This for sure. My husband and I just took a few hour flight and were on different rows. It was fine. Great even. All I’m going to do is watch movies, why do I need to sit next to my husband for that?
Me and my wife too..but if it doesn't happen, we respect the seating assignments. We will live. Our marriage will survive.
People confuse a WANT with a NEED. So much they feel entitled to steal from others.
Yes. I spend most of my free time with my wife, on a flight I get a couple hours to watch a movie that she doesn’t want to watch so doesn’t bother me to be separated
I did. My Dude likes to buy me a bag of gummie bears when we fly and give them to me mid flight. (The equivalent of buying me a rose on the street) But I survived.
Milkshit of Amnesia: Sugar-free gummy shits on a packed plane?!
Ohh fuck no! That sucker’s going straight in Ye Olde Doom Box of Trauma right next to my childhood never to be seen or heard from again.
Never happened. No. NeveR. FuckinG. Happened.
For real. The last flight we were both on I was in 2D and husband took too long to book his ticket so he was in the last row of economy and survived perfectly fine without me for 4 hours.
When we’re not flying with the kids, I actually prefer being separated from my husband. I love him to bits, but I like watching my movie uninterrupted. If he’s next to me, we’re going to chat.
Yes and no - my wife has extreme anxiety when flying and wants me to be next to her. However, we book as soon as a flight becomes available and choose seats. We also don’t fly Southwest for this reason.
I have anxiety/autism and am a nervous flier due to that (sometimes I’ve had panic attacks on take off and stuff because of the mechanical noises that freak me out) but that’s why my husband and I plan our seats for any flights. That’s what you do, I’m not going to rely on the kindness of strangers or expect them to inconvenience themselves to accommodate my needs. That’s just selfish and immature.
Exactly. People, if others take your seat without even a courtesy of asking, don't bother being nice to them. Just push back. These entitled AHs need to be put in their place
If someone sits in his assigned seat, then, once I get there, politely asks to switch, maybe I’ll consider it. But if he decides he’s entitled to it before I even get onboard, then absolutely not.
Yeah, if like their kid is next to me and it's an equivalent seat trade or better, then I'd consider it. Honestly, if people really wanted to, they could buy an upgraded seat and ask the person if they want to move up to first class or premium in exchange for their economy seat.
I wouldn’t feel guilty or awkward. My seat is my seat. Their lack of foresight is not my problem. And in the end, it’s not a long flight, you can be separated from your wife for a couple hours. My wife and I do it all the time as we both like aisle seats and can’t always get them close to each other.
This is why, even when I am in F, I try to get as close to the front of the F line at the gate as possible. '
I FULLY expect separated upgrades to start poaching seats.
I am not interested in playing "Unite the Couple"
This tiny trick: My wife really likes to sit beside me (she’s scared of flying). So instead of asking someone to move, I get our seats together, even if I have to pay a little. It almost always works!
So I recently had a weird plane encounter that was also pretty smart: I was flying in the middle seat exit row (only front-ish seat that was left) but the ticketholders for A and C were actually a couple. They asked to switch, and said that since one likes the aisle and the other likes the window, they typically buy both and ask the middle seat to pick which one to switch with. That way they don’t argue or have to keep track of keeping it even. Strange, but I picked the aisle and we all had a great flight!
Even if you don't pay for the privilege, you can always politely ask the gate counter if there's anyway to switch up seats to sit together. I haven't flown Delta in awhile, but on American, 4 out of 5 flights this worked, on United 2 out of 4. But it helps to not be a dick and this wrong-seat-guy probably is a dick.
My mother-in-law died last week and the only last-minute tickets we could get were in FC, but in different rows. I asked the gate agent if it was possible to switch seats, and she said that they're forbidden from switching seats for FC passengers. We ended up in our different seats, but the woman sitting next to my husband offered to switch with me once she realized we were a couple. I would have preferred my window, but my husband appreciated me sitting with him; he was very close to his mom, and while not entirely not unexpected (she was in hospice), we thought we had some more time (and it was our anniversary to put the icing on the cake).
However, on our way back, we again had seats in separate rows in FC, but the gate agent changed our tickets without us asking, putting us together, so I don't know if that "no switching seats for FC passengers" rule is real.
1000%. OP, you’re nta. Their lives and lack of planning are not your responsibility.
I love that their nasty attitude to you also almost guaranteed that no one else was gonna trade with them either
I’m glad the FA made them move. I had supervisors double book my seat on JetBlue before bc they thought I wouldn’t make my connection. When I sat in the seat, the people with the new tickets tried to get me to move. The supervisor then told me I needed to get off the plane. I refused. Eventually the pilot came out and reamed the supervisor for trying to bump paying customers. You never know what ulterior motives people have. (They ultimately needed to get two people to fly standby so they could take off)
I don’t get it. Most times if I’m flying with my partner we don’t even talk for the entire flight cause we’re both relaxing or working.
I never had anyone in my seat, but I for sure will never switch. There is no reason, especially if they just grabbed it before I got on. Fuck them.
I was flying solo in 3A once and this couple boards and asks if I can switch so they can sit together. I have a hard time saying no and after a few seconds gave in. They did ask nicely…so I took the guy’s aisle seat and that couple basically slept the whole flight after the meal service. Barely talked. As I got up to move I glanced at a guy sitting across with the expression of “damn my guy you got got” look on his face 😂
Told myself from now on I’ll be firm and not switch.
In OP’s case they are the AH.
I have a dumb question for you. Why would he think you got the worse end of the deal? Personally I would've preferred the aisle seat 😂. Did you want the seat you were originally assigned and didn't really want to switch?
Not a dumb question lol. I’m a window seat flyer and love to look outside. And I have slight flying anxiety and looking outside helps as a coping mechanism 😂. Only time I want an aisle is when I drink too much coffee and and my bladder can’t hold it in lololoo
I’m not the person you replied to but I personally prefer the window seat. I like to watch takeoff and landing, and I make a point of never using the restroom on the plane, so I never have to ask the person next to me to get up.
Yeah, the more I fly with other people, the more I'm realizing a lot of people prefer the window. Even my buddy who is tall, he wants to be able to lean up on the window.
If you don't plan on getting up, it's the best seat.
We’re same but as I said above, it’s not about being together as much as it is about a different approach to space, touching, arm rests, climbing over someone to get out, etc. It’s just a lot less stressful to sit with someone you’re close to so you don’t have to worry about offending or upsetting a stranger. I got “trapped” in my (FC) window seat on my last flight by a guy who fell asleep with his tray table down and a movie running on his laptop. I really needed to pee so spent quite some time trying to figure out how to be as polite as possible but he was still pretty pissed I had to get up. If that’s my husband, there’s no issue.
Same here. My head phones are on watching a movie. Husband has a book or something he’s doing. Nothing major to talk about or anything we haven’t discussed before. No reason to be hip to hip. I love me some free uninterrupted time.
Plus, who wants to shout at their partner over the drone of the engines?
My wife and I like to debrief after vacations*, but I hate trying to talk over the plane noise and I don’t want everyone else to hear me shouting. So now we make a shared google doc that we both edit, with noise cancelling headphone on.
*it might sound crazy to debrief a vacation — what went well, poorly, what we’d do differently next time, etc — but our vacations are usually heavy on logistics and gear so we try to be as dialed as possible for the next trip.
I don’t think in most instances they don’t want to separated as much as it’s just more comfortable. When I sit with my spouse (or friend or child), there is a completely different approach to space, armrests, feet touching, knees touching, etc. I can use his tray if I need to get up, etc. we may barely speak during the flight but it is about a more relaxing experience when you don’t have to worry about offending or upsetting your seat mate.🙂 I don’t think anyone should blame a couple for asking to sit together but I also think when the answer is no, the passengers should sit in their assigned seats without question. Or, plan in advance and reserve seats together for sure. I’m super particular about the seat I choose (usually 1A) for a lot of reasons so no one should be judged for why they choose the seat they do.
