refusing to switch seats airplane refusing to switch seats airplane

An influencer has been applauded for refusing to swap seats on a flight so a family could sit together.. Another said: People dont realise that airlines make changes to seats you paid and booked for, months in advance., While one added: The airline separates families all the time even though you book well in advance happened to me.. OR your ESA (emotional support animal). That doesn't mean you need to agree to a bad trade, but don't add to the aggravation by being harsh with them. Commenters said under Peters' video that they would have done the same thing if they were in her position, adding that they didn't think passengers should ever feel pressured to move from the seat they booked, especially when they're not being offered better seat. Disagree, its just compassion for others. I would also get on the plane early and ask the passenger before they got settled in. They asked the netizen if they could change seats with them, to which they politely refused, while also giving them a couple of reasons why. It was a bit awkward, but we all survived and arrived safely at our destination. I am not giving up my seat I paid $82.00 for. I cannot help you, but perhaps one of the attendants can. A holidaying couple has been commended for refusing to bow to pressure from another passenger who asked them to switch seats so her young daughter, who is I have read similar columns like this one. How can I tactfully refuse to switch seats on flights? How should I respond when people question my life choices after just meeting me? I traveled from Boston to Key West with three kids between 6 and 10, and we were not seated together. Im so sick of people thinking its ok to disrupt someone for their lack of planning, one said. Not really. If you are a tall person you may use this explanation: I'm sorry but I chosen the aisle seat because I'm too tall to seat comfortably in the other seats. 80,000 points bonus, 5x points on select travel. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? they have reason to believe that a swap would be more beneficial to them than inconvenient to you), then I would take a more polite, understanding approach. She shut up, was taken into the kitchen area and probably got a warning. This was decades ago and I cant remember why I wasnt in an exit row but a mother sat next to me in the middle and her little boy sat across the aisle in the other middle seat. The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. I also think that anyone should realize that switching seats may be against the contract of carriage, airline rules, or country-specific regulations. Of course, that never happens. But thank you for asking!" Stewardess and elderly lady went to front of plane, knocked on pilots door and got what I assume was the assistant pilot. "You don't ask someone to downgrade for your convenience," said one top comment with 46,000 likes. Answer politely and succinctly, give reasons, but don't belabor them. Once on board the plane, which was a packed flight, I was approached by a crew member stating they had a couple who wanted to sit together and asked if I would give up my seat for them, I refused telling her I was handicapped and I chose my seat based on the closeness of the bathroom which was still a short walk. Replacing broken pins/legs on a DIP IC package, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. If this verbal deception doesn't sit comfortably with your personal moral code then you could infer non-specific discomfort with the request by gripping the seat arms and giving a shake of the head with an ashen look on your face. Another commented: 'Bro I'm sick of people asking to switch seats. I didnt say anything but thought after that I should have said no but didnt want to cause a scene. And if there were none left, they could have called the airline and figured it out ahead of time. It was funny at first. Re: Seat Switch Refusal-Part 2 (or 3) u got to hold your ground, rise above the nastiness and get into your zen zone. Wow, can you believe that? sighed one passenger after a parent started fussing about his refusal. Little did the guy know the womans husband was watching from a corner. The debate around airplane etiquette has reached fever pitch in recent months - but it has been reignited once again by an influencer who refused to switch seats. One other thought on switching. This is your wedding. Plus, 3x points on gas and $100 annual hotel savings. For example I am generally happy to swap seats if it helps someone out, but also have no inhibition against asking someone for a swap if it means I can be closer to a friend of family member (sometimes booking seats together just doesn't quite work out for one reason or another). The man was traveling from Athens (ATH) to either Newark (EWR) on However if their request is reasonable (i.e. In literally hundreds of flights, I have been asked only twice to change seats, once by the flight attendant to allow a very elderly and frail woman to sit next to a member of her family, who was seated next to me. I would not use the approach of pretending to think the request was an offer (as suggested in other answers), unless the asker phrased it as such, because to me it sounds obviously disingenuous. The flight was roughly ten hours and around this time of year, it's extremely hectic. They'd still all be together," said one commenter. Your frustration mid-flight wouldve hardly started until you hear a screaming kid near your seat. It turned out that the gentlemen beside me now was her husband. