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I fly a lot and make sure I get the seat I want (and pay for) and while it sounds quite bitchy, I don't change seats. I don't like the window seat, I don't like the middle and I don't like sitting past row 14. Yea, I know, I'm picky. It works for me; in all the years I've traveled Ive only been asked to switch once and politely declined. I wasn't going from my aisle seat in row 12 to a window seat in aisle 25 because you failed to plan your trip accordingly.
I'm fine with middle seats, but I wouldn't want to switch unless it's a seat near the front since I like to get off the plane as quickly as possible. No one has ever asked me to switch seats though.
I find it very interesting that there are so many people on this thread who think it's always the fault of the person requesting the switch but also claiming that they "fly all the time."
I don't fly all that often yet I've had times (more than once) where my flight was changed or the equipment was changed and my existing seat assignment no longer existed. It hasn't been an issue to the point where I had to ask for someone to change seats so I could sit with my kid, but it has happened and I didn't get the seat I expected to have - but that's also part of why I almost always fly Southwest because I can control that situation by buying Early Bird Check In or upgraded boarding as I have when I've needed to.
It seems odd to me that so many people could "fly all the time" and never have had this experience of their seat assignment getting screwed up when a non-frequent flyer like me has had it happen more than once.
It seems odd to me that so many people could "fly all the time" and never have had this experience of their seat assignment getting screwed up when a non-frequent flyer like me has had it happen more than once.
In our case, “flying all the time” means we’re familiar with airline policy and have status. As a family with little kids, we always book assigned seats. When traveling on separate reservations, we call the airline and have them linked. We review future reservations regularly so that if there’s an equipment change, there are no surprises.
I can’t speak for others’ experiences, but in all my years flying Delta (60k+ miles personal travel with family last year) we’ve never had to ask to trade seats with someone in order to be seated together.
I find it very interesting that there are so many people on this thread who think it's always the fault of the person requesting the switch but also claiming that they "fly all the time."
I don't fly all that often yet I've had times (more than once) where my flight was changed or the equipment was changed and my existing seat assignment no longer existed. It hasn't been an issue to the point where I had to ask for someone to change seats so I could sit with my kid, but it has happened and I didn't get the seat I expected to have - but that's also part of why I almost always fly Southwest because I can control that situation by buying Early Bird Check In or upgraded boarding as I have when I've needed to.
It seems odd to me that so many people could "fly all the time" and never have had this experience of their seat assignment getting screwed up when a non-frequent flyer like me has had it happen more than once.
I do fly 'all the time'..well, at least every 6-8 weeks. I always fly Jetblue and like I said, I've only been asked ONCE over the years to change my seat.
Have I been delayed? Yes, I have. Have I ever had my seat changed by the airline? Yes, it was an upgrade to first class because I was flying alone and they needed a family together...I only agreed because of the upgrade.
I think really depends on the airline that you use...not all airlines are created equal.
It seems odd to me that so many people could "fly all the time" and never have had this experience of their seat assignment getting screwed up when a non-frequent flyer like me has had it happen more than once.
Same here. Only 5-6 round trips in a typical year, and I've had my fair share of relatively late in the game schedule changes (60 minutes in ATL for domestic-domestic is quite doable if you're not connecting to the last flight of the day, but the new 17 minute connection is under no circumstances viable) and weather IRROPS (I live in the Southeast and summer thunderstorms at hubs cause their fair share of ground stops because it's generally a Bad Thing if ramp workers get hit by lightning while on the job) and the occasional weird mechanical issue like the time the baggage train hit the plane during loading and it took an hour+ to find a mechanic to sign off that the dent wasn't going to harm the structural integrity of the plane.
And the further down the rabbit hole you get, the more it becomes a case of taking any available seat to just get you to your destination. Connecting through an unplanned third country? Sure. Rebooked onto an airline you've never heard of. Sure. (I ended up being one of Mark Air's final customers because of a Northwest rebooking) Departing from the airport that's 60 miles away instead of the one 10 miles away because the further out airport is not fogged in like the local airport is? Sure.
It's a big complex system, and stuff beyond the control of the passenger happens regularly.
OP was discussing trading FC seats, not coach. But, same strategy for switching seats would apply for me.
I'd ask gate agent to attempt getting us together. That leaves the onus on them to ask people to move around.
If that doesn't work, I would assume no one wanted to move and would not personally ask the adjacent persons to do so.
It's definitely rude to ask someone to give up their aisle or window seat for something else. Window for window, aisle for aisle might be OK.
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