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

[djfuzz]

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

Depending on how they made the demand, and for what reason, the cabin crew might not be too happy by the end of the flight either. If the demand was reasonable, fair enough, but if not and I ended up in an unsatisfactory seat, then they would experience the passenger from hell :evil:
In the case of the OP, I would not consider it to be reasonable. In the two cases that happened to me, not reasonable (although my two outcomes were satisfactory to me).

You didn't give up your seat for passengers with an infant. I'd like to know what your definition of reasonable is, and whether this is how you'd have reacted if they'd have moved you without the courtesy of asking, as they were perfectly entitled to do so under their T&Cs.

 

[dfcatch]

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

Exactly - which is why I was prepared to give up my seat in that instance. This isn't the same thing as someone trying to 'game the system', especially considering this is Air Asia which doesn't allow seat pre-allocation unless one pays for the service.

I think that's an important distinction.
It's no big deal to me if there is a genuine special needs case and I'm not too inconvenienced. Same for genuine mistaken bum-placement.

But if I'm at a bulkhead or 80A on A380, then the only way I'll agree to give up my seat for a whining pax who doesn't like their seat is if the CSM saw fit to find a "more comfortable seat" for me (perhaps upstairs or rows 1 through 4).

Of course I would always obey a lawful directive from the crew (especially on a US-bound flight)

 

[Keith009]

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

You didn't give up your seat for passengers with an infant. I'd like to know what your definition of reasonable is, and whether this is how you'd have reacted if they'd have moved you without the courtesy of asking, as they were perfectly entitled to do so under their T&Cs.

In that circumstance, my definition of reasonable would be being moved to an equally satisfactory seat. The parents ought to have booked the bassinet seat in advance. I don't mind being bumped out of my pre-allocated seat prior to the flight so long as it's with good reason (EQP change, pax wanting bassinet seats etc), as with advance notice I can organise an alternative seat allocation. But it's a bit rich to be asked to move once onboard, or even anytime after check in, for no reason other than to accomodate other pax who can't be bothered to be more organised.

 

[JohnK]

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

As per the T+Cs the airline / cabin crew can actually demand you move (no seat assignment is guaranteed).

You might not be happy though.....

Ah so we are back to the airline's terms and conditions again.

So forgive me if I cannot think of a single reasonable reason why I should give up my meticulously pre-allocated forward bulkhead or 71D, 80A, 80K on an A380 to anyone.

Care to give me a decent reason? If they really need to sit a family together then they can choose to move everyone to one of the other 'horrible' seats the family has been allocated in the economy cabin.

I really do not understand why I should be happy to move to a middle seat or sit behind someone else when I have made the effort to pre-allocate my seat.

By the way most airlines allow pre-allocating of seats now. All you have to do is become a member of their FF program and you get a half decent seat. Leave it to check-in, or worse still on-board, and you are asking for serious problems and someone is going to get hurt. I just hope that it is not me otherwise that spare seat in business class or first class has now got my name on it.

 

[simongr]

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

That person had the same opportunity as you to secure your seat and didn't bother, maybe next time he will.:mrgreen:

Actually not everyone has the same opportunity to preallocate a seat . There are all sorts of capacity constraints that once passed mean you can't preallocate past a certain point (and indeed on BA there are even more restrictions on seat allocations).

Exactly - which is why I was prepared to give up my seat in that instance. This isn't the same thing as someone trying to 'game the system', especially considering this is Air Asia which doesn't allow seat pre-allocation unless one pays for the service.

Here my slightly darker side must come forward. Why should you have to pay for seat preallocation and someone else should not? Or was it just a case of the seats that they preallocated were not convenient because you had already grabbed the seat that they would have chosen if they had preallocated first?

 

[Keith009]

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

Here my slightly darker side must come forward. Why should you have to pay for seat preallocation and someone else should not? Or was it just a case of the seats that they preallocated were not convenient because you had already grabbed the seat that they would have chosen if they had preallocated first?

I am not sure if they paid for pre-allocation. They boarded first as the son was wheelchair bound and required special assistance to board. Most likely, the ground staff or cabin crew stuffed up by putting him in 1C without checking the manifest. But, really, I wasn't about to chuck him out when it'd have required a lot of effort (not to mention cause considerable discomfort) to move him. It did briefly occur to me to ask Air Asia for a refund of the pre-allocation fee but I forgot about it when I got home.

