Not to have given up my seat on plane

[Rainbowgoldover]

Just wondering ....

I flew home last night from holiday with a friend.

BA flights , flight out was dreadful, cramped seats , allocated at check in so we had last row next to the toilets ...

On the way back we learnt our lesson so paid to book seats, I booked an aisle seat, friend booked a window seat, flight about 70 per cent full.

The person in the middle seat , asked me if I would move so she could have the aisle seat.

I refused and said no I booked aisle and don't want to sit in middle seat. She said but I want to be near my family in the row opposite. I still politely refued to move.

Cue lots of aggro, she finally got the flight attendants to move her accusing me and my friend of talking over her , we absolutely were not, both had headphones on watching netflix.

If you really want to sit somewhere why can't you pay 23.99 and pre reserve a seat, don't make others feel bad for not giving up theirs ?

This has just reminded me of one of the times, many years ago, when I travelled alone. I hadn't reserved as seat as didn't need to sit beside anyone so just took what I was assigned at check in. I ended up sitting in the middle seat with an elderly couple split on either side. I didn't even think twice about it, I'm guessing one liked the view and the other preferred more legroom/being able to get to the toilet easily.
It's a non-issue, if you're adamant you're not sitting in the middle, potentially between 2 people who know each other, reserve a seat.

And contributing to the problem of people ending up not being seated next to travelling companions (though they should pay to reserve seats if they really are bothered about it). That does sound like a contradiction - what I mean is, if lots of people book the aisle and window in the hope of getting the row to themselves and therefore more space, more people who want to reserve seats later or who are only able to check-in/book later will end up separated from those they are travelling with and may try to get people to swap so they can sit next to a child etc.
I'd like to see the airlines introduce something in their seat booking system which means pairs or groups can't split themselves up like this if it means leaving a single seat on its own in the middle somewhere. ie. they have to book window and middle or window and aisle or aisle and aisle next to each other, whatever.
I've booked many concerts online and the majority of the booking systems are set up so that you can't book in a way which leaves a single seat on its own. (ie. if you choose row 3 and there are some other people in it already, you can't book seats with a gap of only one seat between you and the others, has to be two or more seats.

Well obviously! but by doing what OP and her friend have done, it makes one less of that option available.

This really winds me up!! I always pay for specific seats and would never give up my seat (unless it was a MUCH better seat e.g. in Business Class.
I would be fuming if a flight attendant insisted I move and in your case I would say I have severe claustrophobia and sitting in a middle seat would cause stress, anxiety and travel sickness.

My friend and I always book a window seat and aisle seat, my friend because she likes the window seat, myself because sitting in the middle seat makes me nauseous and I always need the toilet so it makes sense to book these seats.

Every time you book any seat you make one less of that option available!

She didn’t wish to sit right next to her, they wished to sit window and aisle, if she’d wished to sit right next to her she’d have booked the middle seat. Are you confused and thinking she’s saying she wanted the middle? I can’t think of any other reason you’d write that.

No, I think you're confused and misreading the exchange I was having.

By this logic, every time you pick a seat you should count how many aisles, middles and windows are left, and only select from the type with the largest number still available?

Fair enough, but if you prefer that than to actually sitting next to your friend, please consider separate rows so you leave 2 seats free for people who want or need to sit together.

YANBU

It was fine of her to ask but the minute you said no that should have been the end of it.

Everything after that point and she is be a CF.

Not really. It’s not that complicated! Window seats are generally most popular so tend to go first. There are generally random aisle seats available where there are already couples booked in the window and middle.

Who wants to sit in a middle seat?!

I wouldn't have booked two seats on same row with a gap in the middle.
Especially to a holiday destination....very few people would be travelling alone, and if they were they would not want to sit between two friends.

Flight may only have been 70%full but if the 30% had booked their seats she presumably had little choice and even if you weren't chatting constantly I imagine there were some exchanges and it would have been quite awkward

Why is it awkward sitting between two people who know each other and who are happily independently watching Netflix?

YANBU.
I gave up my seat on a long haul flight, was told by flight attendant I could have a free drink for doing so. I don’t drink alcohol so that’ll be a water please. In new seat the headset was faulty ( pre smart phones). Was told nothing they could do I’d normally be offered a free drink but I’d already had one , maximum they could give. I didn’t cry over a missed water 😊but it was a long, boring flight.

Come on - why deliberately awkward? No one wants a middle seat but at least they can get off together, help each other with bags etc

I am really confused; what do
you mean? Paying extra to book guaranteed seats doesn’t drive unhelpful interactions; entitled people do. It sounds as though you think that the OP was unreasonable not to move. Is that what you’re trying to say?

So the fact that they both booked the seats they wanted is somehow a power play?

Why are couples wanting to sit together more important than two single travellers, who presumably want a window and an aisle just as much as the couple wants 2 seats next to each other?

PS I’ve said this before but there are many reasons why someone might want a specific seat instead of taking “any seat of that type” in a different row (to leave 2 seats together).

Health issues that make leaning on the left / right more comfortable, flight connections, proximity to toilets… People are allowed to pay for whatever they want, and it’s not cheeky to book the way OP and her friend did.

Dh and I routinely book aisle plus window, because those seats are what we prefer. We never expect the middle seat to stay free, and don’t care who sits in it, as long as it’s not a) anyone with ripe BO, b) anyone so fat that they’re overflowing into our space, or c) anyone wanting to chat non-stop when we will be mostly reading or watching movies.
After many such flights, touch wood they’ve always been fine.

But,DD2 wasn't on her own - she was with you

So,basically it's OK to be entitled and grabby so long as you haven't paid money to be entitled and grabby?

This!