Someone's in my seat

[EmilyHoward]

I came back from Sydney to Perth yesterday and had seat 1A on an old config 330. A guy sat next to me and said he wouldn't be there long as his wife was in Row 5 and he was hoping to swap. He did and was replaced with a lady who sat next to me. It wasn't any issue for me but I wouldn't have wanted to move back myself from 1A to row 5 in the middle.

EH

 

[juddles]

I came back from Sydney to Perth yesterday and had seat 1A on an old config 330. A guy sat next to me and said he wouldn't be there long as his wife was in Row 5 and he was hoping to swap. He did and was replaced with a lady who sat next to me. It wasn't any issue for me but I wouldn't have wanted to move back myself from 1A to row 5 in the middle.

EH

If it was his wife, maybe he cared about the next few decades more than a couple of hours??

 

[RAM]

Someone seat stealing (IMHO what it should be called) should have no rights. IATA needs to set out procedures clearly for the airlines to follow once and for all.

Airline muck-ups are another matter.

Booked 4 x VA return to LHR 10 months in advance (in first 20 tickets sold for A380). Yes, code-share EY planes. Booked contingent (directly with VA) on specific seat allocations for all 4 legs. Received e-tickets and itineraries all stating seating confirmed.

Then the John Cleese training video script intervened.

Leg 1: SYD/AUH over-booked (badly). Seat allocations given to us eventually but plane was nearly 1 hour late departing as everyone who had been booked showed up. Many unhappy Dec 26 passengers. Leg 2: boarding passes printed out with wrong seats. Told fix in AUH.

Leg 2: Go to transfer desk after massive logjam getting off plane - took 30 minutes to move 75 metres. Transfer desk say fix at gate. Go to gate. Told, no record of ever being allocated those seats. Show them printed out EY confirmations. "That's strange. Must be VA confirmation not from us." Pointed out web address, "You're right that is us (EY). Ask when were the seat allocations done for people now in our seats? Dec 10. Can you check legs 3 and 4 for us as well. Yes, you don't have those seats either and people allocated your seats on Dec 10.

Eventually, family disowning me now, we get the 'confirmed' seating when EY airport duty manager comes along. Says good luck with legs 3 & 4.

Leg 3: EY uses third party to do check-ins at LHR. Exactly same routine as for Leg 2. Duty officer (from 3rd party) tries additional but we're not EY so don't have the same access as was used to resolve situation in AUH. My response, "Please call the EY duty manager then." Face drops figuring that I wouldn't know there was one. Meanwhile family debating whether I can be adopted out. After 65 minutes we get seats one row back from what we were supposed to get. One row made a difference as narrowing of aircraft sees people bump that row to/from galley.

Leg 4: Family instruct me to drop it, we'll take the seats not a problem....
I secretly hope that screaming babies will be in front and behind (given 4 middle section seats behind 1st bassinet bulkhead). Turned out even better. Babies in front and behind on both window aisles adjacent. Real screamers too (God bless their little hearts). In front of us were 4 German back packers. The one in front of me was petite, her companions were not. Her companions liked to have their seat reclined the entire time (meals etc). Bit my tongue and waited for family to start moaning.

Such a good flight that one...

 

[wombatpatties]

My friend and I sorted this one out well in advance. She wanted an aisle, so did I. She was scared sitting around "wing" area, I wasn't.
She was right-handed, Nope! not me, a molly duker thru and thru.
We enjoyed the "walking" bit to talk at times during the flight.
We could see each other a bit.
I could hear her crying with excitement when we saw London., and crying again on our return to Melbourne................ah! what a holiday that was.

Next time I will travel solo...............:shock:

Seat stealing is inconsiderate, selfish, and low.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I must admit to not reading all of the preceding pages of responses however the few times I've had someone sitting in my seat, I stop to face them, take my time to look at the boarding pass.....look at the seat number and then back at the boarding pass. Provided I am in the right, I then say in a normal volume (ie not a whisper), "excuse me, you are in my seat". For me that has always been followed by an apology and the person shifting (genuine mistake, I presume). If there were to be further debate, I would ask something like "so where is your real seat"......and if necessary, "I'm sorry but I chose this seat some weeks/months ago because this is the seat I wanted and your seat is not what I want".

