Passengers requesting to change seats with other passengers

[Kefci2000]

I had 1D on a Jetstar flight recently and middle seat was empty.
Other aisle seat on other side was empty.
Hostie asked me to move to the middle because she had a couple she wanted to move forward and they only wanted aisle seats.
I refused and said I preferred the aisle seat also and booked it for that reason (and paid extra for the privilege)!
She was severly peeved with me and quite nasty for the rest of the flight.
Another reason for this being my first and last Jetstar flight (that and the hour delay).
PS it was MCY-MEL hence Jetstar.
Have booked on Virgin for next months same journey!

 

[reductionist]

The "staff upgrades" thread reminded me of a semi-recent seat swap experience.

I was sitting in 80A on a QF A380 coming back to AU, maybe from LA? Long story. The sequence of events goes like this:

1. After the seat belt light goes off a woman a few rows back starts causing a bit of a ruckus in the cabin.
2. I turn around and she is talking to an FA about wanting to move seats. He moves her to the empty bulkhead seat near me.
3. She returns to her original seat shortly after to collect 2 very large cabin bags. They appear to be extremely heavy. She drags them up to the bulkhead and uses them to prop her feet up.
4. The FA comes past shortly after, notices her newly fashioned footrest, tells her that she needs to put her bags back up in the bins for safety reasons (to keep clear access to the exits?)
5. I need to go to the loo at this point so I hop up to help her put the bags back in the bins and then proceed to the toilets.
6. She's blocking the aisle as I return from the loo. She's moving back through the cabin, row by row, asking passengers who have scored a 1-person-to-row-of-3 to swap with her. None of them are obliging. I go back to the rear of the plane to let her finish her sweep of the cabin so I can return to my seat.
7. She soon arrives at a row occupied by an extremely frail old woman. I estimate her age to be in the 80s and she's got some sort of medical device plugged into a power (or possibly oxygen) supply overhead. After some time the old woman looks like she's trying to get up to move, she's struggling - at this point I decide enough's enough.
8. I approach them, ask what's going on. Ms Footrest starts getting a little hysterical and talking about a "medical condition" requiring her to put her feet up. I offer to give up 80A since it's not an exit seat and has space for a footrest in front of it. Her eyes light up and I tell her she needs to clear it with the FA first.
9. The FA seems to reluctantly give the nod so I help get her bags back out of the bin and all is good.
10. The bulkhead seat she was originally moved to is now taken so I head to the rear to find whatever seat I can get. Meal service soon arrives. FA comes to offer me a glass of wine for my troubles. I decline.
11. Meal service concludes. FA returns to my seat asks me to grab my bag as he's found somewhere where I can stretch out. Don't know why he didn't put Ms Footrest there in the first place.
12. We walk trough the middle Y cabin up to the next one (economy/zone b?). Stop at the galley, and he starts introducing me to the FAs. They seem to want to chat and are offering me champagne etc. Original FA is thanking me for helping with a tricky situation (passenger dropping the "medical condition" excuse). I'm not really paying attention and am ready just to sit down at this point. Eventually they say "OK, come through" and they hold the curtain aside and lead me into F! I hadn't realised we'd been standing outside the F cabin the whole time.

Fricking excellent flight home needless to say. My first F experience. Hopefully not the last (but most probably is).

 

[Princess Fiona]

The "staff upgrades" thread reminded me of a semi-recent seat swap experience.

I was sitting in 80A on a QF A380 coming back to AU, maybe from LA? Long story. The sequence of events goes like this:

