Passengers requesting to change seats with other passengers

[SeatBackForward]

Hmmm I don't really think this is rude ..... rather it is a pretty smart move!

EH

Unless someone ends up in the middle seat and (for whatever reason) insists on not swapping!

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[EmilyHoward]

Unless someone ends up in the middle seat and (for whatever reason) insists on not swapping!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using AustFreqFly

Good point SeatBackForward!

EH

 

[SeatBackForward]

I doubt I'd insist on a middle seat - would happily do a horizontal swap. But a negative vertical swap to another middle seat would be met with fierce resistance. I can't honestly see this happening often.

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[SeatBackForward]

Noones picked up the thread title...passing on passenger requests = passsengers?

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[dajop]

A few people have posted this and I have to say I find this pretty rude. Assuming that a fellow WP does this - they and I could select from the same set of available seats. Because they have done this ahead of me I am pushed back an extra row because they wanted to chance getting the middle seat free. I find it pretty unimpressive.

Are you serious or is this a windup?

I am not sure if you prefer or aisle, but let's say aisle. So two people allocate 4A and 4C in this way. You get now to choose 4B or 5C, Before if those same people had instead chose 4B and 4C. So you have a choice between 4A and 5C. What's the difference? If you prefer an aisle you'd probably chose 5C in any event, especially if 5B was still empty.

I've mainly used it on Jetstar, it's gaming the system but it can work well.

 

[drron]

Even the NY times is now reading AFF-
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/business/etiquette-for-seat-switching-on-the-road.html?_r=1

 

[Austman]

PS - What my partner and I do when there are 3 seats together window to aisle is to select the window and aisle seat, leaving the middle free. Someone else is less likely to select the middle seat than if it were a window or aisle seat. We find about 50% of the time it remains unoccupied. If someone does select it we say to them that we're travelling together and did they want the aisle or window seat (they always say yes).

A few people have posted this and I have to say I find this pretty rude. Assuming that a fellow WP does this - they and I could select from the same set of available seats. Because they have done this ahead of me I am pushed back an extra row because they wanted to chance getting the middle seat free. I find it pretty unimpressive.

I do it all the time, even on airlines where I have no status. It's nothing to do with the forward or back rows for me but it's trying for an empty middle seat if the flight loads permit. On Air Asia or Jetstar, selecting the exit row seats (at extra cost), it has worked pretty well (4 out of 5 flights - but other seats were empty too). I noticed on NZ that you can't do it if 2 pax are on the same PNR, the seat selection is for 2 at once and it won't leave gaps.

 

[Ewing]

Even the NY times is now reading AFF-
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/business/etiquette-for-seat-switching-on-the-road.html?_r=1

Just in case anyone takes that seriously - I read that article on the NY Times iPad app before this thread had been created.

I would have actually posted a link to it in my original post on page 1 but didn't have it handy.

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[ckck]

I was on QF12 LAX-SYD in PE sitting in the exit row (old configuration, this happened last year) and the guy next to me wanted me to swap with his wife who was in ***Y***. (No I am not joking). I looked at him like he was a creature from Mars and couldn't believe what I had just heard, I was so shocked by the request that I couldn't even think up a smart a*** response.

The guy was at first totally p***ed off with me, which didn't last long (who is that unreasonable as to ask a total stranger to swap seats into a lower class?) and then he was p***ed off at Qantas b/c his wife has put in for a points upgrade into PE so they could sit together which she didn't get. PE was chockers. The guy kept on walking into the back rows of J telling the FA's look there is heaps of room empty back here.

Having said that, I did get a 'beep' at the gate... the FA at the gate said 'oh that beep is nothing'. Hmm, with what I have learned from all the amazing people at AFF methinks there may have been more to that beep than meets the eye.

 

[flyingfan]

Ahh, this topic... not new but one that always intrigues me As has been said before it was something along the lines of "failure to organise on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine." Very apt. If I was politely asked I would consider, however if the interloper was already sitting in my seat before i got there and just expecting me to agree to the swap, I would refuse and the FA or CSM would be called if necessary.

