Page 2 | To think if you've booked a seat you get a seat?

monroeagogo · 2022-02-26T17:13:40+00:00

Went to the cinema today. Standard Vue. Get there in plenty of time and someone's in our seats. Politely did the 'oops you're in our seats' chat after furiously checking I was right beforehand. Lots of huffing and puffing from them and rolling eyes and they moved to, admittedly, worse seats further down. But WTAF. Surely if you've book a seat in the cinema, on a plane or train, then that's your seat. [confused]

stripeyflowers · 26/02/2022 18:29

Message seems to be - in the event of a chair war, check your own booking dates then ask them to check theirs.

DinnoWoman · 26/02/2022 18:31

Yes. Also: die in your own seat for fewer post-life mixups.

KindlyKanga · 26/02/2022 18:31

@DinnoWoman

Yes. Also: die in your own seat for fewer post-life mixups.

Yeah saves them checking dental records and stuff

Onlyforcake · 26/02/2022 18:33

YANBU. If you're cheekily hoping to bag (better) seats you have to conceed with no complaints. Thems the rules

DinnoWoman · 26/02/2022 18:33

Although if you were to survive you'd have less chance of creating an entirely new life and identity as a ruthless Brazilian mafia boss.

KindlyKanga · 26/02/2022 18:33

@DinnoWoman

Although if you were to survive you'd have less chance of creating an entirely new life and identity as a ruthless Brazilian mafia boss.

This is true. I guess it depends what you want more in event of a crash.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 26/02/2022 18:36

@Bellex We had similar happen too. Long haul flight with my ex husband, paid for our assigned seats (in a row of 3). Young lad allocated the end of our row and his GF further down the plane. He never said a word to us and disappeared for a bit - someone from the crew then came and asked us if we'd move so that the lad could sit with his GF . We said no obviously. So she sat on his knee for the majority of the 9hr flight and we felt we couldn't ask them to move to let us out of our seats. They went and sat in her seat for a while and it was bliss while they were gone.

NinaDefoe · 26/02/2022 18:36

@KindlyKanga

If a plane crashes its best if you are in your ticketed seat it makes it easier to identify you.

If the plane crashes I don't think the seats will still be in neat rows.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 26/02/2022 18:37

I'm not arsed about someone sitting in my seat at the cinema usually. The only times I am is if I have premium seats booked or it's a busy showing and I want to know I can sit with my party.
But unfortunately for me, the only thing I ever seem to watch now is kid films, but usually off peak so quieter screens.

KindlyKanga · 26/02/2022 18:39

@NinaDefoe no put if you're strapped in and they can work out what seat it was they've got a chance

BeaAggressiv · 26/02/2022 18:40

Happened to us yesterday in Vue.

They were in our VIP seats. Much huffing and puffing to go sit in some random normal seats

FangsForTheMemory · 26/02/2022 18:43

It's worse on trains . . . the staff won't enforce seat reservations so if you're a single traveller and a family of four have decided to sit at a table that includes your seat (having moved the reservation card to a completely different seat) there is little you can do. An unpleasant and humiliating experience.

Hankunamatata · 26/02/2022 18:43

Urgh reminds me of days working in cinema. You would get a chain reaction of a couple not sitting in correct seats then others would sit elsewhere rather than asl people to move. Many a time I spent crawling around the theatre after movie had started asking people to move as late comers insisted that they had to sit in their paid for seats. On good nights someone would take comp seat we kept free, on bad nights I could have been shuffling people for 10 mins

DoNotTouchTheWater · 26/02/2022 18:49

@Bellex

The worst one is on planes!

When you pay extra to sit together and in a certain aisle and then someone with kids gets on last and expects the whole plane to move so they can all sit together.

Last time I went on holiday I’d pay extra to sit with my boyfriend. A couple got on the plane last minute with their baby. She was next to us and he was at the back of the plane and he expected me to move to his seat and kicked up a whole fuss when I politely refused. The person at the back also wouldn’t swap as they were the last people on the plane and created a nightmare situation for the overhead cabins. A guy in the row behind offered to swap so they’d at least be near each other but they refused

The worst is on planes because they charge you to choose a seat then you get to the airport and discover they’ve reallocated your from the seat you paid to reserve.

Happened to me once. I was moved from the seat next to my husband that I’d paid for to the middle of three seats by Swiss air. The bastards didn’t even refund me the seat reservation cost.