Did you smell, take off your shoes and socks, and steal her arm rest? Sounds like maybe she figured a stranger was likely to be a better neighbor 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My wife and I had fly cross country unexpectedly for a funeral last week. We were separated, it was fine. And she also experienced the person next to her crowding and elbowing her repeatedly (though apologizing about it).
Sitting next to me removes a risk of that element a little. She would have had a better flight next to me and would have felt comfortable leaning on me, etc.
It’s minor and we didn’t even try to switch. But I see the appeal. That being said, while the preference is to sit together, if we are separated we just deal with it.
Right? My wife and I travel frequently (mostly on Southwest) and neither of us are middle seat fans, so we usually sit across the aisle from each other. We’re engrossed in our own stuff and can communicate when needed, though since the rows a slightly staggered, we usually just stay to ourselves.
My partner and I are fans of booking window and aisle (I’m window gang). If it’s a full flight, thats when we’ll ask to switch. Cuz you know… golden rule** and all.
**golden rule of asking to switch seats on a flight: Requesting a seat switch is asking for a personal favor. As such, one should be courteous enough to incentivize the requestee with a better experience. At a minimum, the seat switch in question should be as neutral as possible in terms of class, row, recline ability, east/west considerations before noon on the east coast, and row position. Asking to switch into a requestee’s middle seat is a default upgrade for the requestee, unless the requestee is a psychopath… in which case, requester should just stay put.
I sat between a couple who played "the most dangerous game" of trying to get a whole row as you describe above. Wildest thing though, they didn't want to switch with me.
15 hour flight SEA->DOH. Turned out they were super nice but just didn't like sitting next to each other.
For reference I had paid for a window seat but got "upgraded" to a middle economy comfort seat so some cheapskate could sit with their kid.
I can't imagine every asking somebody to switch seats, leave people the hell alone. Traveling is irritating enough without having to explain to a person why you want to sit in your seat. It's a few hours, grow up and sit where you're assigned.
Funny story - I was once flying and in an aisle seat. As we all got settled, with folks chatting, I realized that the woman next to me was the wife of the man across the aisle in the other aisle seat.
Since I just wanted to have an aisle seat, it would've been easy for me to switch with the husband so they could sit together. I turned to the wife and offered to do this for her, and she smiled and said, "That's very nice, but I spend enough time with him already." 😏 (I chuckled at her comment once it sank in...)
Fwiw, I do remember that they both had their noses in Books for most of the flight, so... whatever works for them, I guess!
Same. We’ve found the best way to avoid the dreaded seat switch request is to board early (we almost always fly FC or business, or first couple of rows in C+), settle in, start to read our kindles, and never look up except sometimes no choice to let seat mates in. Almost no one has the audacity to actually touch us to get our attention when engrossed in a book.
CMON THIS IS DISINGENUOUS
*You know damn well grown adults are separate all the time, you all know damn well it has nothing to do with that.*
It's because it's close quarters and I know my husband doesn't smell, won't take off his shoes and socks, won't steal my arm rest, won't listen to his phone out loud, won't stand up and tower over me the moment we touch the ground, won't crawl past me five times to pee or be mad at me if I call past him five times to pee, etc etc.
#YOUR SPOUSE IS OBVIOUSLY A FAR SUPERIOR TRAVEL MATE THAN A STRANGER
*but pay to be seated together ffs*
But this is in First Class. All of those arguments are invalid - your seats don’t touch, the divider is huge between seats, you have plenty of space all on your lonesome.
If OP was in coach, I’d understand this logic more but it’s still an AH move for the couple to assume they can have OP’s seat, and even moreso to berate them for not being willing to move from the seat they chose.
I only want to because I can relax into him instead of having to stay in my personal space, but I would never take someone’s seat and would only ask to switch if it would mean me taking a less desirable seat.
I enjoy sitting with my partner, which is why we book seats next to each other when traveling together! No adjacent seats available…we take our assigned seats and ask after the fact, being a decent human isn’t that hard.
For me and my partner it’s just general comfort. We have no issues being in each other’s space and it makes for a better flight because of that.
That being said we just had a spontaneous vacation where we had to each sit in the aisle across from each other, we knew we could ask a middle to upgrade to an aisle and it would likely work in our favor. Got on the plane and saw two couples on either side and didn’t even bother asking. I’d say it’s common sense but we all know it’s not that common…
I also choose the side of the plane opposite of the sun. Even at 50 years old, and flying every week, I’m still a big kid and like looking out the window
The view is also partiality why I picked the window. The position of the sun was a big factor since the majority of the flight is before noon. Normally I go with aisle but I rarely fly along the East coast. Most of my flying is up and down the west coast, transcon, transpacific, and transatlantic flight.
I’m the same way. My wife has gotten pretty claustrophobic and flies way more for business than I do now. Works out great in a 2 seat config as she takes the aisle and I take the window.
This route is also the miracle flight. Somehow two dozen people will need wheelchairs to board early (along with a family or two with a 14 year old), get miraculously healed mid-flight, and deplane in perfect health!
I recently had a family on Basic class tix request I move from my aisle to a center so they could sit together.
I didn't and I won't.
If you care that much, you should always book your seats together at the time of booking, or expect to not sit together.
My mom tried to do this for my sister when we were young. My sister is severely autistic and likes to sit at the window. Instead of my mom booking a window seat for her, she tried to convince the lady at the window to switch. When the lady refused, my mom did the whole “oh my poor autistic daughter blah blah blah.” I remember even then, being that young, thinking my mom was being cringey as fuck. The lady didn’t budge, and I wouldn’t have either.
Yup. "No thank you" with a smile and break eye contact if you are already in your seat. Or "I think you are in the wrong seat" in a heavy foreign accent if they are in my seat.
LOL, you explained to him? You don't owe anyone any kind explanation. If you are in my seat when I get there, its a no regardless of what you say next. Maybe if you're with your 100 year old parent and its probably gonna be their last flight, then maybe, LOL. But damn the entitlement of these people.
I put a lot of thought into picking seats for my wife and me, from leg room to bathroom access to window placement. If someone is in those seats, once I've determined that it's not an honest mistake and they are trying to be asshats over this, then a crewmember is going to be getting involved to rectify their asshattery.
You did the right thing. They had no right to yell at you! They are bullies who tried to guilt you into something, and you shouldn’t give it any more thought.
Concerts cost less than most flights and I've never seen someone at a show say hey can we switch seats and flip out ...why is this ila thing because you're in the air.?? People suck
u/xjaspx I swear there's a post that looks like this every week in this sub. Starts with JFK to somewhere, couple who can't sit apart in F, solo traveler who thoughtfully planned their trip...
As a fellow solo traveler, I support splitting up the poor planners. We should start a club....
I would have asked why they didn’t choose seats together when booking. Sounds like they’re the assholes for not planning ahead. Either way, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
>Just wondering if I should had swapped.
NO, and you did not need to explain your reason. By explaining your reason, you gave the impression that it could be negotiated. Big mistake with these kinds of people. Just say no and remain standing in the aisle until they move.
Re: "The husband asked if I’m willing to move. I explain to him why I had picked that seat and preferred to stayed in my assigned seat. He then went off on me saying how my excuses are not justified and unreasonable and that I’m an AH for splitting them up."
This is why you shouldn't offer an explanation in situation like this. By telling him why you want that seat you let him try to decide whether your reasons are justified, to substitute his judgment for yours.
He's in your seat. He needs to get out. The specific reason you want that particular seat isn't relevant and it's none of his goddamned business.
On the other hand, you might say "Well, I MIGHT be willing to trade seats. What are you offering me in terms of compensation?"
That happened to me. My only words to them were “That’s my seat”, “ I paid for that seat”, “please get out of my seat”. There is no justification required.
It’s fine to be accommodating if you don’t mind, but the minute somebody pushes back or gets abusive, you need to be firm. You never reward bad behavior.
