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 ?

If they'd hoped to get the whole row, presumably OP would have moved when asked when it became apparent that that hadn't worked. She isn't bothered that there was someone with them in between them.

Nobody likes the middle seat. Everyone prefers window or aisle.

I didn't pay for a seat because I'm not bothered about being sat in the middle seat. What bothered me was being sat in the middle of two people chatting and passing pringles back and forth. No way to pay to avoid this at check in sadly 😂Booking a window and an aisle if you are travelling together is not cool. Curious how the other passenger knew they were travelling together if they really were just watching netflix
😂

Yes, as I said, the shitty pricing structure drives uncomfortable interactions.

Booking two seats with a gap between is also excruciating IMO, although allowable.

Middle seats are shit whether people know each other on either side or not. If people don't want to sit in them, they should book a window or aisle instead.

I insist on sitting in an aisle seat wherever possible. I really don't like sitting anywhere else because I hate feeling boxed in. My 18yo dd always wants to be by the window. Dh doesn't care so he normally goes in the middle between us, but if dd and I were travelling together without dh, we might well book an aisle and a window with one in between. We absolutely wouldn't talk over the poor sod stuck in the middle, as that would be very inconsiderate, but equally, I don't see why we should be forced to book seats in different parts of the plane simply because a stranger is too tight to pay for a seat booking that suits them.

Yanbu I book the seat too

Yanbu.

You paid for the seat. She had the same option.

I am against this paying though as you didn't use to have to.

I refuse to pay. I travel with my disabled son and so if they don't want to piss off other passengers to being an unpaid carer for him then put me there!

We did once get out in the 2 emergency exit seats. Apart from the fact he was too young (15) he also has a physical disability so can't sit there.
The flight attendant said she'd find seat and swap us. Sat behind us in 3 seats were a mother and her DD. Really nice ladies. They offered to swap with me and it would benefit ds and I to have 3 seats. I told flight attendant.
She wasn't so accommodating and was still looking and looked like she was doing to swap 2 people from a row of 3 with us (2 blokes who were sharing a row with a family of 4 and the dad was in the aisle seat on their side).
I did on that one be firm but assertive that as it was their mistake I didn't think it was really too much to ask we didn't get a bum deal in correction when there was an easy and suitable solution of us just swapping with the people behind.
She agreed begrudgingly and the woman we swapped with brought me a drink. Win win!

I think you and your friend were actually quite mean to book an aisle seat and a window seat so some other poor soul would have to sit between you. Friends usually book seats so they can sit together! There must have been some way that she knew that you were together, rather than two random strangers. You probably weren’t as reasonable as you like to think you were! No wonder she asked to be moved!

@Bushwhacked20 I booked flights with Emirates for later this year and was surprised to find that on the way back, we had to pay to reserve seats. Weirdly, on the way out choosing our seats did not cost extra but the airline described this as 'complimentary' I think we paid about £80 on the way back. 😬

I'm used to the budget airlines like Ryanair charging for every possible thing and never pay to book specific seats with them. The Emirates flights are with my daughter and it's a bit of a holiday off a lifetime which we've saved a couple of years for so we wanted to sit together.

For my sins, I fly fairly regularly for work and l agree with the above. I always opt for an aisle seat. For starters, l can get up and go for a wee, without almost having sex with a total stranger getting past them.

YANBU as you have paid for your seats. But l cannot for the life of me understand why 2 people would want someone they don’t know stuck between them.

Some people book window and isle seats in the hope of securing an empty seat between them, l get that, but if the seat is occupied, personally, l would want to change.

So what! They paid for their seats. If they pay, they choose whichever seats they prefer.
If someone wants to sit in an aisle, they should book an aisle seat (as I always do, as I hate being boxed in).

So you don’t agree with paying but think that other people who have paid should be made to swap with you? Ok then.

Yeh not sure about this one

How old were the kids ? If they were toddlers on their own then I would have been a bit more sympathetic. BUT then she shouldn't have taken the risk that they would be sitting together.

I couldn’t have put up with that quietly.

After the first couple of times I’d have asked to swop seats with the man, and if that was refused I’d have held my book in the most obstructive position possible.

I don’t know that I agree actually. Personally I wouldn’t care about being sat in the middle between 2 strangers on a short flight but I would care about being sat between 2 friends because it’s just so awkward! In this case the middle seat occupier sounds quite rude, but if it were me I would have asked the crew politely if there was a free seat elsewhere I could move to. Also presumably the move request happened during boarding, and the Netflix watching was after take off, so she wasn’t to know they wouldn’t spend the whole flight talking over her, presumably they were talking at boarding or else how else would she have known they were together? Yes OP and her mate paid for those seats and are therefore entitled to sit in them but it’s still not a very nice thing to do. In this scenario I would have booked 2 aisles opposite each other. Then no one has to sit in the middle and no awkwardness for a poor stranger!

Booking an aisle and window seat leaving the middle unoccupied is usually considered a dick move , but you’re not unreasonable for keeping the seat you paid for.

Not moving from a prepaid seat, fine.

However, you were a total arse for leaving a free seat between you and your friend.

So, I can't really vote.

Out*ofthehouse
*
How did you get that conclusion from what I wrote?

I typed quite clearly I didn't agree with paying and I don't. I don't think anyone should have to pay and I think when families book they should automatically get seats allocated together. I don't care where I sit. However my son who travels with me is disabled. I inform the airline. It's up to them to decide if they want me sat next to him as his carer or not.

If someone pays for a seat they should have it.
No one paid to the exit seats they allocated my son and I.

I could have actually said to sit my ds behind me and kept the exit myself as I could sit in it.

Hi, they were her sisters I think, all late 20s female

Kids involved I may have moved I'm not sure

She knew my friend and I were together as we boarded together and said o look here are our seats , she was already sat down

We would no way have talked over her during the flight , both watching Bridgerton !

So that also applies to the woman who wanted to sit with her family, yes?

Just think how wonderful it would have been if the woman had been offered a chance to book the seat she wished,, oh wait . She was. She decided not to spend the money and take what she was given. As such, if given the middle She was always going to be between two people. And yes in a ,of of instances they may know each other.

she declined to pay, her fault. Her problem.

Why did you book leaving an empty seat between you? I'm not clear on that bit.

Because one of them wanted the window, one wanted the aisle. It's very simple.

You are entitled to refuse of course but it's really weird for two friends to book seats on the same row with a gap between. Did you assume it would be empty? Also it meant you talking across the middle person and the middle person talking across you to her own family. I'd definitely have swapped in that situation.

On the one hand, I don’t blame you for not moving. I like to have an aisle seat, and I’ll gladly pay the extra for this. I did move once for an entitled couple who were nowhere near each other, but they didn’t utter a word of thanks, so never again.

Otoh, unbelievable that you and friend booked aisle and window seats. I’ve flown loads, and I reckon on maybe one or two occasions have been lucky in having an empty seat next to me. It just rarely happens, in my experience.