There is nothing wrong with standing by your guns. I have experienced the uncomfortable feeling of others tut-tutting at me but let's face it, you're unlikely to ever need their uninformed approval anyway and it is possible that the by-standers are really taking your side but your embarrassment may actually be blinkering your perception a bit.

By all means, consider the offer, but if it's to your detriment, let them know and suggest they move back rather than expecting you to do so.

 

[mickjoebill]

Queenstown to Mel yesterday my window seat was occupied. I said [emyaims] and thrust my BP in front of her. Her partner in middle seat loudly says no this is row 17 not 18.
This caught me off guard and I lost the momentum while I doubled checked, but a impatient passenger waiting in the asle backed up my claim and so they both moved leaving an empty middle seat


Years ago, LHR to HNK with a toddler and baby booked bulkhead on 747 but only got three seats. The Isle seat was occupied by a Japanese businessman. I was on other side of isle, but one seat back, so no bulkhead. No way would he move so he endured the kids for the entire flight. Something cultural about saving face.

If under pressure to move, my strategy would be to say "sorry I'm superstitious" !


Once I switched to an empty row of 4 seats just after the door was closed. I was looking forward to a lie down on long haul flight! But I made the mistake of strapping into the isle seat. Seconds later a women bolter sat in the second seat from the isle. As soon as the seatbelt sign was illuminated she stretched out across three seats and I was stymied!

Mjb

 

[donovan301]

Once I switched to an empty row of 4 seats just after the door was closed. I was looking forward to a lie down on long haul flight! But I made the mistake of strapping into the isle seat. Seconds later a women bolter sat in the second seat from the isle. As soon as the seatbelt sign was illuminated she stretched out across three seats and I was stymied!

Mjb[/QUOTE]
Ahh, the best laid plans of mice and men ;-)

 

[Bandicoot]

Airlines are now so pernickety about you being in your allocated seat. On a recent JQ flight we were not going to leave the gate until everyone was in their A_L-L-O-C-A-T-E-D seat. This went on for about 15 minutes. You must be in your allocated seat for take off and landing. I'm sure you tipped the plane off balance when you moved into the rear bulkhead seat. And shame on the aircrew - smacks of a set up. Oh yes sit together - no problems. Its a fundamental lack of manners. I would have sent them both to the back so they could spend more time together waiting to disembark.

 

[Mattg]

Airlines are now so pernickety about you being in your allocated seat. On a recent JQ flight we were not going to leave the gate until everyone was in their A_L-L-O-C-A-T-E-D seat. This went on for about 15 minutes. You must be in your allocated seat for take off and landing. I'm sure you tipped the plane off balance when you moved into the rear bulkhead seat. And shame on the aircrew - smacks of a set up. Oh yes sit together - no problems. Its a fundamental lack of manners. I would have sent them both to the back so they could spend more time together waiting to disembark.

I had the exact same experience on a JQ flight a couple of weeks ago. The FAs came through the cabin counting passengers several times. An announcement was then made that a passenger was not in their allocated seat, and that they would need to move before we could depart. We ended up departing about 20 minutes behind schedule while heads were counted 4 or 5 times.

The captain even acknowledged that this was trivial and would not affect the weight/balance of the aircraft, but that it was necessary to have everyone in their allocated seats due to a CASA requirement. I have no idea if this is true.

 

[Bandicoot]

I thought you had to sit in your allocated seat for take off and landing.

 

[Mattg]

I thought you had to sit in your allocated seat for take off and landing.

I believe that's correct, but I'd never seen this enforced to such a degree.

 

[Bandicoot]

Wanderers by name, wanderers by nature

 

[Flying Fox]

Just last week on my usual MEL - CBR leg I found someone in my seat, 6D.

When I said, "I think you're in my seat" she played dumb so I asked to see her boarding pass which she grumpily refused before sliding over to 6E and mumbling something to the effect of "They're all the f*cking same mate".

My response was much clearer "Then you won't mind moving your f*cking cough over then".