 

[alieninperth]

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

Pretty much agree with all that has been said, one other thing that is slightly OT though.

I am flying with alien jr in a few months, and booked the flights (1 reward and 1 red e-deal) a few months ago. I called QF after I made the booking as the webiste advised me to do as I was travelling with a child. The person at the end of the phone was incredibly helpful in sorting out the booking, requesting the bassinet and even a meal for jr. At the time of the flight jr will be just over 8mths old and may or may not fit into the bassinet. If they do not, its not an issue, when someone is travelling for free you put up with thngs like that.

On another note, the only time I have moved to accomodate another pax was when there was a justifiable medical reason; they where in a wheelchair.

 

[BadgerBoi]

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

You didn't give up your seat for passengers with an infant. I'd like to know what your definition of reasonable is, and whether this is how you'd have reacted if they'd have moved you without the courtesy of asking, as they were perfectly entitled to do so under their T&Cs.

I would have just had to put up with it of course - under their T&Cs they can do pretty much anything they choose whenever they choose. Sorry, I honestly can't see what point you are trying to make. Are you saying I'm a bad person for not giving up my seat for people with an infant? :shock:

 

[simongr]

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

At the time of the flight jr will be just over 8mths old and may or may not fit into the bassinet. If they do not, its not an issue, when someone is travelling for free you put up with thngs like that.

The problems are that you aren't travelling for free your award cost you points and even if you paid and alien jr didnt fit you would have the same level of discomfort.

On another note, the only time I have moved to accomodate another pax was when there was a justifiable medical reason; they where in a wheelchair.

Surely the airline and the impacted pax should sort this out before the flight and at worst before boarding? People here travel with CPAP machines and they call the airline beforehand and arrange the right seat to get power. This situation shouldnt be any different.

At worst you should be getting a call in the lounge or at the gate to tell of the seat change - not finding out on board.

 

[Justchecking]

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

Are you saying I'm a bad person for not giving up my seat for people with an infant? :shock:

Yes I believe that is the implication. As I was to overhear one day on a flight a father loudly protesting that all parents should be upgraded to a premium cabin...:shock: As apparently the ability to spit out a Jr affords you now the right place yourself above everyone else.

 

[BadgerBoi]

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

Yes I believe that is the implication. As I was to overhear one day on a flight a father loudly protesting that all parents should be upgraded to a premium cabin...:shock: As apparently the ability to spit out a Jr affords you now the right place yourself above everyone else.

Entitlement. Gotta love it.

Of course every parent should be upgraded to a premium cabin - as long as they pay the premium fare, of course.

 

[Justchecking]

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

Actually not everyone has the same opportunity to preallocate a seat . There are all sorts of capacity constraints that once passed mean you can't preallocate past a certain point (and indeed on BA there are even more restrictions on seat allocations).

When I say equal opportunity I am of course referring to the idea that you are of course free to book your flight as early or late as you like, you are free to check-in as early or late as you like. It's hardly the OP's fault if someone else choose to do either one or both later rather than sooner and therefore found the seat unavailable. It's not as if the OP had an insider at QF preallocating the seat for her and no-one else. She used the same channels available to everyone. Of course someone checking in at -30 will not have the same seat availability choices as someone who checked in at -60. But then the decision to check-in at -30 was their's and they therefore decided to avail themselves only of whatever seats were available at that time.

 

[oz_mark]

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

Entitlement. Gotta love it.

Of course every parent should be upgraded to a premium cabin - as long as they pay the premium fare, of course.

Isn't that what the Baby Bonus pays for? :shock:

 

[BadgerBoi]

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

Isn't that what the Baby Bonus pays for? :shock:

Well, one can only purchase so many plasma TVs I guess..

 

[simongr]

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

Isn't that what the Baby Bonus pays for? :shock:

Not everyone got the baby bonus and some of us get to pay the flood levy as well.

 

[KateMayo]

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

I have moved twice – once on the request of the FA and another at my own suggestion.


The FA was asking on behalf of a man with a fractured arm in a cast who was seated in the same row as me but in the opposite window seat and who was going to find it easier to use his good arm on the other side of the plane. No issue because a) the other pax was disabled and b) it was an equivalent seat.


