what is it with BA's WTP; it's *full* of retirees, and for the money, why wouldn't you fly J on another carrier?).

Now, in hindsight (ain't it a wonderful thing) I do feel a little rude for doing this. On the flip side, surely if you've just had a knee replacement, you'd be at the airport as early as you could (this was a 3:45pm departure, not crack of dawn) to arrange an aisle seat? Or am I being too logical.

Should I have given up my aisle seat? for those who have met me, you'll know i'm not a small person, and being wedged in a middle seat is cruel and unusual punishment for not only me but my seat mate.

Can people with no ff status booking on BA in WTP pre-allocate their seats at the time of booking or not?

It could be that even if they did get to the airport super early, it still wasn't early enough to get two seats together than included an aisle seat.

Having said that, it's one thing to ask a fellow pax to swap when it's the same kind of seat such as an aisle for an aisle but I believe it's selfish of the person asking for the swap to expect someone to give up an aisle seat for a middle seat.

It sounds like the conversation was more like:

"I've just had a knee replacement" (I'm an old age pensioner & I will use this to my advantage where possible)

"Would you mind swapping with me as I need to move around a lot" (I don't care that I'm asking you to give up your aisle seat, I expect you to as I'm an old age pensioner)

Just as a matter of interest, did she get up & "move around a lot" or was it more a case of wanting to stretch her leg out into the aisle for other people to trip over & to be able to flag down the F/A's for incessant cups of tea? :shock:

Geez I sound a bit harsh don't I?

 

[JohnK]

Leumas all I can say is some people have all the luck.

And karma pays me back big time. For every good thing I do I have 3 bad things happen. Occasionally it gets it wrong though and confuses me for someone else....

 

[serfty]

Methinks there's more to the tale than admitted; in any case I'll not be pre-allocating 11K in the future.

 

[Kangol]

Allow a child to fly next to their family

Would've thought that check-in staff would see this and make arrangements beforehand...

 

[QF WP]

Loved reading the thread thus far - you all had a great deal of empathy for their plight but little sympathy. That's the way it should be...

 

[amaroo]

Would've thought that check-in staff would see this and make arrangements beforehand...

In January I boarded our BA BKK-SYD flight and found a bloke sitting in my 1K seat. He asked if he could swap seats with me as he was traveling with his wife and baby - they were sitting in 1A. I was happy to help out & let my 1K go and sat in 5A......this also allowed me to sit next to my two kids (aged 10 & 8) who were in 5E/F.

The CSD thanked me & said that the seating was all mucked up as the family was traveling through (LHR-SYD) and had the same issue for the LHR-BKK sector.

Up to that point I could not seat next /close to my kids......even when I asked at check-in at BKK.

 

[futurism]

The thing that seems to effect me is I am always in 6A or 6F on a domestic 737. Qantas often sub a 300 for an 800 on my route, which when full causes a big reshuffle.
Even as a platinum, I often get moved in such situations, quite often to 4B or 4E.
The Qantas system probably thinks this is putting me in a better seat, but I would take 30 A or F over a middle seat any day.