To ask someone sitting in my reserved seat on a train to move?

[walterwhitesgf]

Yesterday I boarded my train home, which was full and found someone in my reserved seat. Not unusual in itself .There were two young women, obviously together in the pair of seats, one of which was mine, the window seat. I said 'I'm sorry I think you are in my seat ' to the one in my seat . Much eye rolling and huffing on her part and she said snappily 'well you may have a reserved seat but in which coach? I replied 'in this one, Coach C '. More huffing but she did start to get up and squeezed out past her her friend in the aisle seat. She didn't get up for me to get into my seat just turned sideways and indicated I should just squeeze past. Anyone who travels by train will know its almost impossible to do that so I had to ask the young woman to get up so I could take my seat. She was very unhappy about it and they both started moaning about having to move again. Then someone else came along who had reserved the seat next to me i.e. the one the second young woman was settling herself back down in. You can imagine the result ... she did move for this man but was very very unhappy about doing so. Anyway the reason I am posting is , a few minutes later I overheard a man saying to his partner that he didn't think we should have asked them to move as they were settled in their seats. His partner disagreed . All the seats have a display which indicates if the seats are reserved or not and from which station to which destination, so these young women knew they were in a seat that someone else had reserved. I have never felt bad before about asking someone to move but the overheard conversation made me feel uncomfortable , I am not sure why. Minor wrinkle in a day I know I just wondered what other people felt

[5madthings]

Yanbu, I often travel with the madthings on my own, ds2 has asc and I book seats for myself and all five children as often we are doing 4-5hr journeys. I have had people be grumpy with me especially as they are moving for children. But the train is often packed and I am not standing that length of time with five kids.

[barbecue]

Just get on the train and sit where you can and without fear of someone coming along and trying to move you later on.

As long as you're prepared that on a busy train, with no reservation you could be standing all the way, or not sitting with the people you're travelling with.

[barbecue]

I think it is a little tiny bit unreasonable if there are lots of empty seats that are the same on the carriage

If you're unlucky, the train might get far busier later in the journey and someone will expect you to move from the seat you've reserved, and the first person won't move from your own reserved seat as you forfeited it earlier. I know that sounds unlikely, but on a long journey I'd still ask to sit in my reserved seat. If the carriage is fairly empty then the non-reserver can easily sit somewhere else.

[emms1981]

I had this once. I was about 16 and travelling alone from Portsmouth. I found my reserved seat and there was a man sat in it. I said that's my seat and he just pointed to another and said that's free. It was across the table from him, I don't like travelling backwards, he sat there randomly slapping his face for the journey

[VivaLeBeaver]

I frequently travel on the main East Coast line and there are often reserved seats where people don't turn up. But I do think if the person claims their seat then the other person needs to move.

I always reserve a seat.

Last week the reservation cards hadn't been put out and at boarding they were announcing that reservations weren't valid. Luckily I was quick on so got the seat I was expecting to sit in.

There were a family sat in a table seat opposite me and then the people who had the reservations turned up and turfed them out. I felt sorry for both parties. The family had no idea the seats had been reserved as no cards out. The train was then full and they had no seats. Have to admit if Id been the family I wouldn't have moved then. Not once Id heard the tannoy saying reservations weren't valid.

[Katisha]

Barbecue sorry I wasn't clear. I mean I would prefer the free reservations thing not to happen at all so that people can sit anywhere. From my experience it just causes aggravation. Maybe if there was an extra fee to reserve a seat it would be a different matter but as it is, it just causes difficulties.

[OnlyLovers]

YANBU and they were rude and ungracious. What's wrong with some people?

However, YABU to have said 'I'm sorry I think you are in my seat'. I know it's quite British, but a smile and a pleasant 'Please excuse me; that's my seat' is polite enough IMO.

[ShuShuFontana]

it's mostly because it is not compulsory to sit in a seat you have reserved so folks will reserve a seat and then get on the train and sit wherever they please.

it should not be possible to reserve a seat unless you are on a specific train, so all these folks with open tickets can go to hell, reserving seats that are never going to be used.

it should also be possible to use the same sort of system as for flights...if planes can do it why can't trains?

When I am Queen not sitting in your own reserved seat will be a Very Serious Offence.

dh and the children had a stand off with a very snooty lady who insisted they were in her seats....dh is very particular about his train bookings so this scenario was unlikely to end well for her.

She tutted and accused, pointed and insisted they move. Dh refused. She said she would summon the Guard, dh suggested she did, and asked gently if she was sure she was on the right train

She went a bit mad at that suggestion and then demanded to see dh's tickets.

He refused and the Guard arrived, and promptly inspected CrossLady's tickets which were for the train on the next platform

She got a slow handclap as she chivvied her husband and luggage across the station.

[OnlyLovers]

it should not be possible to reserve a seat unless you are on a specific train I didn't think it was. Does this really happen?

