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Easyjet flight attendant ( seat related).

271 replies

pinkhousesarebest · 28/02/2025 10:31

Can I preceded this by saying that I have always paid for my seat when travelling with my dc up until a certain age and that I have also often changed seats to accommodate young families? However yesterday on an Easyjet flight, we were asked to swop our paid for seat to the seat behind, with no window so that the woman’s child could see out. No medical reason- just she wanted a view.
I said no, I was fine thanks. About five minutes later another attendant arrived, demanded our boarding passes, scrutinized them furiously. And then began to lambast me because I hadn’t swopped with the woman. She said they had been going to reward us with a free meal but now, because of our lack of humanity, would not. This was at the top of her voice. I said, reasonably, that I had paid for my seat and I would be sitting in it but by this stage she and her colleague were speaking loudly and gesticulating in Portuguese.
Is this acceptable? Surely the airline must accept responsibility for putting this family in this seat( right at the back of the plane. ) How did I become the bad guy in this? It’s still rankling today.

OP posts:
Cyclebabble · 28/02/2025 15:24

I need an aisle seat as I have a medical condition which means I might need to get to the toilet quickly. I would not be giving this up and similarly if I wanted a window seat I would pay and book in advance. I believe that for children there are rules on proximity but this might mean you are diagonal to DC. Therefore the very simple solution is book in advance and pay for your seat. Do not expect those who have to make up for your bad planning.

warningairbag · 28/02/2025 15:23

TorroFerney · 28/02/2025 11:44

And again, easyJet do not serve lunch, they come round with a random assortment of food. Details are importantly when telling a story.

What is wrong with you??

AshKeys · 28/02/2025 15:21

We’ve asked for a swap before and been very pleased that a passenger did so. We had payed for seats together but through a third party booking site and for some reason it didn’t work so we were randomly assigned. We asked the aircrew if they could arrange a swap so DC who has SEN sat beside my husband (they were in window seats in consecutive rows). I think the air stewardess was mostly relieved we weren’t demanding that the rest of us sat together too! She did ask how many of us there were (five) and looked very relieved when I said the rest of us would manage with our random seats.

Linux20 · 28/02/2025 15:20

Were you the only person with a window? Why couldn’t someone else move?

PartyWhatParty · 28/02/2025 15:12

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Meeesh · 28/02/2025 15:07

you were totally in the right and should complain! So so fed up with the entitled attitude of so many people these days! if I want a window seat then I book it and pay in advance. the staff were so wrong to treat you in this way - well done for standing your ground!

myusernamewastakenbyme · 28/02/2025 15:07

Id have moved....but only for a mini bottle of Prosecco🍾🤣

EasternEcho · 28/02/2025 15:07

Hoppinggreen · 28/02/2025 11:36

But she wasn't booted
They supposedly asked her to move, she didn't they muttered a bit and didn't give her some shit food.
No biggie

You may consider being asked to give up something you paid for and being berated for not doing so as "no biggie". But those are your standards. It would bother most.

Jeeekers · 28/02/2025 14:46

Firstly, Easyjet has most vile staff.

Secondly, agree with earlier post that must be some relationship w people behind you. Staff are never nice to anyone, especially children.

(I had a Easyjet flight attendant smell my baby, and their formula when there was a complaint of a chemical smell. Actually requested my child and lifted up to smell his nappy bum. And opened baby milk bottle for another sniff. Like I hid chemicals in there. Of course it was a male attendant. They did not find source of “smell” which I think was someone’s Vicks vaporub)

Lastly … free meal … what’s that worth vs price of your seat? Not a good deal.

mummyh2016 · 28/02/2025 14:45

@SpryUmberZebra they can move you for any reason. The terms won't state specific reasons as to why. I used to be cabin crew.
Saying that though asking you to move for a child to look out of the window is a stupid reason.

Lovelysausagedogscrumpy · 28/02/2025 14:36

TorroFerney · 28/02/2025 11:29

EasyJet don’t do meals.

Yeah, they do. It’s just not food as we know it !!

Lovelysausagedogscrumpy · 28/02/2025 14:33

Hoppinggreen · 28/02/2025 11:04

As long as you can prove it
Please don't cause an issue for someone doing their job if there is any doubt about what happened.
And even if it did happen as you say so what? Somebody upset you a bit, I am sure you will be ok

If OP doesn’t complain nothing will change. If the airline offers the facility to choose seats then they should honour them - not harass paying passengers to essentially pay for someone else to sit there !! It isn’t, or shouldn’t be, the job of the stewards to play musical seats. And there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for the rudeness OP was met with when she refused.

tipsandtoes · 28/02/2025 14:33

TheignT · 28/02/2025 12:24

The attendants were rude but I'd have let a kid have the window seat. If I book seats it's because I want to be seated with whoever I'm travelling with. I think sitting in the last row is a bonus as I always seem to sit in front of someone who kicks the seat, not just on planes.

Why you book a certain seat isn't why other people may book a certain seat.
Don't assume

Drfosters · 28/02/2025 14:33

TheignT · 28/02/2025 14:06

Being kind can bring rewards. I once had tickets for me, kids and ,DH to a big sporting event. The seats were double booked and the other family were very upset so we said we'd move. The attendants said they'd work something out for us. We ended up sitting courtside with players families. My kids got to meet the players, taken on court to play with them in warm up, had photos and autographs and given t shirts.