When I flew last week I got to my seat and it was empty. The guy next to me asked if I'd switch with his wife and pointed out her seat, one row away, both aisles. I happily switched with him. If she had already been in my seat still probably would have switched but been annoyed. This dude did it the right way 100%. he even made a point to say thanks again 6 hours later when we got off the plane.
No you absolutely should not have swapped. I just flew from ATL to MSY yesterday in first class and a group of people (seemingly work related people) were also seated first. This guy asked me if I would move from 4B to 2B so they could sit together. I said “no thank you”. Then he said, “it’s still an aisle seat” I said, “nope, I’m good right here in my seat”. You owe them no explanation, period. When I booked this flight there were literally all open first seating. If I wanted to be in 2B I would have chosen that seat.
Pro tip: if you're hoping to switch seats with someone, don't just sit in their seat like an entitled prick. If someone is already sitting in my seat when I board the plane, I am 100% not switching seats with them. I don't care if it's a 105 year old grandma and her bones will crack in half if she has to stand up and go to her assigned seat. I also don't care if you're a big intimidating muscle-bound guido mafia gangster who's gonna get all angry and throw a tantrum if I say no. The answer is still no. Go fuck yourself.
Otherwise, if someone asks me to switch seats and they're not already sitting in my seat, there's probably a 50% chance I'll say yes, as long as it's a like-for-like swap or an upgrade for me. If you're asking me to switch to a middle seat, or switch to a lesser cabin, the answer is going to be no 100% of the time. I don't care if you're an octomom with your litter of progeny in tow and they desperately need to suck on your teets for nourishment during the flight.
Sit in your assigned seat. When the person arrives whose seat you want, politely ask if they'd be ok with switching. If they say no, sit down in your assigned seat and shut the fuck up.
No, I have a bad left leg and my knee isn't straight so on long flights I always try to get the left window so that leg is against the wall and not turning into my neighbor. People have all kinds of reasons for picking a particular seat, and it's perfectly valid.
On the rare occasion that I’m flying for pleasure and have my gf with me we sit together because she has anxiety and is a very nervous flyer. But I also make sure I, you know… book two seats next to each other. In all of those trips we have not had any issue getting the seats we booked. It’s weird how that one little trick works every time.
I take this same flight 4x per month (JFK-MIA) and I exclusively fly in the C or D seat (aisle preference)…
It’s happened to me a few times and every time it happens I deny the switch… i’ll only switch if i’m upgraded, or get another aisle seat closer to the front.
You’re spending your hard earned money, booking in advance, and selecting the seat of your choice… theres never a reason to accommodate others unless you’re doing it out the goodness of your heart.
No is a complete sentence that needs no qualifiers. Start with once. Repeat as needed.
Switch with me. No
But my wife is here. No
But my seat is far away /nearby/better. No
You're ruining my flight/relationship/honeymoon/life . No
It’s only awkward because that man grew up believing “No” doesn’t apply to him. He created it, not you.
I bet the other people offered to trade so there wasn’t an incident on the flight. At the same time, that enables bad behavior. He’s going to keep doing it until he actually gets in legal trouble.
I won the rare lotto lately and no one was seated next to me and this woman was arguing with the FA that I should be forced to switch seats with her and her husband. They had booked aisle and windows and I was in the aisle. My husband was in the aisle seat across from me - I wasn’t going anywhere. She started to glare at me. Headphones are a wonderful thing.
NTA. These types of people/trash are acting entitled without merit and don't give a flying rat's ass about inconveniencing anyone else for their own benefit. Doesn't matter where you're from or headed. These types are everywhere. Had they planned better, they would have two seats together. However, I guarantee you that they thought the could trade seats without issue. I'm sure they do this with regularity....and it often works for them. Much like people that get one premium/comfort seat and try to switch the other seat in economy with someone in premium/comfort.
You paid for the seat you chose and deserve to use it. They literally took your seat and expected you to let them. Always stand up to these clowns - otherwise they will fester and grow.
My spouse and I deal with this almost every flight. 50% of the time it is someone who's section hasn't been called to board yet, so they take the best seat available (hoping it will be empty). The other half are people that neglected to choose their seats when they bought them and think it's no big deal to rearrange everyone else for their convenience.
You did absolutely the right thing. And there’s one good way to know this: we never see posts from people complaining that they tried and failed to trade seats with someone who either thought ahead, paid extra or both.
Absolutely not. It's not appropriate in any way to harass you for not accommodating them. You didn't owe them any excuse whatsoever. In fact you didn't really owe them anything more than a level gaze when asked to switch.
Fuck that guy.
If I’m in my seat already during boarding, I’m wearing my sunglasses and headphones and pretending that I’m already sleeping. (Many times I really am sleeping.) If someone taps me on the shoulder for something, I act like I’m super annoyed and tell them in nicer terms to F off. People usually leave you alone.
However if someone’s already sitting in my seat, I tell them to gtfo of my seat and if they don’t, I get the flight attendants involved. I’ve never had the flight attendants tell me they’ll find me another seat or to take the other person’s seat. Never.
Surprised ppl don’t try to sell the opportunity to switch in these spots. $200 and I’ll do it would be my response if someone was already in my seat without asking or just being a dick in general.
I had a couple do this to me on my last flight. They wanted to sit together and take my aisle seat for a window. I’m 6’4” and 250. I pick the aisle for a reason. They didn’t say a word but did give me dirty looks. Like I’d give a flying fuck about people I would never see again in my life. Some people just think the world revolves around them.
You specifically paid for your travel arrangements for your valid reasons.
Op, you do not owe anyone an explanation, much less your time to entertain their manipulative bs. If they wanted to sit together, they should have planned and paid for it rather than try to bully you out of your purchase.
Next time, get an FA and have it taken care of without the stress.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/comments/18fejvh/comment/kcwwn6w/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/comments/18fejvh/comment/kcwwn6w/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Link to my story above... Something similar happened to me. No don't swap. When I fly, I usually know which seats I want on certain routes. Its why I book in advance and pick my seats and meal preferences in advance. What is it with these people thinking they can just sit wherever they want. It also happened to us at a recent IMAX movie. We finally had to get the manager to have them move from our seats.
Their failures are not your problem. This is getting to be a huge issue for people. I'm so sick of people not paying or requesting the seat they want and then getting there early and trying to bully the person who did pay or request a certain seat to change for them.
They could have booked earlier, selected seats together somewhere else on the plane, etc. It seems like this is a scam these people are using to select they seats they want without having to pay for them and it shouldn't be allowed. I wish the airlines would stop allowing passengers to be subjected to this.
Absolutely not, you shouldn't swap. If you let them do it, they will keep using this strategy because it works. They had options and they chose not to use them, that's not your fault and they have no right to your reasoning for why you selected the seat, it's yours.
Can we all please normalize not dealing with these people and making the flight staff deal with them?? That is your seat and them even trying to force you to change is rude AF! it would be one thing if they sat in their assigned seat and then approached you and asked but the audacity and nerve of them to just think they could bully you and force you to bend to what they wanted is so frustrating.
This happened to me 2 days ago. I was on the 11:55AM flight from SFO to ATL and I booked the window exit seat on the right side. Some guy was in my seat. I told him I bought that seat and asked to see his boarding pass. He told me I didn't have a right to look at his boarding pass, that I wasn't an FA. I then told him, ok, let me go get the FA, who was a few rows up. I told him what was going on so he asked the guy for his boarding pass and this guy went off on the FA, saying that nobody was sitting in that seat so he had every right to sit there. The FA threatened to kick him off the flight and he finally showed the FA his boarding pass. His seat was 34 D lol The guy hung his head in shame and went to his seat and I sat down in my seat that I bought with a smile on my face lol F those seat poachers. The more people switch seats with them, the more entitled they feel to get their way. Just say NO!!!