1. After the seat belt light goes off a woman a few rows back starts causing a bit of a ruckus in the cabin.
2. I turn around and she is talking to an FA about wanting to move seats. He moves her to the empty bulkhead seat near me.
3. She returns to her original seat shortly after to collect 2 very large cabin bags. They appear to be extremely heavy. She drags them up to the bulkhead and uses them to prop her feet up.
4. The FA comes past shortly after, notices her newly fashioned footrest, tells her that she needs to put her bags back up in the bins for safety reasons (to keep clear access to the exits?)
5. I need to go to the loo at this point so I hop up to help her put the bags back in the bins and then proceed to the toilets.
6. She's blocking the aisle as I return from the loo. She's moving back through the cabin, row by row, asking passengers who have scored a 1-person-to-row-of-3 to swap with her. None of them are obliging. I go back to the rear of the plane to let her finish her sweep of the cabin so I can return to my seat.
7. She soon arrives at a row occupied by an extremely frail old woman. I estimate her age to be in the 80s and she's got some sort of medical device plugged into a power (or possibly oxygen) supply overhead. After some time the old woman looks like she's trying to get up to move, she's struggling - at this point I decide enough's enough.
8. I approach them, ask what's going on. Ms Footrest starts getting a little hysterical and talking about a "medical condition" requiring her to put her feet up. I offer to give up 80A since it's not an exit seat and has space for a footrest in front of it. Her eyes light up and I tell her she needs to clear it with the FA first.
9. The FA seems to reluctantly give the nod so I help get her bags back out of the bin and all is good.
10. The bulkhead seat she was originally moved to is now taken so I head to the rear to find whatever seat I can get. Meal service soon arrives. FA comes to offer me a glass of wine for my troubles. I decline.
11. Meal service concludes. FA returns to my seat asks me to grab my bag as he's found somewhere where I can stretch out. Don't know why he didn't put Ms Footrest there in the first place.
12. We walk trough the middle Y cabin up to the next one (economy/zone b?). Stop at the galley, and he starts introducing me to the FAs. They seem to want to chat and are offering me champagne etc. Original FA is thanking me for helping with a tricky situation (passenger dropping the "medical condition" excuse). I'm not really paying attention and am ready just to sit down at this point. Eventually they say "OK, come through" and they hold the curtain aside and lead me into F! I hadn't realised we'd been standing outside the F cabin the whole time.

Fricking excellent flight home needless to say. My first F experience. Hopefully not the last (but most probably is).

That is Gold
Made my day !

 

[openseat]

I had 1D on a Jetstar flight recently and middle seat was empty.
Other aisle seat on other side was empty.
Hostie asked me to move to the middle because she had a couple she wanted to move forward and they only wanted aisle seats.
I refused and said I preferred the aisle seat also and booked it for that reason (and paid extra for the privilege)!
She was severly peeved with me and quite nasty for the rest of the flight.
Another reason for this being my first and last Jetstar flight (that and the hour delay).
PS it was MCY-MEL hence Jetstar.
Have booked on Virgin for next months same journey!

I had a very similar experience on Jetstar some years ago. Including the nastiness for the rest of the flight. I asked for the correct spelling of her name as I left the plane. Not surprisingly she didn't give me the spelling but she got the message that I would write to JQ, which I did. Not sure if it had any effect.

 

[eric2011]

Karma does exist

 

[eric2011]

The "staff upgrades" thread reminded me of a semi-recent seat swap experience.

I was sitting in 80A on a QF A380 coming back to AU, maybe from LA? Long story. The sequence of events goes like this:

1. After the seat belt light goes off a woman a few rows back starts causing a bit of a ruckus in the cabin.
2. I turn around and she is talking to an FA about wanting to move seats. He moves her to the empty bulkhead seat near me.
3. She returns to her original seat shortly after to collect 2 very large cabin bags. They appear to be extremely heavy. She drags them up to the bulkhead and uses them to prop her feet up.
4. The FA comes past shortly after, notices her newly fashioned footrest, tells her that she needs to put her bags back up in the bins for safety reasons (to keep clear access to the exits?)
5. I need to go to the loo at this point so I hop up to help her put the bags back in the bins and then proceed to the toilets.
6. She's blocking the aisle as I return from the loo. She's moving back through the cabin, row by row, asking passengers who have scored a 1-person-to-row-of-3 to swap with her. None of them are obliging. I go back to the rear of the plane to let her finish her sweep of the cabin so I can return to my seat.
7. She soon arrives at a row occupied by an extremely frail old woman. I estimate her age to be in the 80s and she's got some sort of medical device plugged into a power (or possibly oxygen) supply overhead. After some time the old woman looks like she's trying to get up to move, she's struggling - at this point I decide enough's enough.
8. I approach them, ask what's going on. Ms Footrest starts getting a little hysterical and talking about a "medical condition" requiring her to put her feet up. I offer to give up 80A since it's not an exit seat and has space for a footrest in front of it. Her eyes light up and I tell her she needs to clear it with the FA first.
9. The FA seems to reluctantly give the nod so I help get her bags back out of the bin and all is good.
10. The bulkhead seat she was originally moved to is now taken so I head to the rear to find whatever seat I can get. Meal service soon arrives. FA comes to offer me a glass of wine for my troubles. I decline.
11. Meal service concludes. FA returns to my seat asks me to grab my bag as he's found somewhere where I can stretch out. Don't know why he didn't put Ms Footrest there in the first place.
12. We walk trough the middle Y cabin up to the next one (economy/zone b?). Stop at the galley, and he starts introducing me to the FAs. They seem to want to chat and are offering me champagne etc. Original FA is thanking me for helping with a tricky situation (passenger dropping the "medical condition" excuse). I'm not really paying attention and am ready just to sit down at this point. Eventually they say "OK, come through" and they hold the curtain aside and lead me into F! I hadn't realised we'd been standing outside the F cabin the whole time.