Luckily I've rarely been asked to move - I think this is because most of my flights are business rather than leisure routes, and most of these passengers are travelling on their own so no companions to try to sit together with.

I have to say that if I am moved by the cabin crew just to allow people to sit together I would comply with the request and then complain vigorously to the airline. If it was crew rather than the CSM moving me I would request a chat with the CSm also.

If the crew member was phrasing the direction in the form of a request and my "only if I get moved to an equivalent or better seat" line wasn't working, I agree this is the only reasonable way to handle this awkward situation. I don't want to be the ultra-W P on the flight pulling a "DYKWIA, I fly 300 sectors a week, I ain't moving backwards for anyone!!!!!" that FAs talk about behind the curtain.

I've got a pearler of a story about requesting seat changes.
...
I replied 'sorry, I specifically requested an aisle seat - you can ask the cabin crew if they can find you a free aisle seat somewhere else' (thinking 'maybe if you'd checked in early when I did you would have an aisle seat too?'). Of course, there were none so she begrudgingly took the middle seat.

Oh dear... I maintain a healthy skepticism of sob stories but sometimes they might turn out to be true...

There's a huge difference between a request - "Would you consider swapping seats with xx_"? - as opposed to a direction - "Sir, we need to move you to another seat".

You are obliged to comply with the directions of cabin crew; you are not required to agree to something that is a simply a request for your consideration.

I'd be interested to know if a seat change so groups can sit together has ever taken the form of a direction - "You will move so Billy and Bobby can sit together, or the captain will call the police" :?: I suspect (hope) most decent airlines will back up the original seat holder here and tell the hopeful swappers to return to their allocated seats quick-smart.

 

[simongr]

Are you serious or is this a windup?

I am not sure if you prefer or aisle, but let's say aisle. So two people allocate 4A and 4C in this way. You get now to choose 4B or 5C, Before if those same people had instead chose 4B and 4C. So you have a choice between 4A and 5C. What's the difference? If you prefer an aisle you'd probably chose 5C in any event, especially if 5B was still empty.

I've mainly used it on Jetstar, it's gaming the system but it can work well.

I guess I don't like gaming the system like this. It isn't even about the rows so much as the attitude.

I'd be interested to know if a seat change so groups can sit together has ever taken the form of a direction - "You will move so Billy and Bobby can sit together, or the captain will call the police" :?: I suspect (hope) most decent airlines will back up the original seat holder here and tell the hopeful swappers to return to their allocated seats quick-smart.

The thing is that billy and bobby might cause a stir on board if they don't get what they want - whereas single regular flier is more likely to internalise and complain afterwards. The pilot might see it as a safety issue to prevent things getting ugly.

 

[flyingfan]

The thing is that billy and bobby might cause a stir on board if they don't get what they want - whereas single regular flier is more likely to internalise and complain afterwards. The pilot might see it as a safety issue to prevent things getting ugly.

Which is why I hope the person that pre-selected, got and wants their original seat politely but firmly resists, the FAs come down on their side, and Billy and Bobby are the ones deplaned if they refuse to take their original seats.


(Apologies to those named Billy and Bobby for this example )

 

[blackcat20]

I've moved seats three times in the last three years, always domestic and always because some young child had been seated miles from a parent. Annoying when I'm travelling with someone and end up next to an arm rest hog, but I'm happy to do it for the sake of a child. No way would I give up an aisle seat on a long haul flight for anybody!

 

[dajop]

I guess I don't like gaming the system like this. It isn't even about the rows so much as the attitude.