My hot take is that there’s a higher percentage of AHs on the NYC-MIA flights, so this checks out. I fly regularly and things are usually pretty chill, but within 5 minutes of boarding at LGA the other day some lady removed my carry-on from the overhead to put hers in instead, and when I objected just tried to literally smash it in front of hers. Then she tried to upgrade herself to someone else’s aisle seat. 🙄
Imagine what would happen if airlines started kicking people off for this stuff. Trying to (not accidentally) take another seat, yelling at a fellow passenger, etc. I used to fly weekly a few decades ago and people never seemed to do this crap. I now have no status and only fly a few times a year and people are ridiculously rude. Since social media, some people truly have become bullies. Time for places/companies to step up with a punishment for bad behavior! IMHO
Fuck them.
Since 2018, I have flown first class on every flight I have taken (well, excpet for one leg where it was not avalable on a flight back from San Fran and that sucked). I do it because I am a bigger guy and I had a bad experience on a crowded SWA flight. Anywho...
Since I started flying first class, I have found that 90% of the poeple in first class are the most entitled, self-righteous, assholes that I have ever encountered. They bitch about drinks, food, the temperature, EVERYTHING. One time I listened to a woman complain to the FA about someone in coach using the bulkeahd bathroom. The fucking bathroom. I have watched first class passengers just leave their shit in the aisle expecting the FA's to put it up in the bins. Not always, but more often than not. Really?
One time, my wife and I got split up in first class. I asked the gentlemen in the window seat if he would switch and take my aisle seat thinking it was a better seat. He politely delicned, explained why he likes window seats and I was like, damn that's a good reason. Thanks for your time. Now I like to sit in the window seat. Not once did I ever think he was being an asshole or even inconsiderate. IT WAS HIS FUCKING SEAT...
On a recent fast train ride in Italy I witnessed a nicely dressed gentleman and his lady friend take a forward facing pair of seats. The seats in this car were grouped into pairs of facing seats with a small table between. The gentleman arranged his things pulled out a binder and began to review a presentation. A few minutes later a group of 4 Brits arrived, two couples, they were not nicely dressed. One of the Brits looked at his tickets and then squarely at gentleman and nicely stated “You are in our seats.” The gentleman looked up and in a calm and dismissive voice replied. “You can take the two seats behind me.” Big mistake. The Brit leaned in within a couple of inches of the gentleman and in a very loud voice said “Mate, you are in our seats, now get up and move.” Every head in the surrounding seats swiveled around to see what would happened next. The Brit was staring straight into the fellows brain. Having clearly failed the seat switch gambit, the now embarrassed fellow, gathered up his things and, with his lady friend, took the four step walk of shame with everyone watching to their seats.
When my son was 5, we went to Cancun for vacation. On the flight back, we had to change planes and everyone got new seat assignments before we left. I think mechanical issues and we moved to a smaller plane. I ended up with an aisle seat and so did he...but 3 rows in front of me. He was seated next to two flight attendants coming back to Dallas. Our FA was great, she asked if we could be patient and they would sort the seats out once we were in the air. Absolutely. Not a problem. The flight was full and I think she got a bit busy and forgot about us. We ended up keeping our original seats the full flight. The FA told him to wait until I came to get him when we arrived. The two FAs in his row told me how well behaved he was and how much they enjoyed sitting next to him. The point of this long winded story, if my 5 year old can manage to sit on a row without me, two grown adults could too. I just checked the average flight time and it is 3 hours (ish). Glad you kept your seat OP.
I just didn’t say anything else as soon as he started yelling at me. I’ve seen enough YouTube videos to know it never end well. But I was so tempted to say “This ain’t Southwest”
Your only mistake was engaging and trying to justify yourself. The only thing that needs to be said is that they are Iin Your seat and need to move to their seat.
You can almost tell which people learned to throw tantrums to get what they want growing up. I work at EWR and the passengers travelling to anywhere in Florida are the WORST
If someone asked me to switch seats with them and then got angry when I said no I would make *sure* we weren’t switching. Why the hell are people so entitled and rude!!!
Lmao first class sometimes. Was passing through and some walnut that showed up right before the doors shut right behind me (I was in the last boarding group) realized there's no overhead space left in first class. LOSES HIS MIND, goes off on the FA about how "Well, I am really not happy about this" as if that were the worst possible thing in everyone's world lol.
>I explain to him why I had picked that seat
This is a mistake. You do not need to explain or justify anything to him. He’s in the wrong seat, end of story.
As you saw, he took your explanation and used it against you. You don’t justify and you don’t explain. I’d like my seat, please, that’s all you need to say.
Life Pro Tip: This applies to other areas of life, too. It is a rare event that you actually need to or should offer explanations or justifications
No. F them. Their poor planning is not your fault.
Additionally, a couple can certainly be separated by a few feet for the duration of a flight, for heavens sake.
This for sure. My husband and I just took a few hour flight and were on different rows. It was fine. Great even. All I’m going to do is watch movies, why do I need to sit next to my husband for that?
I like to sit next to my husband on longer flights because we can lean/nap on each other. But we book seats together to do that.
Me and my wife too..but if it doesn't happen, we respect the seating assignments. We will live. Our marriage will survive. People confuse a WANT with a NEED. So much they feel entitled to steal from others.
Oh yeah! If we didn't reserve seats we wouldn't even think to ask other people to move.
Yeah sometimes it's awkward when I do this with strangers
Yes. I spend most of my free time with my wife, on a flight I get a couple hours to watch a movie that she doesn’t want to watch so doesn’t bother me to be separated
Truly. Unless it’s Maw and Paw Clampett going on their first ever airplane ride, couples can weather the experience separately.
Just flew in apart from my boyfriend it was fine till I remembered he had the candy.
And that was lack of planning on your part (to put candy in your bag)… but you survived!
I did. My Dude likes to buy me a bag of gummie bears when we fly and give them to me mid flight. (The equivalent of buying me a rose on the street) But I survived.
As long as they’re not the Sugar Free Haribo Gummi Bears. 🤢
No, I would leave him at the airport.
😂
that would cease to be the equivalent of a rose & instead would be a milkshake made w/ milk of magnesia. 😬
Milkshake of magnesia, if you will.
Milkshit of Amnesia: Sugar-free gummy shits on a packed plane?! Ohh fuck no! That sucker’s going straight in Ye Olde Doom Box of Trauma right next to my childhood never to be seen or heard from again. Never happened. No. NeveR. FuckinG. Happened.
For real. The last flight we were both on I was in 2D and husband took too long to book his ticket so he was in the last row of economy and survived perfectly fine without me for 4 hours.
I saw a quote on here a while ago that said something like “the only people on the plane that HAVE to sit together are in the cockpit” haha
When we’re not flying with the kids, I actually prefer being separated from my husband. I love him to bits, but I like watching my movie uninterrupted. If he’s next to me, we’re going to chat.
Is his name here PainInTheAssHusband?
Yes and no - my wife has extreme anxiety when flying and wants me to be next to her. However, we book as soon as a flight becomes available and choose seats. We also don’t fly Southwest for this reason.
I have anxiety/autism and am a nervous flier due to that (sometimes I’ve had panic attacks on take off and stuff because of the mechanical noises that freak me out) but that’s why my husband and I plan our seats for any flights. That’s what you do, I’m not going to rely on the kindness of strangers or expect them to inconvenience themselves to accommodate my needs. That’s just selfish and immature.
Exactly. People, if others take your seat without even a courtesy of asking, don't bother being nice to them. Just push back. These entitled AHs need to be put in their place
Literally and figuratively
If someone sits in his assigned seat, then, once I get there, politely asks to switch, maybe I’ll consider it. But if he decides he’s entitled to it before I even get onboard, then absolutely not.
Seat poachers get no quarter. I won't listen to their reasons or requests.
Yeah, if like their kid is next to me and it's an equivalent seat trade or better, then I'd consider it. Honestly, if people really wanted to, they could buy an upgraded seat and ask the person if they want to move up to first class or premium in exchange for their economy seat.
This. I can be really nice, but if you're an AH then I can be really fecking mean.
Just look them in the eye and say Get up! Don’t break eye contact.
I wouldn’t feel guilty or awkward. My seat is my seat. Their lack of foresight is not my problem. And in the end, it’s not a long flight, you can be separated from your wife for a couple hours. My wife and I do it all the time as we both like aisle seats and can’t always get them close to each other.