Fricking excellent flight home needless to say. My first F experience. Hopefully not the last (but most probably is).

Good story, good on ya

 

[robd]

The "staff upgrades" thread reminded me of a semi-recent seat swap experience.

I was sitting in 80A on a QF A380 coming back to AU, maybe from LA? Long story. The sequence of events goes like this:

1. After the seat belt light goes off a woman a few rows back starts causing a bit of a ruckus in the cabin.
2. I turn around and she is talking to an FA about wanting to move seats. He moves her to the empty bulkhead seat near me.
3. She returns to her original seat shortly after to collect 2 very large cabin bags. They appear to be extremely heavy. She drags them up to the bulkhead and uses them to prop her feet up.
4. The FA comes past shortly after, notices her newly fashioned footrest, tells her that she needs to put her bags back up in the bins for safety reasons (to keep clear access to the exits?)
5. I need to go to the loo at this point so I hop up to help her put the bags back in the bins and then proceed to the toilets.
6. She's blocking the aisle as I return from the loo. She's moving back through the cabin, row by row, asking passengers who have scored a 1-person-to-row-of-3 to swap with her. None of them are obliging. I go back to the rear of the plane to let her finish her sweep of the cabin so I can return to my seat.
7. She soon arrives at a row occupied by an extremely frail old woman. I estimate her age to be in the 80s and she's got some sort of medical device plugged into a power (or possibly oxygen) supply overhead. After some time the old woman looks like she's trying to get up to move, she's struggling - at this point I decide enough's enough.
8. I approach them, ask what's going on. Ms Footrest starts getting a little hysterical and talking about a "medical condition" requiring her to put her feet up. I offer to give up 80A since it's not an exit seat and has space for a footrest in front of it. Her eyes light up and I tell her she needs to clear it with the FA first.
9. The FA seems to reluctantly give the nod so I help get her bags back out of the bin and all is good.
10. The bulkhead seat she was originally moved to is now taken so I head to the rear to find whatever seat I can get. Meal service soon arrives. FA comes to offer me a glass of wine for my troubles. I decline.
11. Meal service concludes. FA returns to my seat asks me to grab my bag as he's found somewhere where I can stretch out. Don't know why he didn't put Ms Footrest there in the first place.
12. We walk trough the middle Y cabin up to the next one (economy/zone b?). Stop at the galley, and he starts introducing me to the FAs. They seem to want to chat and are offering me champagne etc. Original FA is thanking me for helping with a tricky situation (passenger dropping the "medical condition" excuse). I'm not really paying attention and am ready just to sit down at this point. Eventually they say "OK, come through" and they hold the curtain aside and lead me into F! I hadn't realised we'd been standing outside the F cabin the whole time.

Fricking excellent flight home needless to say. My first F experience. Hopefully not the last (but most probably is).

One good deed.....

 

[Pushka]

On SQ last week we had two middle seats together but on check in we were asked if we'd like window and aisle. Yes please. Silly us. We didn't check the seat until we boarded. She'd put us one row window and another row aisle. Sigh. Thankfully a lady agreed to swap.

And fantastic work reductionist.

I get the lady's issue as currently I have Kankles (horrible swollen feet) from flights to Asia. But she behaved appallingly. I just put up with horrible feet.

 

[spudseamus]

Ahh I love Karma !!! I had one last year when traveling to Ireland. J was almost full and I could see what was obviously a older couple who had seats a few rows apart . There was a bit of walking up and down by the woman and I have a suspicion the man was not in the best of health ,so on one of her walks I asked if they wanted to sit together which after a little discussion is did appear so !
I was on an isle seat which she was sitting in the isle centre ajecent to me so I said I'm sure I can find a single seat some where and her husband could sit in my seat !! We started to shift and the FA came and asked if she could help in any way so we quickly told her what we were attempting to do ! NO NO! Says she I will get these people a twin centre in the cabin! So off she went and in about 5 mins came back with a solution !!!!
PIC kept my seat and with 2 people willing to change they had seats togeather!! All happy !
On my return from Ireland I was paged in AUH and told I had been upgraded to F for the flight to Mel!!! Oh yes Karma !