[AliceInSandwichLand]

and what about the people who put bags on seats and refuse to move them even when the train is full? I hate them all

[ProudAS]

OnlyLovers when I travel to London with work I have a reserved seat abd sit in it on the outward journey. On the return journey if I happen to be at the station early I will get on the previous (quieter) train. I doubt my reserved seat goes to waste as someone would realise fairly quickly that I haven't turned up and grab it themselves.

[OnlyLovers]

Proud, yes, I see what you mean. I think I got the wrong end of the stick and thought ShuShu was talking about something slightly different; I thought she was saying that you can actually reserve a seat that's 'moveable' ie you can book seat 12 in coach A for either the 7.45pm or the 8.15pm.

I realise now that I was being dim.

[OnlyLovers]

And yes, I agree; if there's a seat with a reserved ticket on my train and no one sits in it at the station specified, I'll assume the bookee hasn't got on the train or is sitting elsewhere.

[Fluffyears]

Alice, I ask them politely to move the bag and if they don't I then sit on it. I'm not a dainty little thing so they world.

[TheCatsMother99]

YANBU.

I've reserved seats and also been in the position where I borrowed a reserved seat (but left the seat before the stop it was reserved from so they'd never know).

[Andrewofgg]

It's unanimous.

But what would we do if the usurper was heavily pregnant (and we are able-bodied, fit, male or non-pregnant female, of course) and the train was full?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I was travelling Eurostar to Paris the other week and found a woman sitting in my seat. I politely pointed this out, and she thrust her ticket in my face, showing the seat and carriage reservation, both correct. Only she was going to Brussels and was on the wrong train.

[ProvisionallyAnxious]

Ah, seat reservation memories.

Memory one: getting on a fairly busy train with my DH. Long journey so had reserved and wanted to sit together, but found two people in our seats who didn't seem to be travelling together. As one of the people was a slightly older lady I said to DH we'd have a quick look for another free pair to avoid making her get up to get another seat. Couldn't find a pair but there were several single seats left and went make and asked if they could move. The guy moved happily but the lady glared and had a go at us for being indecisive!

Memory two: travelling alone on a very busy train and clocking, as the train pulled up, a lady very comfortably spread across a pair of seats with newspaper, G and T, handbag etc. Got a sinking feeling and of course my seat was the window seat next to her. She looked so surprised when I asked to get in as the seats had been booked at two different points on the journey, so she'd only looked at the top reservation on the card, which showed stations which had passed, rather than mine. I felt awful as she huffed about moving her stuff. It was a very socially uncomfortable two hours!

The third one that springs to mind is of travelling with a friend and the train company had messed up and sat us at seats one in front of another rather than together (both window seats, I think). The second seat in each pair were both booked for the same station further along the route so I suggested we sit as a pair until that station and then, if the people who got on were travelling together, ask if they minded sitting together or indeed if the train company had messed up their booking as well. It was a couple who got on, but the man looked mighty affronted at the thought that he would want to sit next to his partner / wife! She said they'd sit together but it did make us laugh later...

[CobblerBob]

We once turned up at to a train with two tiny kids in tow, buggies, luggage, the works, to find four people sitting in our seats in the middle of a full blown, table LADEN with food, main meal. The train was packed. They made a right scene but I was adamant. They refused to move - yes they knew it was reserved but as they were eating they felt we should just let them sit there! One even went to get the guard as we stood, looming over them with a cranky baby and toddler and an increasingly angry me. The guard thankfully turfed them out, despite a huge scene and they then demanded that he put them in first class "because we were disturbed whilst dining!" He didn't thank goodness. The sense of entitlement was extreme. What gets into these people?

[scribblegirl]

DH had this the other day, little old lady in his spot. He let her have it, bless him, but it's a lose lose really.

I think the rule should be that if you'd give up your seat for them anyway then it's the same result really.

[OnlyLovers]

I felt awful as she huffed about moving her stuff.

YOU shouldn't have been the one feeling awful. Obstructive arsehole (her not you!)

[CordeliaFrost]

Procrastinator - right next time I go shopping, I shall look for some sassy pants, someone must sell them!

[southwest1]

To whoever it was that asked, yes you can reserve seats on more than one train, just in case you don't get the one you've planned to.

Also, Cross Country do ten minute reservations so you can reserve a seat up to ten minutes before the train departs from a station. The seat indicator does say may be reserved on route.

I very rarely sit in my reserved seat, mainly as they tend to lump all the reservations together, I just go to the unreserved coach and get a nice quiet table.

[Andrewofgg]

Many of the Virgin trains out of Euston keep one carriage (usually C) unreserved. Of course the moment the platform number flashes up fit passengers with no children make a run for it and it fills up at once.

[Andrewofgg]

CordeliaFrost Sassypants are sold at the grip shop to which MNers are always recommending each other.