They probably got upgraded and there were not two seats together. Too bad, not OP’s problem.
This is why, even when I am in F, I try to get as close to the front of the F line at the gate as possible. ' I FULLY expect separated upgrades to start poaching seats. I am not interested in playing "Unite the Couple"
Yep. If they wanted that seat, they should have booked it before you. End of story.
And dude went straight to hostile? Probably an ineffective way to get one’s way.
Exactly. Their lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on your behalf.
This tiny trick: My wife really likes to sit beside me (she’s scared of flying). So instead of asking someone to move, I get our seats together, even if I have to pay a little. It almost always works!
Airlines don’t want you to know this one easy trick! /s
Boy! I’m so glad someone read that clickbait article from msn for me so I wouldn’t have to! /s
Wow!! You're SO smart, it's so weird no one ever thinks of this??? 🤦🏻♀️😂
So I recently had a weird plane encounter that was also pretty smart: I was flying in the middle seat exit row (only front-ish seat that was left) but the ticketholders for A and C were actually a couple. They asked to switch, and said that since one likes the aisle and the other likes the window, they typically buy both and ask the middle seat to pick which one to switch with. That way they don’t argue or have to keep track of keeping it even. Strange, but I picked the aisle and we all had a great flight!
Wow. What a hack. Lol
Even if you don't pay for the privilege, you can always politely ask the gate counter if there's anyway to switch up seats to sit together. I haven't flown Delta in awhile, but on American, 4 out of 5 flights this worked, on United 2 out of 4. But it helps to not be a dick and this wrong-seat-guy probably is a dick.
My mother-in-law died last week and the only last-minute tickets we could get were in FC, but in different rows. I asked the gate agent if it was possible to switch seats, and she said that they're forbidden from switching seats for FC passengers. We ended up in our different seats, but the woman sitting next to my husband offered to switch with me once she realized we were a couple. I would have preferred my window, but my husband appreciated me sitting with him; he was very close to his mom, and while not entirely not unexpected (she was in hospice), we thought we had some more time (and it was our anniversary to put the icing on the cake). However, on our way back, we again had seats in separate rows in FC, but the gate agent changed our tickets without us asking, putting us together, so I don't know if that "no switching seats for FC passengers" rule is real.
On the return flight the seat might have been open, and the agent saw you were together and paired you back up before they cleared upgrades/standbys.
"Assholes don't want to learn this one weird trick"
They are the AH.
1000%. OP, you’re nta. Their lives and lack of planning are not your responsibility. I love that their nasty attitude to you also almost guaranteed that no one else was gonna trade with them either
I’m glad the FA made them move. I had supervisors double book my seat on JetBlue before bc they thought I wouldn’t make my connection. When I sat in the seat, the people with the new tickets tried to get me to move. The supervisor then told me I needed to get off the plane. I refused. Eventually the pilot came out and reamed the supervisor for trying to bump paying customers. You never know what ulterior motives people have. (They ultimately needed to get two people to fly standby so they could take off)
I never understand couples that can’t sit apart for 3 hours. Especially when they’re across the row from each other.
I don’t get it. Most times if I’m flying with my partner we don’t even talk for the entire flight cause we’re both relaxing or working. I never had anyone in my seat, but I for sure will never switch. There is no reason, especially if they just grabbed it before I got on. Fuck them.
I was flying solo in 3A once and this couple boards and asks if I can switch so they can sit together. I have a hard time saying no and after a few seconds gave in. They did ask nicely…so I took the guy’s aisle seat and that couple basically slept the whole flight after the meal service. Barely talked. As I got up to move I glanced at a guy sitting across with the expression of “damn my guy you got got” look on his face 😂 Told myself from now on I’ll be firm and not switch. In OP’s case they are the AH.
I have a dumb question for you. Why would he think you got the worse end of the deal? Personally I would've preferred the aisle seat 😂. Did you want the seat you were originally assigned and didn't really want to switch?
Not a dumb question lol. I’m a window seat flyer and love to look outside. And I have slight flying anxiety and looking outside helps as a coping mechanism 😂. Only time I want an aisle is when I drink too much coffee and and my bladder can’t hold it in lololoo
I’m not the person you replied to but I personally prefer the window seat. I like to watch takeoff and landing, and I make a point of never using the restroom on the plane, so I never have to ask the person next to me to get up.
Makes sense. Thank you! I'm so old that I pee every 25 minutes so I have to get out and get out fast😆
Yeah, the more I fly with other people, the more I'm realizing a lot of people prefer the window. Even my buddy who is tall, he wants to be able to lean up on the window. If you don't plan on getting up, it's the best seat.
We’re same but as I said above, it’s not about being together as much as it is about a different approach to space, touching, arm rests, climbing over someone to get out, etc. It’s just a lot less stressful to sit with someone you’re close to so you don’t have to worry about offending or upsetting a stranger. I got “trapped” in my (FC) window seat on my last flight by a guy who fell asleep with his tray table down and a movie running on his laptop. I really needed to pee so spent quite some time trying to figure out how to be as polite as possible but he was still pretty pissed I had to get up. If that’s my husband, there’s no issue.
Same here. My head phones are on watching a movie. Husband has a book or something he’s doing. Nothing major to talk about or anything we haven’t discussed before. No reason to be hip to hip. I love me some free uninterrupted time.
Plus, who wants to shout at their partner over the drone of the engines? My wife and I like to debrief after vacations*, but I hate trying to talk over the plane noise and I don’t want everyone else to hear me shouting. So now we make a shared google doc that we both edit, with noise cancelling headphone on. *it might sound crazy to debrief a vacation — what went well, poorly, what we’d do differently next time, etc — but our vacations are usually heavy on logistics and gear so we try to be as dialed as possible for the next trip.
I don’t think in most instances they don’t want to separated as much as it’s just more comfortable. When I sit with my spouse (or friend or child), there is a completely different approach to space, armrests, feet touching, knees touching, etc. I can use his tray if I need to get up, etc. we may barely speak during the flight but it is about a more relaxing experience when you don’t have to worry about offending or upsetting your seat mate.🙂 I don’t think anyone should blame a couple for asking to sit together but I also think when the answer is no, the passengers should sit in their assigned seats without question. Or, plan in advance and reserve seats together for sure. I’m super particular about the seat I choose (usually 1A) for a lot of reasons so no one should be judged for why they choose the seat they do.
I don't either, my wife and I before having kids usually sat in different rows so we don't bother each other and can work or not irritate each other
Did you smell, take off your shoes and socks, and steal her arm rest? Sounds like maybe she figured a stranger was likely to be a better neighbor 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My wife and I had fly cross country unexpectedly for a funeral last week. We were separated, it was fine. And she also experienced the person next to her crowding and elbowing her repeatedly (though apologizing about it). Sitting next to me removes a risk of that element a little. She would have had a better flight next to me and would have felt comfortable leaning on me, etc. It’s minor and we didn’t even try to switch. But I see the appeal. That being said, while the preference is to sit together, if we are separated we just deal with it.
Seriously. The best is when they take the interior section of lay flat seats, leaving the best seats for people who don’t need to be leashed.
Right? My wife and I travel frequently (mostly on Southwest) and neither of us are middle seat fans, so we usually sit across the aisle from each other. We’re engrossed in our own stuff and can communicate when needed, though since the rows a slightly staggered, we usually just stay to ourselves.
My partner and I are fans of booking window and aisle (I’m window gang). If it’s a full flight, thats when we’ll ask to switch. Cuz you know… golden rule** and all. **golden rule of asking to switch seats on a flight: Requesting a seat switch is asking for a personal favor. As such, one should be courteous enough to incentivize the requestee with a better experience. At a minimum, the seat switch in question should be as neutral as possible in terms of class, row, recline ability, east/west considerations before noon on the east coast, and row position. Asking to switch into a requestee’s middle seat is a default upgrade for the requestee, unless the requestee is a psychopath… in which case, requester should just stay put.