That’s different though- you would have given seats of equal value or above. You were not disadvantaged. I doubt you would have been willing to swap if you had bought front row seats for a few thousand pounds and then the swapped seats were at the back by the loo which were worth £50 each.

in the flight situation you have paid money (sometimes several hundred pounds) to book the seat on top of the ticket price and then been asked to move. You aren’t then offered the seat booking fare back. You are paying for a service you didn’t receive and should be refunded for it if you are generous enough to move.

.

MeowCatPleaseMeowBack · 28/02/2025 14:32

What unusual behaviour from the flight attendant. Almost unbelievable.

Debrathom · 28/02/2025 14:32

Were you travelling alone? I ask this because, as a solo female traveller I have been asked several times to change seats to accomodate a family. Whether I choose to or not, I'd just like to know if they ever ask solo male travellers to move??

quintessentially166 · 28/02/2025 14:30

Seats can only be changed for 'operational issues' so you have every right to say no and do complain, the way staff treated you is awful. The more people complain about seating issues the staff will be told to react in the right manner ie say no to the entitled few who think they can sit where they like without paying and stop berating those in the right-those who have paid!

Have noticed recently that some airlines announce that no seat changes will be permitted on the flight so perhaps that a start 🤷🏻‍♀️

lezsucks · 28/02/2025 14:29

They had potentially 56 other permutations they could have asked to move to accommodate the desire for a window seat. I'm sure they could have found 2 passengers in a middle and an aisle seat that hadn't paid to select their seat. Surely they could have tannoyed for two passengers in A+B or E+F to move in exchange for a free meal.....if it was that important to the cabin crew.
I never pay with my kids, we always get sat together ( I always hope to be separated ) but it's not happened yet.
YANBU, and I would complain regarding how awkward you were made to feel.

OhCalmTheFuckDownMargaret · 28/02/2025 14:26

pinkhousesarebest · 28/02/2025 12:05

Dolly I can absolutely assure you that it did!
Flight from Lyon - Lisbon last night.
Why on earth would you think for one second that I would waste my time making something like this up??

Oh don't take it too personally. On practically every single thread on here there will be at least one person pop up claiming the OP is making things up.

Lovelysausagedogscrumpy · 28/02/2025 14:25

I’d have told her I’d swap my seat to avoid the meal, not to be ‘rewarded’ with one !!

Seriously, how much extra did you pay for specific seats, because I would have thought if they wanted you to swap with someone who hadn’t paid the extra then the reward should have at least compensated the actual cost.

It’s not on to board a plane, having not secured your own choice of seat and then to basically harass other passengers via the stewards, to give up their own.

And yes, l’d have had both their names and I would be making a very specific complaint to the airline about the way you were treated by the staff, having decided against giving up seats you had secured in advance. I would also be leaving appropriate factual reviews. And don’t forget to point out the bleedin’ obvious. That if airlines offer the facility for passengers to pay extra for their choice of seat, then their stewards shouldn’t be harassing them to try to force them to switch once they’ve boarded, to accommodate CF’s.

TheignT · 28/02/2025 14:22

ScribblingPixie · 28/02/2025 14:12

We've already established what the 'reward' was going to be though - a free easyJet meal, not a seat with the pilots and champagne all the way 😏

That's why I didn't say that would happen.

TheignT · 28/02/2025 14:20

Clarefromwork · 28/02/2025 14:14

Nope, I need to see out of the window so I can check the wings are still attached.

If they aren't id prefer not to know.

TheignT · 28/02/2025 14:17

theressomanytinafeysicouldbe · 28/02/2025 13:03

I had a similar experience with Jet2 last year. DH likes an aisle seat, i'm not bothered, he like to be at the back so I paid and booked the seats when I booked the holiday. We got to our seats and about 5 minutes later a lady came up to us and said we were sat in her seat and I said no i booked these and got my app up with seat numbers, the flight attendant was there and she said well maybe you would like to move along and the lady can sit in the aisle seat and her husband can sit in this aisle seat (opposite) so they can sit together. I looked at DH and said do you want to sit in the window and he said no - he does not like flying. So I said to the attendant DH like to sit in the aisle and we don't really want to be separated (me in the window him in the aisle). Flight attendant was really off with us and another came over started huffing and puffing and then said there is a spare row down here they can sit in and took the lady and her husband further down the plane where they got a full row to themselves.

When they can round with drinks, she first ignored me and then practically threw my card back at me and would not look at me. I'm sure I heard them talking about me in the galley at the back, it made the flight really uncomfortable and it made me feel guilty for not just moving for the woman.

They should not let you pay to book and pick seats if they are going to expect you to move for people.

I wish I had complained. It was 4 months ago now so I suppose its too long ago.

Don't you usually get extra leg room in an emergency exit row? Id have thought that would be snapped up.

Quoted the wrong post somehow. Meant to reply to the post about a child in emergency exitseat and no one willing to swap.

I shouldn't post on phone, fat fingers

insomniacalways · 28/02/2025 14:15

The only time we as a family we have had to ask someone to swap seats was 2 years ago - my kids first time on a plane - when the seating we had booked was in the emergency exit and they don't allow children to be there. I did question why the system had allowed us to book it. I felt awful having to ask people to swap - and the cabin crew didn't offer to help find someone just informed me we couldn't sit in our booked and paid for seating- the people swapping ended up with more leg room so worked in their favour. I felt awful having to ask

Clarefromwork · 28/02/2025 14:14

Nope, I need to see out of the window so I can check the wings are still attached.