 

[JohnK]

Why do people always want to swap to a better seat?

I carefully choose my seat allocations and i do not like to be asked to move unless I am moving to an equal or better seat.

I have been moved to an inferior seat a number of times without being consulted which is very disappointing after taking the time allocate seats months in advance.

And I have also moved of my own accord to help others.

 

[knightman7]

I had an interesting experience on a CX 777 flight from HKG to LHR earlier this year. Out of habit, I chose a D seat, I think it was 20 or 21, and was busy extracting my laptop and other assorted peripherals to get settled in for the flight, when an older lady started speaking Cantonese to me from the G seat. I quickly responded I didn't understand her, so she said asked me in broken English if I minded swapping seats with her son. I still remember her exact words, which were "My son, sit behind, you swap with him?" as she pointed to the seat directly behind me. So, I pointed to the seat behind me in response, which was currently empty and said "this seat right here?" and she said "yes" so i naturally agreed, picked up all my things and moved them to the seat behind. About 5 mins later, she spots her son was had just boarded, and waves him into my old seat.

I had received my welcome drink and was getting comfortable when a guy stopped next to me and told me I was in his seat. I looked up surprised, and he showed me his boarding pass. Naturally, I just assumed that the son must have been sitting further back, so I quickly explained myself, and leaned forward to ask to see the son's boarding pass so I could sit in his seat. As I am sure everyone who is reading this will have easily figured out by now, his seat was in 60 something in Y. So, I told the son that he had better get his things and go and sit in his allocated seat while at the same time apologising to the man I was holding up. However, his mother started yelling at me, and I mean yelling, saying god knows what in Cantonese, and yelling "you agree!, you agree!" to me over and over again. One of the FA's came racing over, so I explained the situation to her while the mother kept interrupting what I was saying to speak quite indignantly to the FA and doing the best DYKWIA impersonation I have ever seen. I actually give credit to the son, who sat there the whole time not batting an eyelid, perfectly expecting that his mother would get her way. Luckily the guy who actually owned the seat I was in was very patient and even had a chuckle with me while the whole situation was getting sorted out.

Finally, the CSM came and basically told the son in no uncertain terms to get up and move to his allocated seat. I went to start moving my things back to my original seat, but the guy still standing in the aisle offered to take my seat so I wouldn't have to move again. I think he just wanted to sit down, and luckily the J layout allows you to easily ignore the person next to you. I still find it hilarious that this lady clearly thought it was acceptable for me to take her son's Y seat!

On a more positive note, I found myself chatting to a girl in the gate screening queue at SIN before a flight to LHR on BA. She was gorgeous so I was happy to wait in the queue next to her chatting away and we continued the conversation in the gate area. I was in J, so when it came time to board, I asked her seat number and said I would come past and say hi during the flight. Soon after takeoff, I asked the CSM if I could swap my seat with a passenger in Y because I wanted to sit next to a friend. The CSM was a little confused with my request, first thinking I said I wanted to bring a friend up to the J cabin, so I repeated myself, and he said that would be fine. So, I ventured back into the Y cabin and asked the man sitting next to her if he wanted to swap with my seat in J. He looked up at me a little confused, so I told him I wanted to sit next to my friend so he could have my seat if he wanted. He asked me again, "so you are sitting in business class" and I replied that i was, so he didn't need to be asked three times! It was the best long haul flight I've ever had

 

[tyrolean]

Why are people asking to change seats?
I have done that in rare occasions. In all of them the airline (QF and LH) did mess our reservations.

This occurred:
- We had a connection and our inbound flight was late. So we managed the connection but were offloaded and then let in again. That messed up everything. Luckily we could manage to swap.
- Flight was canceled - we were luckily rebooked onto an other flight - but scattered around in the cabin. Luckily the FA did help to sit together with the kids.
- Aircraft change
- Configuration change with the movable cabin dividers on EU flights.
- Just messed reservations (yes they happen - especially when the airline migrates a reservation system).
- Timetable changes and rebooking onto different flights (had my family split in one case, took me some effort to fly together)

I am quite paranoid - I check my bookings on a regular basis to see if something changed.

Remember: You have no right for a specific seat. But QF did compensate me quite generously when messing up my reservation.