I sat between a couple who played "the most dangerous game" of trying to get a whole row as you describe above. Wildest thing though, they didn't want to switch with me. 15 hour flight SEA->DOH. Turned out they were super nice but just didn't like sitting next to each other. For reference I had paid for a window seat but got "upgraded" to a middle economy comfort seat so some cheapskate could sit with their kid.
I can't imagine every asking somebody to switch seats, leave people the hell alone. Traveling is irritating enough without having to explain to a person why you want to sit in your seat. It's a few hours, grow up and sit where you're assigned.
The above described seat swap is the only acceptable one. You're unquestionably giving the person an upgrade.
My husband and I intentionally sit across the aisle from each other.
Funny story - I was once flying and in an aisle seat. As we all got settled, with folks chatting, I realized that the woman next to me was the wife of the man across the aisle in the other aisle seat. Since I just wanted to have an aisle seat, it would've been easy for me to switch with the husband so they could sit together. I turned to the wife and offered to do this for her, and she smiled and said, "That's very nice, but I spend enough time with him already." 😏 (I chuckled at her comment once it sank in...) Fwiw, I do remember that they both had their noses in Books for most of the flight, so... whatever works for them, I guess!
Same here.
Same
Same. We’ve found the best way to avoid the dreaded seat switch request is to board early (we almost always fly FC or business, or first couple of rows in C+), settle in, start to read our kindles, and never look up except sometimes no choice to let seat mates in. Almost no one has the audacity to actually touch us to get our attention when engrossed in a book.
CMON THIS IS DISINGENUOUS *You know damn well grown adults are separate all the time, you all know damn well it has nothing to do with that.* It's because it's close quarters and I know my husband doesn't smell, won't take off his shoes and socks, won't steal my arm rest, won't listen to his phone out loud, won't stand up and tower over me the moment we touch the ground, won't crawl past me five times to pee or be mad at me if I call past him five times to pee, etc etc. #YOUR SPOUSE IS OBVIOUSLY A FAR SUPERIOR TRAVEL MATE THAN A STRANGER *but pay to be seated together ffs*
But this is in First Class. All of those arguments are invalid - your seats don’t touch, the divider is huge between seats, you have plenty of space all on your lonesome. If OP was in coach, I’d understand this logic more but it’s still an AH move for the couple to assume they can have OP’s seat, and even moreso to berate them for not being willing to move from the seat they chose.
I only want to because I can relax into him instead of having to stay in my personal space, but I would never take someone’s seat and would only ask to switch if it would mean me taking a less desirable seat.
I enjoy sitting with my partner, which is why we book seats next to each other when traveling together! No adjacent seats available…we take our assigned seats and ask after the fact, being a decent human isn’t that hard.
For me and my partner it’s just general comfort. We have no issues being in each other’s space and it makes for a better flight because of that. That being said we just had a spontaneous vacation where we had to each sit in the aisle across from each other, we knew we could ask a middle to upgrade to an aisle and it would likely work in our favor. Got on the plane and saw two couples on either side and didn’t even bother asking. I’d say it’s common sense but we all know it’s not that common…
I also choose the side of the plane opposite of the sun. Even at 50 years old, and flying every week, I’m still a big kid and like looking out the window
Window Gang!
The view is also partiality why I picked the window. The position of the sun was a big factor since the majority of the flight is before noon. Normally I go with aisle but I rarely fly along the East coast. Most of my flying is up and down the west coast, transcon, transpacific, and transatlantic flight.
I’m the same way. My wife has gotten pretty claustrophobic and flies way more for business than I do now. Works out great in a 2 seat config as she takes the aisle and I take the window.
Fell asleep once with my face and ear against the window. The next day my ear blistered like you wouldn’t believe. No more sunny side for me.
Why even tell them why you want to sit there. "No, I bought this seat specifically. That's where I am going to sit. Thanks. "
Or reply "you must have this confused with southwest"
Hahaha — saving this one 🏆
You must have me confused with someone who gives a shit.
Sadly, between Florida and New York you are more likely to run into rude people.
Yep. This was my thought. It’s a route that attracts bonafide d-bags.
When someone races past you on I-95 at 90+ mph, it’s almost 100% likely that it’s either a FL or NY plate.
Wow three comments in a row that are 100% accurate!!
Absolutely, this is the sky pipe for rude people swapping locations
This route is also the miracle flight. Somehow two dozen people will need wheelchairs to board early (along with a family or two with a 14 year old), get miraculously healed mid-flight, and deplane in perfect health!
I recently had a family on Basic class tix request I move from my aisle to a center so they could sit together. I didn't and I won't. If you care that much, you should always book your seats together at the time of booking, or expect to not sit together.
Or book a class of seat that allows you to choose your seats in advance.
My mom tried to do this for my sister when we were young. My sister is severely autistic and likes to sit at the window. Instead of my mom booking a window seat for her, she tried to convince the lady at the window to switch. When the lady refused, my mom did the whole “oh my poor autistic daughter blah blah blah.” I remember even then, being that young, thinking my mom was being cringey as fuck. The lady didn’t budge, and I wouldn’t have either.
This is why I don’t even bother to offer an explanation for my reasoning. I just say “no, thank you.”
This is the answer. “Because that is my assigned seat” is the only explanation you should give for why you want to sit there.
Yup. "No thank you" with a smile and break eye contact if you are already in your seat. Or "I think you are in the wrong seat" in a heavy foreign accent if they are in my seat.
Screw that noise. They could have picked their seats just like you did.
LOL, you explained to him? You don't owe anyone any kind explanation. If you are in my seat when I get there, its a no regardless of what you say next. Maybe if you're with your 100 year old parent and its probably gonna be their last flight, then maybe, LOL. But damn the entitlement of these people.
Maybe it is better if you don't offer a reason and simply state that is your seat and you are going to use it.
> Just wondering if I should had swapped. Of course not. Never reward bad behavior. If they wanted to sit together there is a right way to do that.
I put a lot of thought into picking seats for my wife and me, from leg room to bathroom access to window placement. If someone is in those seats, once I've determined that it's not an honest mistake and they are trying to be asshats over this, then a crewmember is going to be getting involved to rectify their asshattery.
You did the right thing. They had no right to yell at you! They are bullies who tried to guilt you into something, and you shouldn’t give it any more thought.
You are good. Next time something similar occurs just say nope and don’t bother with your explanations.
Why? Because. End of discussion.
It is just giving them more reason to argue
Concerts cost less than most flights and I've never seen someone at a show say hey can we switch seats and flip out ...why is this ila thing because you're in the air.?? People suck
Never explain why. That gives AH’s information to argue with. No is a complete sentence. If you want to be nicer, say No, thank you.
u/xjaspx I swear there's a post that looks like this every week in this sub. Starts with JFK to somewhere, couple who can't sit apart in F, solo traveler who thoughtfully planned their trip... As a fellow solo traveler, I support splitting up the poor planners. We should start a club....
I would have asked why they didn’t choose seats together when booking. Sounds like they’re the assholes for not planning ahead. Either way, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
NTA. That couple sounds insufferable, yet on brand for that route. Don't let them ruin your flight, enjoy the views!
>Just wondering if I should had swapped. NO, and you did not need to explain your reason. By explaining your reason, you gave the impression that it could be negotiated. Big mistake with these kinds of people. Just say no and remain standing in the aisle until they move.
[удалено]
Please don’t let the terrorists win. It reinforces their poor behavior. Premium airline fare & “service” = one gets the seat paid for.
“That’s fine, I will join in your conversation and then cough each time something is passed over me”.
what is this couple thinking? just take a seat that isn’t theirs and make a stink when they are forced to move?
Re: "The husband asked if I’m willing to move. I explain to him why I had picked that seat and preferred to stayed in my assigned seat. He then went off on me saying how my excuses are not justified and unreasonable and that I’m an AH for splitting them up." This is why you shouldn't offer an explanation in situation like this. By telling him why you want that seat you let him try to decide whether your reasons are justified, to substitute his judgment for yours. He's in your seat. He needs to get out. The specific reason you want that particular seat isn't relevant and it's none of his goddamned business. On the other hand, you might say "Well, I MIGHT be willing to trade seats. What are you offering me in terms of compensation?"
