Not to have given up my seat on plane

I basically think yanbu, but were you travelling with the window seat psgr?

In which case you were clearly disapointed your 'Cunning plan' didn't work, with someone allocated 'Your' middle seat.

I always pay for a seat now. Learned my lesson the hard way a few years ago

i thought all families knew the score by now

YANBU, but I must admit to being heartily sick of endless stories like this on social media. I’ve been the victim of this too (I booked a window seat, and a hysterical parent wanted me to swap with her and her teenage daughter so the latter could have a (free) window seat). She also spent most of the flight slagging me off and telling anyone who would listen that it was ‘absolutely disgusting’.

The cheeky bitch! I hope BA also reimbursed your money. I'm seriously annoyed on your behalf.

Bet you book a seat next time 🤣

I’m BA crew, you are absolutely NBU. You paid for the aisle seat so it was yours. If she wanted seats with her family she should have paid too. I would always try to help out and move people if I can but if someone didn’t want to move (especially if they paid) I would not make them.

I’m absolutely fine to be asked…but people have to respect my response. Their lack of organisational skills isn’t my responsibility. I have no moral or legal obligation to move for people who are entitled

Why?
Since when has this been a social expectation?
Just don't talk across the middle seater

You weren’t unreasonable to refuse to swap, although it would have been a nice thing to do, but you were unreasonable to book in such a way that there was an empty seat between you.

If lots of passengers booked seats in this way then it would make it almost impossible for other groups and families to sit together on a flight.

I think the ticketing systems need to make it impossible to leave empty seats between others on a single booking. Some theatres and similar venues already have this built into their systems.

In January I broke my ankle (open fracture) and had to stay to have it pinned. When I was fit yo fly my insurance company paid for an escort and 3 seats for me to put my leg up during the flight. Before take off a woman sat in my aisle seat! Even when my paramedic escort explained we had paid for 3 seats because I needed 3 seats she still insisted that didn't matter! Eventually before take off she moved 3 rows down, we did need the in flight steward to intervene. The entitled walk among us!

Or do as I do. which is to set my phone to remind me to check in on the first day check in opens. Then you usually get seated together and decent seats too. I would only pay for extra leg room.

I completely understand you and your friend booking the seats you wanted. I would not get on a plane if you paid me but I would pay for an aisle if i had to
I don't understand people saying it's weird to leave a gap . The passengers who haven't reserved get this all the time from the airline . What are you all thinking 🧐🤷 it happens all the time sometimes miles apart too . Not as if you have to spend weeks like that . A few hours 🙈, even really long haul you get to see them at the other end FFS.
Totally with you not giving up your seat and she was rude and entitled to start getting narky when you said no, you paid extra for that seat.

I would have offered her the seat at a charge. If she wanted it she could pay. If she isn't willing to pay then fuck off. She obviously knew she could prebook the seat she wanted at a cost.
People are such CF to think you just ask and get it all for free.

This

Did you and your friend book the seats like that hoping no one would sit in the middle? I’m guilty of that once so I get it, me and my friend did this and luckily no one sat there (it was a night flight so minimal talking & we slept the whole way) but if someone did I would’ve been happy to move over/ ask if they wanted to switch

You have to look at it from her point of view aswell, sitting in the middle of 2 people who know eachother is a bit awkward and i do kinda believe when she said you were talking across her. If you didn’t know the other person that would be different. I also get that you paid for the seat so you wouldn’t exactly want to give it up. I think though when booking seats like that you have to bear in mind whoever could potentially sit there and if they would feel comfortable

one time on a flight from Dubai an older Muslim woman asked me to swap BC she "can't" sit by a man. So ridiculous. Each time I told them too bad, not my problem. Good for you for standing your ground

again if that's actually a "need", the woman should have requested a seat next to a female when she booked

We always pay for extra legroom because my DH has a medical issue, however because I’m short people always ask to swap seats. Pisses me off because no, we paid for these seats to ensure we get them

If it's to accommodate a medical issue why don't you request them? You shouldn't have to pay in that case.

I see that it's "normal" to hope that the middle seat doesn't get used. I don't think I'd rely on that unless it was a Tuesday lunchtime in January or something!

I’m lucky enough to be in the position that I can pay extra to get the seats I want. I have travelled a lot and had this so many times as was often traveling alone, the thinking was it didn’t matter where I sat. I would rarely swap to be honest unless it really suited me. Hate the aisle and middle seats, I always get a window.

Not unreasonable at all, if she wanted to pick her seat she should have paid, end of. I've had this happen to me a few times for a few diff reasons. Me and my husband both hate middle and window seats so we always choose aisle seats across from each other. Countless times someone has asked one of us to swap to be closer to their family, BC they wanted an aisle, and one time on a flight from Dubai an older Muslim woman asked me to swap BC she "can't" sit by a man. So ridiculous. Each time I told them too bad, not my problem. Good for you for standing your ground.

If the lady who asked was between you and your friend, I'd have moved. I can't see the point of being split up. Why didn't you book two seats together if you were going to the trouble of booking seats?

I wish the airlines would stop this nonsense though. Just allocate seats (together) when people book - those who book first get the seats nearest the front of the aircraft. Done.

You were not being unreasonable -the woman was being a cheapskate. If it mattered that much to her to sit with her family she should have booked a seat. Good for you for sticking to your guns!

I'm interested to know if you'd said "yeah sure that's £xx" whether they'd have been quite so arsey. If you paid they aren't any more entitled to it than you are!

Not unreasonable at at. You pointed out that you had paid for the seat, maybe you should have offered to sell it to her! 😆

Wrong! I have never have done this and never even thought people did this till I read OP. As there is no mention of a particular preference for window and aisle in the OP, but plenty about the previous flight being cramped, it is reasonable to assume they hoped the middle seat would be empty. Subsequent to this, others on this thread have admitted to doing this.

Yup. I don't understand the people who talk about chatting to their seatmate, whether they know them or not. It's too loud! I put on noise cancelling headphones the instant the flight starts and don't take them off till the end. I need an aisleseat. DD likes the window. None of us, including the middle seat person, generally interact except to pass trays/garbage. I always tell the middle seat person they can have the arm rest (though I once had someone raise the armrest when I was up walking and she overflowed onto my seat. She was so nice I didn't have the heart to call her on it. DH goes across the aisle on another aisle seat if we fly together. Air France allows seat selection with purchase, except for the very basic/no luggage fare. When my flight was cancelled due to a strike they put me in a middle seat on the replacement flight but gave me the bulkhead so I could get up as needed.