 

[AngieP]

Recent night flight on EK A380 Melbourne Dubai. With seat selection had carefully positioned myself in an aisle seat in the small centre economy cabin at the rear of the plane. Also looked like I had a spare seat next to me so happy with that. Boarded flight and settled in. Yes indeed I did have a spare seat for that oh so important bit of extra room in economy with a 13 hour flight ahead. There was a young Italian couple in the other two seats. Fine. Right after take off the young woman starts complaining to the cabin crew that the air con is too cold and too strong - she is sitting in the other aisle seat. The staff do their best with her - offer another blanket but really what can they do. Next thing she asks me if she can sit in the spare seat next to me - this means we would then be lined up like ducks with the spare seat on the other aisle! I think she wanted to use her partner and myself as buffers for the air con! I politely decline her request saying I am happy with the extra space between us. I offer to swap seats with her and have her partner move up. No way. She is not happy Jan but worse still her partner then puts up a passive aggressive display that was a sight to behold! No words actually uttered but he starts slamming pillows, blankets, bags, anything he can get his hands on into the spare seat between us. Now as the mother of teenage girls I have the experience to deal with such a tantrum! My head phones went on and I continued to watch the wonderful Anna Karenina which they so rudely interrupted. I agree with other posters- if you make a seat change request be prepared for both a positive or negative answer. And be gracious!

 

[Deleted member]

Who says nice guys finish last.
High 5 to you

 

[Ausbt]

I was on a Jetstar flight a while back and paid up the extra to sit in 3A for a quick offload (had a very tight window of time to make a meeting). My 3B & C seatmates were the last to board - the older gentlemen in a wheelchair due to recent accident. As the FA seated them, they advised that on arrival they intended to wait until all other passengers had offloaded, meaning I'd be last to offload! Naturally I asked if I could move to 3C, however I felt bad as their was some mention of the need to stretch out the injured leg into the aisle. I was quite apologetic and they were gracious, so I ended up chatting to them for the entire journey. Good thing it went well too, as they were on the return flight home with me that night sitting nearby. Lovely people.

 

[spudseamus]

Just a reply to John K . I would agree it is not my right to ask but it is my right to offer as I did with that lady ,she in no way impinged on that and was initially at pains to say " ahh it's ok really". Her problem was ,like me , they were infrequent travellers and didn't realise that by booking 2 seats at the same time didn't mean together ! Seemingly it was a very rushed trip . I spoke to the other pax who moved and they were at pains to say that the F/A never gave a sad story or pressured them into moving so they were fine with it . I will mention that it was with Etihad but did a similar thing 15 yrs ago with Thai ,again it was no big deal as I usually travel alone , about an our later I was presented with a lovely watch!
So as my surname is Murphy surly this means he must be an optimist !!! Grin

 

[AndyGoodyear]

I would never give up an aisle seat for a landing into QZN - on of the most spectacular descents in the world.

As I'm flying into Queenstown soon - would you recommend the lhs or rhs window?

 

[cambriamarsh]

As I'm flying into Queenstown soon - would you recommend the lhs or rhs window?

Probably LHS, usually get to see the Remarkables

 

[OATEK]

Last year I was asked by the FA if I would change seats with another PAX, for operational reasons. It was a VA flight, and I could see no reason to object as the seat seemed further forward. It was not until the change was taking place that I found I was in an exit row. A discreet question to the FA provided the answer - the person who had paid for an exit row seat had an artificial leg, only discovered after/during boarding, and the crew adjudged them ill-equipped to assist in an emergency. Some times it can go your way...

 

[russellferrier]

Many years ago on a flight from MEL to LAX in cattle class on a US carrier the FA came along and asked a lady in front of me if she would move to allow a recently married young couple to sit together. She agreed. She was also half drunk already so after the move(maybe 10 minutes) she went right off when she realised that her new seat backed onto the toilets and would not recline properly.
So, it looked like a seat change back to the original plan except I piped up(sitting in the row between both groups) and offered to change with the loud and now really drunk woman. Did that and thought to myself that it was a pretty stupid thing to do but I have done worse so get over it. Started reading my book and as it was getting dark pressed the button for my reading light. Didn't work. Asked the FA and she pressed the button. Doesn't work she said. Nothing can be done she said. Okay I said and spent the next ten minutes leaning into the aisle to read by someone else's light and pulling back to allow the FA's to pass.
This didn't last long as the FA who arranged the seat swaps earlier tapped me on the shoulder and said,come with me sir.
All the way forward to business class for the rest of the flight!
I am now a firm believer in Karma.