Big B@%$ard in my allocated seat! What would you do?

[Moody]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

There have been a few occasions when I have found someone in my seat and they have always been evicted - though admittedly none of them looked like an axe-murderer. About half were honest mistakes and the other half were split between those who asked up front if I really wanted the aisle (I did) and the rest were hoping they might look like axe-murderers in the low cabin light and bluff me out of my seat.

Nope - the only time I have given up my seat it has been my idea to solve a problem for another passenger, or to reunite myself with a travelling companion that the airline decided I needed a break from.

If I was paying for business class then my indignation would overcome my self-preservation instinct and I would definitely get the CSM to sort it out there and then. And then later on in the flight I would realise what I had done and scuttle for the aerobridge the second the door was open!

 

[richie9x]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

Did i mention that he was wearing a tracksuit & thongs, had a black eye and a southern cross tattoo on his hand with dry blood in his middle knuckle? Im not so much having a go at was he was wearing but surely all of these attributes would make him stand out from the rest of the passengers on the plane.

So he was wearing thongs for a 7am departure in Melbourne in May. Looking up the temperature it was 9 degrees. So it seems this guy is actually a lot tougher than you paint him out to be.

But not really the sort of attire I would expect a bikie to wear. From tracksuit, thongs and a southern cross tattoo he sounds like more of a bogan.

 

[djfuzz]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

Wasn't there a Seinfield episode similar to this, with George hiding in the lavatory during the flight?

He wasn't hiding, the crim dragged George into the loo with him. Kind of what the OP was trying to avoid, I imagine.

I don't think they ever referred to what happened to George on that flight, but whatever it was you can rest assured that George was more annoyed about not being able to get a refund on the tickets.

 

[meloz]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

I would like to know how George thought he could get a refund on the flight and the points?????????

Meloz

 

[Deleted member]

The time to sort his was before take off. Smile and walk back to the CSM and say I can't find my seat.
THe fact is airlines like you to be in the right seat to take off (Or at least that's what I believe.) In any event the plane won't move until its resolved and you would then have a plane load of annoyed individuals on your side. Human nature suggests that they would be collectively annoyed with the queue jumper.
I find a smile and gentle enquiry with a firm resolve to have it done right is enough.

 

[smit0847]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

FA: Ok, you hide in the galley and as he walks one direction we will signal you and you walk the other direction so you don't make any contact with him.
Adam: OK

This is a joke right?

 

[adamj]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

This is a joke right?

No Joke. That's actually how it played out.

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

CSM: Hi sir, I just wanted to let you know that we would have realized that he was in the wrong seat as we go through the manifest.
Adam: you would have realised when you serve the food because thats when you would check the manifest for Business Class.
CSM: no, this is not the case we would have picked it up straight away......
Adam: whatever you say, the fact that I had to go and tell FA's in the middle cabin because I felt intimidated is completely unacceptable and this should never have occured. You can see the entire business cabin when you board the plane and the fact that he sat in 2A straight away shows a lack of awareness from your Cabin Crew when boarding the plane.
CSM: enjoy the rest of the flight MR ******.

I have to say in all my years of flying this was definitely the most awkward situation I have been in. I spent the remainder of the flight worried about my personal safety in case this guy saw me when we got off the plane. As soon as i got off I went straight to the lounge to ensure that he would not be able to spot me. I told the staff at the counter at the lounge, they handed me a business card with a web address to the online submission form for complaints.........Wow what an amazing customer service system they have in place, what a disgrace.

While I understand the delicate position you may have felt you were put in I am pretty sure your attitude here towards the crew did not help matters!

A few thoughts:

When the CSM first came over to you, he/she should have apologised at that point instead of saying bascially "thanks for telling us how to do our job, we would have worked it out eventually, maybe, but next time just say nothing ?

Your re-action probably was not the best, and the "whatever you say" is not the way to go about things

Lucky it was a short flight

 

[mannej]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

The more I think about this one - I do feel sorry for the crew here.
There are multiple reasons why people are not in the right seat, including the self upgrader category.
Telling someone how to do their job is a great way to get them offside, perhaps a more diplomatic I think there is someone in my seat would have helped.

I am sure if the person made threats regarding your personal safety after he had been moved, he would have been offloaded very promptly. Next question, how was your return flight?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

You'd think if someone was trying to pull a swifty & sit in J the last thing they would do is have their boarding pass for whY in full view. Maybe he's just some thickhead who travelled JQ last time when they had open seating & just sat anywhere because that's what he did last time.

A lot of bikies travel in their 'colours' so you know what team they're on & are model citizens to deal with. I certainly have never seen any wearing thongs.

I wouldn't have told him that he was in the wrong seat - I would have told him he was on the wrong airline.

And then I probably would have run away....

You could have said "maaaaaaaate this is a Con Air boarding pass".

Wow Adamj, that certainly was an interesting status run. I had something similar happened to me before where there was someone sitting in my seat on boarding. I just headed back to the door and advise one of the FAs, but that time it was just a couple who wanted to sit together, not a scary bikie

It's annoying when couples like that just sit in the seat first & assume the 'possession is nine tenths of the law' rule rather than sit in their correct seats then ask you therefore making you look like the bad guy if you don't swap. One of the reasons I like go onboard early.

I would like to know how George thought he could get a refund on the flight and the points?????????

Meloz

I thought George & Kramer were on the ground & Jerry was sitting in F next to some model while Elaine was flying coach in a middle seat & when she returned to her seat after visiting the WC her meal had been given away.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

I thought George & Kramer were on the ground & Jerry was sitting in F next to some model while Elaine was flying coach in a middle seat & when she returned to her seat after visiting the WC her meal had been given away.

George and Kramer were supposed to pick them up at the airport but their flight got diverted. Kramer recognised someone at the airport that the thought owed money to him, and so bought tickets to get onto the same flight, which is where the ingenious plan to buy refundable tickets was hatched up...but of course Kramer bought the cheapie non-refundable ones.

Although how they all ended up at the same airport is a mystery.

But back on topic.. I've used the "I did specifically request this seat when booking" line when i found someone sitting in my aisle seat.

 

[djfuzz]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

George and Kramer were supposed to pick them up at the airport but their flight got diverted. Kramer recognised someone at the airport that the thought owed money to him, and so bought tickets to get onto the same flight, which is where the ingenious plan to buy refundable tickets was hatched up...but of course Kramer bought the cheapie non-refundable ones.

"Listen for the bell Grossbard, it tolls for thee!"

A very relevant episode for AFF too, given all the F/Y shenanigans between Jerry and Elaine.

"More anything?"
"More everything!"

I guess I should say something relevant or this will be deleted. I sympathise with the OP, and would probably have done what they did in J. In Y on the other hand, I might have raised the issue with (as it has previously uncovered an op-up which got past the BP scanner).

 

[k_sheep]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

I'm embarrassed to say that at least 3 times in recent history I have been the one (politely) telling people they're in my seat, when I have merely miscalculated where my seat actually is .

Last night I had someone on my seat in the bus! I asked where their seat was so I could go there (one bus seat is the same as another!) but she gathered her stuff and moved quickly.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Re: First status run kicking off soon. Qantas lady thought I was playing a joke on he

I would have had this sorted out before takeoff. Simply , 'sorry you are in my seat sir' . Who cares what he looks like.