Paying to reserve a seat on a plane doesn’t even mean you’ll get the seat.

pollyglot · 26/02/2022 19:06

I won't fly Thai Air again after my experience, even though it was 20 years ago. Travelling longhaul (25 hour flight) with very shy 15-year old DD , very unwell for 2 years with ME, business class because of her condition. Attendant insisted that rather than sitting together as booked, I would go upstairs and she down, to sit next to some random guy. Apparently someone important wanted our seats for him and gf. I stood in the middle of the aisle and refued to move. Nearly caused an incident, but my kid was more important.

Kite22 · 26/02/2022 19:15

YANBU.

I don't mind people "upgrading" if the place has plenty of spaces though, with the obvious caveat they have to move back if the seat owners arrive.

Faevern · 26/02/2022 19:22

We had booked 4 seats with a table, got on and 2 women in our seats, the train hadn’t even started it’s journey but their coats were off, food and paraphernalia already out on the table. They were clearly hoping we would either not get on or not object. We asked them to move and after much protest they did. Their seats were a set of two with no table.

They had to move so much stuff one of them dropped her ticket on the floor and instead of alerting her I picked it up and listened to them panic and go through every pocket and bag until my brother made me give her the ticket all innocent like.

affairsofdragons · 26/02/2022 19:22

Absolutely not unreasonable.

They were only able to book 'lesser' seats and were hoping you wouldn't be brave enough to move them along. Cheeky fuckers.

Happy36 · 26/02/2022 19:24

YANBU, OP.

The worst is on flights when passengers AND even airline staff do the Daily Mail sad face or look at you as if you're Vladimir Putin when you want to sit in your own booked seat instead of moving for their children.

MissMaple82 · 26/02/2022 19:25

This happened to us a few weeks back. They wouldn't move and the mother was asleep! We ended up sitting in different seats. It's extremely annoying

chillied · 26/02/2022 19:28

it's disappointing when trains sometimes don't have time to set up the seat reservations. So then they dont honour seat reservations and all bets are off. Usually happens on the busiest and most crowded trains when you are relying on your reservation to actually bag a seat...

Florencenotflo · 26/02/2022 19:45

DH had this at the football last week. He turns up for the match and a lady and her son are in his 2 seats. He does the usual polite 'oh, you're in the wrong seat' stuff. She was so rude and refused to show him her ticket when he offered to help her find her correct seat. Each time he tried to talk she was shouting over him 'I've paid for my seat, I am not moving'. He gave up, went and got the steward, who she also refused to show her ticket to, because he didn't look like a steward to her.

DH has had the same 2 seats for 12 years now. She did eventually show her ticket to a more stewardy looking steward who advised her she was in the right seat, but in the wrong block.

Her 15 year old (ish) son looked mortified apparently, she made such a scene over nothing.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 26/02/2022 19:52

@KindlyKanga

If a plane crashes its best if you are in your ticketed seat it makes it easier to identify you.

not sure I really care about that!

I did read a story in the Times last week which made me think what the wotsit - a couple were booked in business class and when they got to the desk they were told they'd been "selected" for a downgrade to World Traveller Plus. One had had cancer treatment, the other had a bad back but BA would not honour their business class seats. And then, of course, was tardy in refunding them. I do wonder what goes through peoples' minds - both customer and company (like the guard who refused to tell the man to move for the elderly lady).

JuergenSchwarzwald · 26/02/2022 19:54

@FangsForTheMemory

It's worse on trains . . . the staff won't enforce seat reservations so if you're a single traveller and a family of four have decided to sit at a table that includes your seat (having moved the reservation card to a completely different seat) there is little you can do. An unpleasant and humiliating experience.

That wouldn't happen if the booking system didn't let single travellers book a seat at a table for four.

But now CFs can't move cards anyway because it's all on digital displays.

Original poster

monroeagogo · 26/02/2022 20:07

@pollyglot

I won't fly Thai Air again after my experience, even though it was 20 years ago. Travelling longhaul (25 hour flight) with very shy 15-year old DD , very unwell for 2 years with ME, business class because of her condition. Attendant insisted that rather than sitting together as booked, I would go upstairs and she down, to sit next to some random guy. Apparently someone important wanted our seats for him and gf. I stood in the middle of the aisle and refued to move. Nearly caused an incident, but my kid was more important.

Good for you!

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