The other time, I swapped a window seat for a middle seat :shock: (on a 2-3-2 configuration) because the pax in the aisle next to me was deep in conversation with the pax in the middle seat of the same row, it was only a short flight, and the other pax wasn't displaying any sense of entitlement to the seat I was sitting in. (Having said that – we were delayed on the tarmac for what seemed like an eternity so I don’t know I’d be offering again:!

 

[Briz.QffBoi]

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

Good on you for saying no. At the end of the day a lot of people do get on flights and decide they don't quite like where they are sitting and expect everyone else to just acquiesce to their demands. Sometimes the request is a genuine one but often it's nothing more than another person hoping someone will say yes. And you needn't feel guilty for saying no. A simple "no thanks I'm happy where i am" is perfectly fine. You're comfort after all is just as important as anyone else's and you've made the effort to secure the seat of your choice. The CSD made it perfectly obvious to you that this request wasn't of a genuine nature so feel free to decline.

That person had the same opportunity as you to secure your seat and didn't bother, maybe next time he will.:mrgreen:

I totally agree.

Even if a pax has absolutely no status they still have the ability to look on "Seat Guru" or any number of other websites that detail airline/aircraft seat layouts - seating plans are also provided on Qantas' own website - as most of us here already know - so really, bleating at check-in or once on board "Ohhh I am uncomfortable can I be moved" is the lamest of lame things.

I put seat moaners in the same category as passport forgetters at check-in!!

"What do you mean I need a passport to go to New Zealand - its only a three hour flight...and when I flew to Perth 13 years ago I didn't need my passport - and that was a four hour flight"......

I'm sorry, some folk......

I'm waiting for the thred on sniffers/caughers/snorers on long-haul......At what point does one politely advise said pax that they should - Blow their nose/suck a cough lolly, have surgery.........

 

[alieninperth]

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

The problems are that you aren't travelling for free your award cost you points and even if you paid and alien jr didnt fit you would have the same level of discomfort.



Surely the airline and the impacted pax should sort this out before the flight and at worst before boarding? People here travel with CPAP machines and they call the airline beforehand and arrange the right seat to get power. This situation shouldnt be any different.

At worst you should be getting a call in the lounge or at the gate to tell of the seat change - not finding out on board.

The free flight I was referring to was jr's, however you make a valid point.

And the seat move was a quite a few years ago, on what became a LCC (Aer Lingus) and I was fairly tipsy at the time. On a positive note, because I didnt make a fuss the FA (who was older than my granny) took good care of me for the rest of the flight.

 

[Cocitus23]

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

Last year, on a BA flight, SIN-LHR in Economy, I was asked by the CSD if I would mind moving to a (slightly) less desirable seat further back in the aircraft. I forget the reason, but it was to accommodate someone else's desires. He was very polite about the request, so after an initial grimace evil I accepted gracefully -|). As I made my move he whsipered quietly that he was very grateful for my cooperation, and that he would come to see me again after takeoff.

He did, this time with the offer of a yet another seat change - to a seat in Business class. "I suspect that a gentleman like you might appreciate the chance of a sound night's sleep," he suggested with a grin. He suspected correctly, and I moved a second time, and there was no grimace this time!

I think there's a moral in there somewhere for all you folks who are advocating that you hold your ground, even when there is not much detriment in being cooperative.

Cocitus23

 

[Hvr]

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

Last Monday night on QF 22 I witnessed an attempt at moving an unwilling pax from the front business class cabin to further down the back to another business class seat.

There was a lot of pressure put on this pax to move when he clearly didn't want to and made it clear to both the asker and the FA.

Funnily enough there was no thought of the asker moving back and asking the person beside his mate to come up to the front cabin. So it wasn't really important was it?

Whilst he didn't move he was clearly uncomfortable in having been put in this position.

Tha FAs should have a default position of always moving people backwards rather than trying to facilitate a move forwards.

And there should be a cost to the asker, not sure how but maybe forfeiting the FF points accrued on the flight or a % charge of the fare. Paid in advance of course and directly credited to the affected pax.

Having said that I too was affected by a seat poacher recently but only on the train. The N'ex is all reserved seating and when I boarded there was someone in my seat, pointing to my ticket and the seat he got the message and moved.