No one puts me in the middle seat!

How rude of her.

How was the tension with your neighbour during the flight?

 

[medhead]

I wouldn't have involved the FA.
Look at BP, look up "Yep it says Seat X, that's seat X, you're in my seat. Move."

Been avoiding this thread because it makes me angry :evil: And I don't want to sound like a DYKWIA

Was on a 737 flight in J. I took my time getting to the plane from the lounge. I had my BP checked as I was entering the cabin and I noticed someone sitting in my window seat. I went up to them thinking they had misread their tickets and I told one of them that they were sitting in my seat. They replied that they'd been both allocated aisle seats across from each other and because they were a couple they should be able to sit next to each other. I replied with an "Ok" and walked back to the FA who checked my BP.

I told the FA that I had specifically booked and paid for my window seat and that I was disappointed that these pax had ignored their seat allocation. I asked the FA to tell the person sitting in my seat to move to their allocated seat. The FA awkwardly agreed and asked the pax to move, I got some bad looks from the couple.

Normally I wouldn't care but it's not what they did, it's how they did it. If they had been sitting in their allocated seats and asked nicely if they could swap seats, I would have happily done so (which is what I normally do in Y anyway).

I don't fly J often (and when I do, it's at my own expense) so next time I'm just going to get on board as quickly as I can to avoid awkward interactions like this.

 

[Pilbaracommuter]

I have only red the original post and some of the more recent ones but I must say that I have had very few experiences of someone else occupying my seat. On about 50% of those it has been a case of the other person not checking their seat number correctly. The most common of the "intentional" ones is on a fairly full narrow bodied (3+3) aircraft where the person allocated the less desirable middle seat sits in the window seat and hopes you will find it easier to slip in beside them rather than ask them to move.

My usual approach is to say "would you mind checking your boarding pass please". This usually works as it allows them to give the impression of having made a genuine error. Very rarely have i needed to get the FA involved

 

[JohnK]

As for couples...goodness do they really have to hold hands and sit together.

No they don't unless one has a fear of flying.

I will never understand it.

And if one of you gets upgraded then please take the upgrade.

 

[Happy Trails]

I came back from Sydney to Perth yesterday and had seat 1A on an old config 330. A guy sat next to me and said he wouldn't be there long as his wife was in Row 5 and he was hoping to swap. He did and was replaced with a lady who sat next to me. It wasn't any issue for me but I wouldn't have wanted to move back myself from 1A to row 5 in the middle.

EH

Welcome back EH, it's been a while.

 

[TomVexille]

No they don't unless one has a fear of flying.

I will never understand it.

And if one of you gets upgraded then please take the upgrade.

Yup, she should take the upgrade

 

[cgichard]

I thought you had to sit in your allocated seat for take off and landing.

I have always thought that was in order to assist identification of pax in the event of an accident.

 

[marki]

Been avoiding this thread because it makes me angry :evil: And I don't want to sound like a DYKWIA

Was on a 737 flight in J. I took my time getting to the plane from the lounge. I had my BP checked as I was entering the cabin and I noticed someone sitting in my window seat. I went up to them thinking they had misread their tickets and I told one of them that they were sitting in my seat. They replied that they'd been both allocated aisle seats across from each other and because they were a couple they should be able to sit next to each other. I replied with an "Ok" and walked back to the FA who checked my BP.

I told the FA that I had specifically booked and paid for my window seat and that I was disappointed that these pax had ignored their seat allocation. I asked the FA to tell the person sitting in my seat to move to their allocated seat. The FA awkwardly agreed and asked the pax to move, I got some bad looks from the couple.

Normally I wouldn't care but it's not what they did, it's how they did it. If they had been sitting in their allocated seats and asked nicely if they could swap seats, I would have happily done so (which is what I normally do in Y anyway).

I don't fly J often (and when I do, it's at my own expense) so next time I'm just going to get on board as quickly as I can to avoid awkward interactions like this.

You shouldn't be forced to board quickly as possible especially if your travelling J. Anyhow everybody is suppose to be in there allocated seats on take off and landing. I hear it all the time. So you are following the rules.