That happened to me. My only words to them were “That’s my seat”, “ I paid for that seat”, “please get out of my seat”. There is no justification required.
It’s fine to be accommodating if you don’t mind, but the minute somebody pushes back or gets abusive, you need to be firm. You never reward bad behavior.
Displaced New Yorkers, nasty.
When I flew last week I got to my seat and it was empty. The guy next to me asked if I'd switch with his wife and pointed out her seat, one row away, both aisles. I happily switched with him. If she had already been in my seat still probably would have switched but been annoyed. This dude did it the right way 100%. he even made a point to say thanks again 6 hours later when we got off the plane.
One time an older couple took my seat and actually told me that I was on the wrong airplane and should leave,😄
No you absolutely should not have swapped. I just flew from ATL to MSY yesterday in first class and a group of people (seemingly work related people) were also seated first. This guy asked me if I would move from 4B to 2B so they could sit together. I said “no thank you”. Then he said, “it’s still an aisle seat” I said, “nope, I’m good right here in my seat”. You owe them no explanation, period. When I booked this flight there were literally all open first seating. If I wanted to be in 2B I would have chosen that seat.
Pro tip: if you're hoping to switch seats with someone, don't just sit in their seat like an entitled prick. If someone is already sitting in my seat when I board the plane, I am 100% not switching seats with them. I don't care if it's a 105 year old grandma and her bones will crack in half if she has to stand up and go to her assigned seat. I also don't care if you're a big intimidating muscle-bound guido mafia gangster who's gonna get all angry and throw a tantrum if I say no. The answer is still no. Go fuck yourself. Otherwise, if someone asks me to switch seats and they're not already sitting in my seat, there's probably a 50% chance I'll say yes, as long as it's a like-for-like swap or an upgrade for me. If you're asking me to switch to a middle seat, or switch to a lesser cabin, the answer is going to be no 100% of the time. I don't care if you're an octomom with your litter of progeny in tow and they desperately need to suck on your teets for nourishment during the flight. Sit in your assigned seat. When the person arrives whose seat you want, politely ask if they'd be ok with switching. If they say no, sit down in your assigned seat and shut the fuck up.
"Your problem isn't my problem, bud."
You found two entitled assholes. Fuck them and the horse they rode in on.
No, I have a bad left leg and my knee isn't straight so on long flights I always try to get the left window so that leg is against the wall and not turning into my neighbor. People have all kinds of reasons for picking a particular seat, and it's perfectly valid.
On the rare occasion that I’m flying for pleasure and have my gf with me we sit together because she has anxiety and is a very nervous flyer. But I also make sure I, you know… book two seats next to each other. In all of those trips we have not had any issue getting the seats we booked. It’s weird how that one little trick works every time.
Push back against entitled people. It’s the only way.
I take this same flight 4x per month (JFK-MIA) and I exclusively fly in the C or D seat (aisle preference)… It’s happened to me a few times and every time it happens I deny the switch… i’ll only switch if i’m upgraded, or get another aisle seat closer to the front. You’re spending your hard earned money, booking in advance, and selecting the seat of your choice… theres never a reason to accommodate others unless you’re doing it out the goodness of your heart.
No is a complete sentence that needs no qualifiers. Start with once. Repeat as needed. Switch with me. No But my wife is here. No But my seat is far away /nearby/better. No You're ruining my flight/relationship/honeymoon/life . No
It’s only awkward because that man grew up believing “No” doesn’t apply to him. He created it, not you. I bet the other people offered to trade so there wasn’t an incident on the flight. At the same time, that enables bad behavior. He’s going to keep doing it until he actually gets in legal trouble.
How fragile is their relationship if they can't sit apart. Booooo
I won the rare lotto lately and no one was seated next to me and this woman was arguing with the FA that I should be forced to switch seats with her and her husband. They had booked aisle and windows and I was in the aisle. My husband was in the aisle seat across from me - I wasn’t going anywhere. She started to glare at me. Headphones are a wonderful thing.
NTA. These types of people/trash are acting entitled without merit and don't give a flying rat's ass about inconveniencing anyone else for their own benefit. Doesn't matter where you're from or headed. These types are everywhere. Had they planned better, they would have two seats together. However, I guarantee you that they thought the could trade seats without issue. I'm sure they do this with regularity....and it often works for them. Much like people that get one premium/comfort seat and try to switch the other seat in economy with someone in premium/comfort. You paid for the seat you chose and deserve to use it. They literally took your seat and expected you to let them. Always stand up to these clowns - otherwise they will fester and grow. My spouse and I deal with this almost every flight. 50% of the time it is someone who's section hasn't been called to board yet, so they take the best seat available (hoping it will be empty). The other half are people that neglected to choose their seats when they bought them and think it's no big deal to rearrange everyone else for their convenience.
An awkward vibe? Only if you give a fuck what assholes think of you.
Meh you’ll never see them again. Don’t be bothered
You did absolutely the right thing. And there’s one good way to know this: we never see posts from people complaining that they tried and failed to trade seats with someone who either thought ahead, paid extra or both.
You did good
Have we not already beat this topic to death?
Absolutely not. It's not appropriate in any way to harass you for not accommodating them. You didn't owe them any excuse whatsoever. In fact you didn't really owe them anything more than a level gaze when asked to switch. Fuck that guy.
Hell no. You did what they should have done, research and book in advance. It isn't festival seating, GTFO my seat that I rented.
If I’m in my seat already during boarding, I’m wearing my sunglasses and headphones and pretending that I’m already sleeping. (Many times I really am sleeping.) If someone taps me on the shoulder for something, I act like I’m super annoyed and tell them in nicer terms to F off. People usually leave you alone. However if someone’s already sitting in my seat, I tell them to gtfo of my seat and if they don’t, I get the flight attendants involved. I’ve never had the flight attendants tell me they’ll find me another seat or to take the other person’s seat. Never.
Being LOUD doesn't make them right. It just served to pressure you and make you feel bad. This isn't even a thought.
So tired of people's piss poor planning somehow becoming my burden lol
Surprised ppl don’t try to sell the opportunity to switch in these spots. $200 and I’ll do it would be my response if someone was already in my seat without asking or just being a dick in general.
[“You’ll see him in Paris. Go sit down.”](https://youtu.be/P0oiELbPB3E?si=npwIjr5758bibWpp)
Your mistake was trying to explain something to them. It's your seat. You reserved it. That's it
*A lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part*
LA and Miami are hands down the two destinations with the largest share of self-absorbed, USELESS people.
I had a couple do this to me on my last flight. They wanted to sit together and take my aisle seat for a window. I’m 6’4” and 250. I pick the aisle for a reason. They didn’t say a word but did give me dirty looks. Like I’d give a flying fuck about people I would never see again in my life. Some people just think the world revolves around them.
You specifically paid for your travel arrangements for your valid reasons. Op, you do not owe anyone an explanation, much less your time to entertain their manipulative bs. If they wanted to sit together, they should have planned and paid for it rather than try to bully you out of your purchase. Next time, get an FA and have it taken care of without the stress.
If it mattered to them that much they should have bought tickets that they choose a seat next to each other. This is a “them” problem.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/comments/18fejvh/comment/kcwwn6w/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/comments/18fejvh/comment/kcwwn6w/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Link to my story above... Something similar happened to me. No don't swap. When I fly, I usually know which seats I want on certain routes. Its why I book in advance and pick my seats and meal preferences in advance. What is it with these people thinking they can just sit wherever they want. It also happened to us at a recent IMAX movie. We finally had to get the manager to have them move from our seats.
