Easyjet flight attendant ( seat related).

[pinkhousesarebest]

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 🤷🏻‍♀️

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??

What unusual behaviour from the flight attendant. Almost unbelievable.

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.

.

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

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.

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

@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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

What is wrong with you??

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.

I think it's pretty bad parenting to let a child think they get what they want - and at the cost to an adult. Needs to be explained to the child that certain things cost money.

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

They have Chicken Korma or Pasta as hot meals - £7.50 each.

The Venue was packed, we had no idea where we'd get a seat and I assume that was why the other family were so upset. They were being nasty to the poor girl who was trying to seat people so we offered to move to diffuse the situation. There weren't any seats for paying customers so she had to go and find out what to do with us which is why they put us with the players families. It just happened to work out really well for my kids as they had a fantastic experience. We had no way of knowing it would work out like that.

You can add your complaint to the list they're probably already dealing with.

Disgraceful behaviour by them. How dare they attempt to humiliate you into agreeing to there unreasonable request. They were extremely unprofessional.