Not to have given up my seat on plane

I travel on my own and have been asked by the crew if I would mind moving. I always book an aisle seat so my reply is ‘I don’t mind moving as long as it is to another aisle seat.’ I agree that if people want to sit together , they should book their seats. DD and I don’t mind if we don’t sit together on a short flight! We often book opposite aisle seats.

It isn't unusual at all. Lots of people don't like the middle seat. And even if it were...so what? That's the point of reserving specific seats; so that if it's important to you to sit somewhere in particular, you can pay to do that.

Nobody is obliged to reserve their seat depending on what someone who hasn't reserved one might prefer!

@Inkyblue123 I would have said the at I'd swap for the window seat so they could sit next to each other - see how well that would have gone down!
I'm flying out on easyJet and have booked a window seat for myself. My kids (19 and 20) are flying out afterwards and I've booked the aisle seats on either side of the aisle, so no one has to sit in the middle yet they are still close to each other. This seems a fair thing to do - the flight is likely to be full and inevitably someone would be between them if I'd done as OP did. On the way back we are three together.

I had a similar scenario. I was flying back from italy and feeling really ill with a bad uti infection that I ended up needing to take antibiotics for. I felt so weak and was desperate to get back home and really needed to be near the bathroom in an aisle seat. I'd booked for this (as could anyone). It took all my strength putting my luggage up above me.

As I was settled, a snooty woman seated by the window asks me to swap with her (adult) Daughter who was seated in a different part of the plane. I said no (probably in quite a firm tone) without giving an explanation.

Anyway, she ended up getting the middle aisle guy to swap which was a right palaver as there wasn't room for his luggage in the new seat. and it was a struggle for him moving as people were coming in the opposite direction to get to their seats making me glad I didn't out of politeness agree. Then she kept making sarky comments about the 'nice lovely polite guy' implying I'm a rude bitch. 🙄

Sorry but if you want a specific seat, book it/pay for it/queue early. Hate entitled people.

Tough, she could have paid to avoid that, it is always a risk.

Yes, it is a well known strategy to try and get more space to yourselves hoping that someone doesn't book the middle seat or are intimidated into moving because they don't want to be talked over.

This woman might well have been happy to be in the middle seat but probably wasn't expecting to be stuck between two people that know each other. That is a really awkward situation to put someone in.

In this case I would have hoped that either you or your friend would have offered to move without even being asked. You paid extra to book a seat, I know but you still would have had the advantage of being seated together rather than in the middle of a couple of strangers.

Yanbu. I'll never swap seats if I've paid to choose mine. And if I haven't, and someone wants to swap and their seat is worse than mine, they can jog on too.

No people pay for what they want, it's simple

They have cheap flights for a reason if people want it all included, the price would be higher so it's no different but regardless if you want specific seats book them it is not rocket science

It's not simple though. As multiple people have pointed out, it's actually quite an unusual thing for friends who want to sit together to do.

I would never swap an aisle seat for a middle seat. I would have thought everyone would realise what a bad swap that this! I only swap like for like.

Actually that's a smart idea... just say I paid £xx for this seat and I'm happy to move if you refund me ! Cash only !

I never fly without booking my seat - and paying for it - so of course I wouldn't move. If a passenger is stupid enough not to book their seat, then they go where they are al,located. It's blindingly obvious.

On the one hand, I don’t blame you for not moving. I like to have an aisle seat, and I’ll gladly pay the extra for this. I did move once for an entitled couple who were nowhere near each other, but they didn’t utter a word of thanks, so never again.

Otoh, unbelievable that you and friend booked aisle and window seats. I’ve flown loads, and I reckon on maybe one or two occasions have been lucky in having an empty seat next to me. It just rarely happens, in my experience.

You are entitled to refuse of course but it's really weird for two friends to book seats on the same row with a gap between. Did you assume it would be empty? Also it meant you talking across the middle person and the middle person talking across you to her own family. I'd definitely have swapped in that situation.

Because one of them wanted the window, one wanted the aisle. It's very simple.

Why did you book leaving an empty seat between you? I'm not clear on that bit.

Just think how wonderful it would have been if the woman had been offered a chance to book the seat she wished,, oh wait . She was. She decided not to spend the money and take what she was given. As such, if given the middle She was always going to be between two people. And yes in a ,of of instances they may know each other.

she declined to pay, her fault. Her problem.

So that also applies to the woman who wanted to sit with her family, yes?

Out*ofthehouse
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How did you get that conclusion from what I wrote?

I typed quite clearly I didn't agree with paying and I don't. I don't think anyone should have to pay and I think when families book they should automatically get seats allocated together. I don't care where I sit. However my son who travels with me is disabled. I inform the airline. It's up to them to decide if they want me sat next to him as his carer or not.

If someone pays for a seat they should have it.
No one paid to the exit seats they allocated my son and I.

I could have actually said to sit my ds behind me and kept the exit myself as I could sit in it.

Not moving from a prepaid seat, fine.

However, you were a total arse for leaving a free seat between you and your friend.

So, I can't really vote.

Booking an aisle and window seat leaving the middle unoccupied is usually considered a dick move , but you’re not unreasonable for keeping the seat you paid for.

I don’t know that I agree actually. Personally I wouldn’t care about being sat in the middle between 2 strangers on a short flight but I would care about being sat between 2 friends because it’s just so awkward! In this case the middle seat occupier sounds quite rude, but if it were me I would have asked the crew politely if there was a free seat elsewhere I could move to. Also presumably the move request happened during boarding, and the Netflix watching was after take off, so she wasn’t to know they wouldn’t spend the whole flight talking over her, presumably they were talking at boarding or else how else would she have known they were together? Yes OP and her mate paid for those seats and are therefore entitled to sit in them but it’s still not a very nice thing to do. In this scenario I would have booked 2 aisles opposite each other. Then no one has to sit in the middle and no awkwardness for a poor stranger!

I couldn’t have put up with that quietly.

After the first couple of times I’d have asked to swop seats with the man, and if that was refused I’d have held my book in the most obstructive position possible.

How old were the kids ? If they were toddlers on their own then I would have been a bit more sympathetic. BUT then she shouldn't have taken the risk that they would be sitting together.