I see it as no different at all to what individual travellers do. Unless there is no choice individual travellers simply would not choose a middle seat (in 99% of case - although I guess some would try and row hog). Why should people travelling together not do the same - if they are happy risking not sitting together? The other variants that can be used include adjacent aisle seats (C/D) or one behind the other in an aisle - although in these circumstances I wouldn't ask to swap with anyone to sit together. These are probably worse ... as it reduces the number of adjacent seats which could affect others travelling together, whereas the original scenario doesn't.

 

[VHOEJ]

I would also say no but I would also direct them to the flight crew - they never seem to want to ask them do they. Again, depends on the situation but I wouldn't agree to it. You can always say things like 'I have a medical condition so I need to sit near a window/aisle". I get air sick regularly so if anyone asks me, I give them that reason and they generally don't want to swap, after realising what it could do to me.

 

[Hvr]

What I find interesting is that the seat swappers always want to move forward. This tells me that it is about improving their lot rather than really wanting to sit together.

Last year when flying NRT-SYD in J I saw a man in a row four aisle seat being pressured to move back (still J seat) so two friends could sit together. He wasn't happy and eventually said something to them along the lines of why do you move back there? They gave up after that but it wasn't a happy atmosphere.

I once accidentally sat in the wrong seat, 4C instead of 4D. My only excuse was that I had had several flights that week in 4C and was confused. The actual person in 4C came in and quietly said I was in his seat. I just pulled out my BP realised my error and immediately apologised. He smiled and asked would I mind swapping, he actually preferred 4D. So it was all ok.

Travelling in the USA was an eye opener. I only travelled in F (think of the cheap SCs ) but was amazed at the number of people who tried to scam my seat with offers to swap to poor seats. I had done my research and knew I had a good seat.

I only agreed to one swap, when the person was sitting in his seat and when I went to sit in my seat asked me if we could swap, 3B to 3C so he could sit next to his wife. He showed me his BP and I was happy to do so.

 

[Katie]

Last time I was asked to swap a seat was HKG-DME last year on CX. In Y, 2-4-2 config, and as OWE I couldn't get an exit row (only ticketed 3 days before departure) on that flight, but could on the other three. The girl sitting next to me arrived (I was in the B seat, I prefer aisles) and asked in broken English if I wanted to sit in the window seat behind. The womn with her looked like her Mother. I said No.
I was very glad I did when I saw Mr-B-seat-behind-me arrive. Not a small lad.

Any issues the A seat pax might have had with me not swapping - meh. She couldn't voice her displeasure to me sufficiently in English. And thanks to the CSM being nice to me as OWE, she got her preferred breakfast ahead of other pax ono ur section of Y.

 

[Ausbt]

Today I flew Y Coolangatta to Syd with VA. I chose row 3 and the only seat avail was 3E (online seat map appeared to be new fit out therefore assumed J rows 1 and 2). Boarded plane and lo and behold its an old fit out and I'm wedged in the middle of row three between two other pax BUT there is absolutely no one at all in rows 1 and 2! Naturally I moved forward one row and had the first two rows entirely to myself - nice.

Also, I turned Platinum today, yay me!

 

[wallacej]

My most recent request to move was when i was in 3A and pax got on with guide dog. Row behind me was empty, I was asked if I could move, which of course I did


....sent from the place closest to the airport I just arrived at.

 

[tuapekastar]

Me and other half have tried the A + C seating a couple of times Tran-Tasman in row 4 (QF 738). Primarily because she likes window and I like aisle. From 2 tries we got B vacant once (blocked by checkin person), and B occupied once. It was not an issue, in fact we had a pleasant (but short) conversation with B. We made these choices in the full knowledge that B may well be occupied and it did not bother us. I would not necessarily feel comfortable asking someone else to swap but given it is a middle for a window or aisle, maybe I would do so, but I could not see it being necessary in the circumstances. I just watch movies or sleep during the flight anyway, so no issue being seated away from OH.

Row 4 with the extra legroom aside, whilst I would always choose as far forward as I could I would have no real issue whether I was in 5C/D or say 9C/D - all the same aisle seats and the disembarking time difference is negligible.