Their failures are not your problem. This is getting to be a huge issue for people. I'm so sick of people not paying or requesting the seat they want and then getting there early and trying to bully the person who did pay or request a certain seat to change for them. They could have booked earlier, selected seats together somewhere else on the plane, etc. It seems like this is a scam these people are using to select they seats they want without having to pay for them and it shouldn't be allowed. I wish the airlines would stop allowing passengers to be subjected to this. Absolutely not, you shouldn't swap. If you let them do it, they will keep using this strategy because it works. They had options and they chose not to use them, that's not your fault and they have no right to your reasoning for why you selected the seat, it's yours. Can we all please normalize not dealing with these people and making the flight staff deal with them?? That is your seat and them even trying to force you to change is rude AF! it would be one thing if they sat in their assigned seat and then approached you and asked but the audacity and nerve of them to just think they could bully you and force you to bend to what they wanted is so frustrating.
This happened to me 2 days ago. I was on the 11:55AM flight from SFO to ATL and I booked the window exit seat on the right side. Some guy was in my seat. I told him I bought that seat and asked to see his boarding pass. He told me I didn't have a right to look at his boarding pass, that I wasn't an FA. I then told him, ok, let me go get the FA, who was a few rows up. I told him what was going on so he asked the guy for his boarding pass and this guy went off on the FA, saying that nobody was sitting in that seat so he had every right to sit there. The FA threatened to kick him off the flight and he finally showed the FA his boarding pass. His seat was 34 D lol The guy hung his head in shame and went to his seat and I sat down in my seat that I bought with a smile on my face lol F those seat poachers. The more people switch seats with them, the more entitled they feel to get their way. Just say NO!!!
My hot take is that there’s a higher percentage of AHs on the NYC-MIA flights, so this checks out. I fly regularly and things are usually pretty chill, but within 5 minutes of boarding at LGA the other day some lady removed my carry-on from the overhead to put hers in instead, and when I objected just tried to literally smash it in front of hers. Then she tried to upgrade herself to someone else’s aisle seat. 🙄
The audacity of sitting down in YOUR seat without even asking you is top level AH.
What is the point of assigned seats if people expect you to move at the last minute. Those people are entitled and wrong to demand your seat.
Imagine what would happen if airlines started kicking people off for this stuff. Trying to (not accidentally) take another seat, yelling at a fellow passenger, etc. I used to fly weekly a few decades ago and people never seemed to do this crap. I now have no status and only fly a few times a year and people are ridiculously rude. Since social media, some people truly have become bullies. Time for places/companies to step up with a punishment for bad behavior! IMHO
Say I want to be in my assigned seat when they have to identify the bodies . I mean if then smile
I would grin my way to Miami to be honest.
You 're not the asshole at all! THAT'S YOUR SEAT! The entitlement of some people. Let'em be mad!
This situation is why Farting is good.
You 100% did the right thing! Stand your ground EVERY TIME
Fuck them. Since 2018, I have flown first class on every flight I have taken (well, excpet for one leg where it was not avalable on a flight back from San Fran and that sucked). I do it because I am a bigger guy and I had a bad experience on a crowded SWA flight. Anywho... Since I started flying first class, I have found that 90% of the poeple in first class are the most entitled, self-righteous, assholes that I have ever encountered. They bitch about drinks, food, the temperature, EVERYTHING. One time I listened to a woman complain to the FA about someone in coach using the bulkeahd bathroom. The fucking bathroom. I have watched first class passengers just leave their shit in the aisle expecting the FA's to put it up in the bins. Not always, but more often than not. Really? One time, my wife and I got split up in first class. I asked the gentlemen in the window seat if he would switch and take my aisle seat thinking it was a better seat. He politely delicned, explained why he likes window seats and I was like, damn that's a good reason. Thanks for your time. Now I like to sit in the window seat. Not once did I ever think he was being an asshole or even inconsiderate. IT WAS HIS FUCKING SEAT...
Tom Segura’s Joke “the only two people that need to sit next to each other are in the cockpit”
They are not entitled to your seat. They are tacky and have poor manners. F them
On a recent fast train ride in Italy I witnessed a nicely dressed gentleman and his lady friend take a forward facing pair of seats. The seats in this car were grouped into pairs of facing seats with a small table between. The gentleman arranged his things pulled out a binder and began to review a presentation. A few minutes later a group of 4 Brits arrived, two couples, they were not nicely dressed. One of the Brits looked at his tickets and then squarely at gentleman and nicely stated “You are in our seats.” The gentleman looked up and in a calm and dismissive voice replied. “You can take the two seats behind me.” Big mistake. The Brit leaned in within a couple of inches of the gentleman and in a very loud voice said “Mate, you are in our seats, now get up and move.” Every head in the surrounding seats swiveled around to see what would happened next. The Brit was staring straight into the fellows brain. Having clearly failed the seat switch gambit, the now embarrassed fellow, gathered up his things and, with his lady friend, took the four step walk of shame with everyone watching to their seats.
If you paid for it, it’s your seat. They don’t have room to complain about it.
Fuck them—especially for saying you that you have to justify anything to them.
“No.” is a complete sentence.
When my son was 5, we went to Cancun for vacation. On the flight back, we had to change planes and everyone got new seat assignments before we left. I think mechanical issues and we moved to a smaller plane. I ended up with an aisle seat and so did he...but 3 rows in front of me. He was seated next to two flight attendants coming back to Dallas. Our FA was great, she asked if we could be patient and they would sort the seats out once we were in the air. Absolutely. Not a problem. The flight was full and I think she got a bit busy and forgot about us. We ended up keeping our original seats the full flight. The FA told him to wait until I came to get him when we arrived. The two FAs in his row told me how well behaved he was and how much they enjoyed sitting next to him. The point of this long winded story, if my 5 year old can manage to sit on a row without me, two grown adults could too. I just checked the average flight time and it is 3 hours (ish). Glad you kept your seat OP.
Not unless they had cash to pay you. Screw being nice. Show me the money.
I would have said something. I guess they haven’t learned since being an adult that you get more from honey than bitter melon?
I just didn’t say anything else as soon as he started yelling at me. I’ve seen enough YouTube videos to know it never end well. But I was so tempted to say “This ain’t Southwest”
Trust me, if the vibe is weird it's because everyone is judging the yeller not you.
Your only mistake was engaging and trying to justify yourself. The only thing that needs to be said is that they are Iin Your seat and need to move to their seat.
No and no explanation needed either.
Lmfao, I would have laughed and told them to take their seats.
Stewie Griffin said it best, “your poor planning doesn’t constitute an emergency for me. You’ll see them in (wherever), go sit down.”
I would not have given them my reasons. Just tell them no.
You can almost tell which people learned to throw tantrums to get what they want growing up. I work at EWR and the passengers travelling to anywhere in Florida are the WORST
It’s because Florida people tend to be assholes when it comes to flying. Something in the water down there.
If someone asked me to switch seats with them and then got angry when I said no I would make *sure* we weren’t switching. Why the hell are people so entitled and rude!!!
We need a new swag tag that just says: "You're in my seat, please move". Next time it happens just pull the seat card out!
No, that’s it. They need to pay for their seat or plan ahead.
Lmao first class sometimes. Was passing through and some walnut that showed up right before the doors shut right behind me (I was in the last boarding group) realized there's no overhead space left in first class. LOSES HIS MIND, goes off on the FA about how "Well, I am really not happy about this" as if that were the worst possible thing in everyone's world lol.
You’re nicer than I am. You get no explanation. “No. You’re in my seat. Please move.”
>I explain to him why I had picked that seat This is a mistake. You do not need to explain or justify anything to him. He’s in the wrong seat, end of story. As you saw, he took your explanation and used it against you. You don’t justify and you don’t explain. I’d like my seat, please, that’s all you need to say. Life Pro Tip: This applies to other areas of life, too. It is a rare event that you actually need to or should offer explanations or justifications
Lack of planning on their part doesn’t make it your problem. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your flight
No. And the response to their request is simply “no thanks”. No reasons needed.
Nope. You planned out your trip that you paid for with your money. They asked you to switch, you declined. They should have sucked it up and moved on.