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. WebAITA for refusing to switch airplane seats twice? In a TikTok post which has now garnered more than 900,000 document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 60,000 points bonus, 3x points on dining, $50 annual hotel credit. Usually I would switch, it depends on the situation. I recently had an AA flight from Atlanta to LA, and paid for a preferred seat on the aisle as I usually do. From what I've seen, last-minute requests to change seats are usually because of factors beyond the person's control, like a family got rebooked after their original flight was canceled. Of course, I agreed. A passenger has been praised online after refusing to swap seats twice on a 10-hour flight. If it was really about sitting together, why didn't they ask the people 20 rows back if they'd like the better seats upfront? However, a pilot made a shocking revelation why switching seats before a takeoff can be very dangerous. Many passengers are downright with their refusal | Photo: Pexels/athena, SEAT SWAPS BEFORE TAKEOFF CAN BE RISKY, CLAIMS PILOT. I had settled into my aisle seat. I made friends with a woman whom I see at my kids play dates and in the park. The last time I bought tickets for a flight I did so in advance and chose seats then when preparing to board, was assigned a completely different seat! "NTA (not the a**hole). Can you explain this part? ALWAYS ask for your money back if you dont get the seat you PAID for. Also, it doesnt matter if you paid extra or chose the most appealing freebie seat, the seat allotment printed on your boarding pass belongs only to you. Any number of passengers could have done so to accommodate those families. They should have had the crew member move out of that premium seat and let either me or this guy sit there. It's the same as leading with "thank you for your patience" tends to make people more patient, or telling a child you've just met about how well-behaved you've heard they are. You have to sit next to someone? Airlines oversell their scheduled flights to a certain extent in order to compensate for no-shows.. Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? Requests to change seats should be made to the flight attendant not to the passenger. It was usually an individual request. This was a very critical situation because the runway was very short, and we would not have been able to stop, pilot Magnar Nordal explained. But in the last year as restrictions have eased, travelers have begun booking vacations and business trips again and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that U.S. airlines carried over 71.2 million scheduled service passengers in May 2022. News.com.au ran a poll asking whether the passenger whom Aussie man Jay Kloss asked to switch seats with should have given it up and a massive 83 percent of the 7,178 readers voted No. Its one of the most common excuses of all. Thats a hard no. Finally, the elderly lady said she would just sit elsewhere. While some said they had previously felt disappointment when other passengers turned down their requests to move seats, others said that as parents, they felt it's solely their responsibility to ensure they booked seats together with their children. Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been, Perhaps rather than "thank-you, for asking." Yes, they want your seat. 60,000 bonus points. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Since it's somewhat unclear, I want to clarify the tone I aim to set: The intention is to show them I am assuming they have good intentions, not to be patronizing or sarcastic. This is rude, one said. An influencer said she refused to swap seats on a plane so a family could sit together. But I digress. We will not stop that. Talk to the flight attendant if you don't like your seat. A cabin crew member explained her thoughts on this, saying: Most airlines make people pay upwards of 50 extra bucks to sit in those seats and charge them when they book the ticket. (Maybe its all three!) RELATED: How to Get the Exit Row For Free. He asked if the man seated in the aisle would mind switching with his wife in the window seat. You werent wrong to politely refuse a request to move. And I, as well, really dont care how adorable your kids are. This dear, young woman ended up sprawling all over the poor lady sitting next to her. On flights, seatmates (strangers near my seat) have asked me to swap my aisle seat (reserved in advance, sometimes paid for), usually to my disadvantage as their seat has some snag (dirtier, narrower, too close to lavatory). It leaves the door open for them to propose something different that still satisfies my requirement; if a family is trying to do seat-Tetris to sit together, maybe that information helps them. Its best to put others before yourself, despite what some others may think. Of course, I said yes. Worst Seatmate Ever: Frequent Flyers Reveal Their Worst Experiences, The 7 Dirtiest Things on an Airplane, According to a Flight Attendant. I am 80+ years old and have a brace on my left leg. In a TikTok post which has now garnered more than 900,000 views, Audrey Peters toasts the camera with a glass of fizz.. I was very upset but it was too late to complain. Why say you're sorry? One of the male passengers climbed over the seats to avoid any physical contact with her. Yes, its a tough situation with all the traveling Dynamics but I think youre within your rights to want to keep the seat that you have unless theres not an upgrade or a reasonable alternative or similar seat available. ESPECIALLY when your flight is canceled and the airline is responsible for your