Not to have given up my seat on plane

And how is that being selfish choosing a seat and paying to sit in said seat, then someone who has not paid for the seat wants it??? Who is being selfish there

Inconsiderate, again how.

Why do the dh and pp have to sit next to each other exactly?

I’m sure they can sit and read or watch a movie and it’s no different to people who don’t know each other

Isn't it selfish and considerate to refuse to pay and bank on guilt-tripping those who have paid in order to get what you want?

Next time you go out shopping, are you going to donate the contents of your shopping bag to the first person you see who is worse off than you? Wouldn't it be selfish and inconsiderate not to?

This is such a common situation now, as airlines screw extra money out of families by getting them to pay a premium to make sure they sit together , instead of just booking them seats next to each other.

As someone has said earlier in the thread, social media is full of ' Was I right not to move' stories from single travellers who have paid for specific seats and won't move for families.

As a family, I would make sure we are sat together, even if it meant paying extra, but we live in a very entitled world now, and not everyone would do the same..

Having said that, friends booking seats and leaving a gap in between them is also quite selfish.

So basically, it's OK be selfish and inconsiderate, as long as you've paid money to be selfish and inconsiderate.

They will have definitely had a few exchanges though. So it is a bit weird/awkward and not what I personally would have done. But OP is not in the wrong as she paid for the seats!

I always pay for an aisle seat because I am claustrophobic. I literally would not get on a plane without knowing I definitely had an aisle seat. If someone asked me to swap I'd say, sure, as long as its to another aisle seat. Surely most people realise that the majority of people in aisle seats have paid or want to be there for a specific reason? Claustrophobia, need to be able to get up for the toilet easiy etc. I'd be embarrassed to ask someone to swap an aisle (or a window) for a middle seat. Its an absolute CF piss take.

The other lady could have booked and paid for seats if she was that bothered

OP I wouldn’t have swapped either

BA have charged for seat selection for years now (think 2009).

OP you paid for your preferred seating, as did your friend. You had your seats which you chose to sit in, if others what to do the same then thats up to them to pay the fee and if not, expect to have whats left.

If I travel in a row of 3 with DH we either choose those seats (dont care if anyone in the middle) its what we choose and like, or both isle seat.

You did absulouty nothing wrong.

She sounds like the half-cut idiot on a flight from Sydney to London back in the 90s. Noisy troublemaker from the start, eventually stood up demanding to be let off because she wanted a cigarette.

We were several thousand feet over the Northern Territory desert at the time. Consensus from the other passengers was "Open the door and let her out!"

NBU for booking a seat and wanting to use it, but being stuck between two friends is hell. I don’t book/pay a seat because I don’t mind where I sit and let the airline allocate me one, and if I have the middle seat it’s usually in a row with two other people who don’t know each other which is absolutely fine with me. Once I was stuck between two friends. BIG difference, believe me, even if they claim they don’t talk much to each other during the flight.

Because I don't care which seat I'm in!? Sadly airlines don't have an option to guarantee you won't be sat next to someone rude / obnoxious / smelly / top big to fit in their own seat. If they did, I would happily pay £££ 😂

YANBU. You paid for the seat, it's your seat. I pay extra to select seats every time I fly. I consider it an additional holiday expense that I budget for.

It’s only awkward if the two friends are talking across you. The OP and her friend weren’t doing that. They were sitting with headphones in, separately watching Netflix. How is that any more awkward than sitting between two people who don’t know each other who are both sitting there watching Netflix with headphones on?

If you call up a theatre they will usually waive it and let you leave 1 seat on its own

I prefer aisle but as book in a 3 for dh myself and mini blondes we have window middle aisle

And dh and I swap aisle and middle and dd gets window as likes that

We are abroad at the moment and had people on our flight a week ago not booking and moaning not sitting together

And was asked if aisle could move so they could sit both aisles. Obv we said no

YANBU I’ve just had to spend 5 x the seat booking amount for family x 2 journeys and yes it’s bloody expensive but that’s what you have to do because I would be mortified if we weren’t sitting together and we would have to ask people to move which is bullshit. People should factor it in to the cost of holiday when they have children.

I book an aisle and a window because the middle seat is the worst, being crammed in on both sides and less space.

I don't expect the middle seat to be free because I know that planes are balanced for the weight and certain seats may need to be filled regardless.

(Which is why they don't actually want everyone booking seats to be reserving them unless the plane is full, and also why you can't just go and sit anywhere you like).

I guess I would also book an aisle and window if I was paying . But I tried to book a single seat on a theatre site and because there it left one empty seat , it wouldn't let me .
If you want a special seat on a plane, pay . I never bother as I don't care enough . I would change but not if I end up in worse seat. Short haul flights I don't even mind middle .

I agree with this.

You clearly booked it hoping you'll have extra space if the flight isn't fully booked which didn't materialise. I think it's very awkward to sit in the middle between two people who know each other and knowing the person's family is nearby but separated. I'd have moved, personally.

forgot to add, we always book seats together usually to avoid any situations like this!

unless there was an unusual circumstance I wouldn't switch.
We were once on a flight that was cancelled about 1 hour before the flight was supposed to take off. we took the first available flight that had enough seats, but we were the last on which meant that me, DH, DD4 and DD2 had 4 seperate seats. DD2 and I were in the middle of a large family group of at least 9 adults, so I asked if they would switch so that my 2 year old daughter would not be sitting on her own. They refused. why they wanted to sit with a toddler on her own was beyond me! the flight attendants did ask them to move, as they knew our situation, but the looks I got the whole flight... It was the only time I have ever cried in front of strangers!!

It’s really not.

I like an aisle seat so I can get up and out of my seat easily. I’d say half the people I know go for an aisle seat for the same reasons.

My partner and kids and the other half of people I know like a window seat for the views.

When I’ve flown with just my partner or a friend who likes the window seat, I book an aisle seat, they book a window seat in the same row if possible. We wouldn’t talk loads if there was a person between us.

YWNBU

Loosely related anecdote... I was flying with my Mum. We'd booked 2 aisle seats next to each other. A woman and a boy of about 12 got on, the boy on the middle seat next to my Mum and his mother about 4 rows in front also on a middle seat. My Mum very politely asked if the mother would like to swap so they could sit together. The boy reacted with palpable panic at the idea of having his mother next to him. His mother confirmed that they both preferred to travel separately and in silence 😂

I did swap twice on a recent flight both times for parents with young children. I felt like not doing it 2nd time I was asked (child was about 12) but the Mum looked very stressed out so I swapped. If we had pre-booked I may have taken a different attitude.