choice seat loss on your rebooked flight. If the request does not come from a flight attendant, just say. Not the first person to refuse to swap seats on a flight, a couple earlier this year was praised for refusing to swap seats with a frightened girl, and another woman was cheered after she didn't give up her seat for a "rude" mom and child. I politely declined. Unfortunately it was an uncomfortable flight since he could barely fit in his seat. Instead simply express your unwillingness to move e.g. as in, "this can be their problem, not mine". That doesn't obligate me to sit in a less-comfortable seat by other criteria. Audrey Peters, a content creator from the US, said a stranger had asked her to move to a middle seat - leaving her laughing over the unfair request. The debate around airplane etiquette has reached fever pitch in recent months - but it has been reignited once again by an influencer who refused to switch seats. He ignored her and looked at the guy at the window in the same row. I didnt think fast enough to make that request. For instance, a person named Onne Vegter explained on Quora hed refused to swap seats with a woman because she wasnt willing to give up on her emergency exit seat. If you want to avoid having to cave to peer pressure or looking like the bad guy by not switching seats to accommodate families, then book a seat in the exit row I am an organized person. Im not exactly clear whether your objection to the plus one is that his sister is unmarried, her P.D.A. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Garg says she was asked to move seats so a mom could sit with her teenager, but The lady in that seat was moved one row back. This puts the interaction on a positive footing. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone. I acknowledge that this avoidance tactic is perhaps the bottom of the barrel with regard to interpersonal skills! Also, our wedding is taking place across the country, and including this man in wedding events over several days doesnt sit right with me. Now, its getting annoying. Obviously, there are a lot of variables involved. It may seem impolite to downright refuse a parents request to sit next to their child, but others would consider it rude to even ask in the first place. Some people will be bad tempered about having their request declined, however polite, however reasonable you are, and however good your reasons for declining. It has been a turbulent few years for the aviation industry, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic putting a halt to worldwide travel. I asked where he was and stewardess pointed out the husband in the very back of first class. Thanks for reading! News.com.au ran a poll asking whether the passenger whom Aussie man Jay Kloss asked to switch seats with should have given it up and a massive 83 percent of The traveler stated that they despise aisle seats due to always being bumped by trolleys and other people. Justin Kase zsixz / Alamy Stock Photo. A man asked if he was in the wrong to ask a fellow airline passenger to switch seats with him so he could sit by his wife. I empathize with people traveling together who wish to sit together, including families, but every legacy carrier has a flexible seating chart that you can monitor from booking time literally until almost boarding time. Pretty much an exact duplicate of this question on Travel SE. I suspect that the answer is "no". Its not my fault the couple didnt reserve seats together. Plan ahead or drive. A couple embarking on their honeymoon failed to book seats together on the plane ride. This is a powerful position to take. There were, however, a few people who sided with Mr Kloss. The New York Times recently featured a story titled: I Refused to Switch Seats on a Plane. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. as well as other partner offers and accept our. And like her, I am NOT your sweet old aunt or grandmother. So it is an aisle seat or business class or better. I usually answer 'Sorry, but I prefer mine, thanks'. Do we really have time to ascertain and give judgement on the circumstances surrounding their seat separation? UPDATED: Heres some good insight from a reader, which will make you think twice about giving anyone attitude for saying no. No Im not switching for a middle seat. She threw a fit when I refused to give up the window seat next to my husband so she could lean against the wall and sleep. Its hard for most passengers to say no to someone who wants to sit beside their loved one. The 25-year-old said a stranger had asked her to move to a middle seat - leaving her laughing over the unfair request. Redoing the align environment with a specific formatting, Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers). You werent wrong to politely refuse a request to move. According to The New York Times, Laura Heywood, 42, was flying to London when she was asked to swap her middle seat with her husband so a man with the window You're probably not, as if you were. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. She got in my face and continued her tirade at lower volume but I took then took the opportunity to say loud enough everyone could her me included 3 stewards standing frozen waiting to jumpdont threaten me again or I will scream and you wont be sitting anywhere other than the police room at the airportI got almost a 100% standing ovation from all within earshot. Ideally, the passenger with a pressing, real need (not just a want) for a seat change thinks ahead and discusses his problem with the agents at the desk in the boarding area, who can alert the cabin crew.