It's definitely a high traffic area, but I'll take it for the empty seat. I can lay down. Simply being horizontal on a redeye is invaluable. I can sleep thru anything.
It's really not a long post guys I don't get all the "didn't read" jokes. I even added visual aids. Damn millennials and short attention spans.
I did something similar three years ago on a red eye from Boston to Amsterdam. With about 15 minutes before boarding I notice on the app that exact row you’re in was empty so I ask the desk attendant to move me to that aisle row seat. I board and no one ends up sitting next to me. Someone early in the flight asked if they could nab that seat and I just told them I needed it and they went away. I wasn’t bothered the entire rest of the flight. So, no, not an asshole.
I observed kind of an obnoxious interaction the other day: a guy finds his window seat in a 2-seat row and introduces himself to the passenger in the aisle seat with “hello, I actually prefer aisle seats so if you’d prefer we could switch.” And the aisle seat guy seemed to begrudgingly accept the offer and switched to appease him.
You don’t smoke on airplanes. You don’t get out of your seat when the planes taxiing. Wear a mask. Sit in the seat on your ticket. You’re an asshole if you don’t follow the rules.
I would have also said no but in a super awkward Larry david kinda way and wound up being a massive asshole
Nah. There are a lot of ppl out there who are *not* particular in that type of configuration *or* wound up with the seat they least prefer for whatever the reason. I support asking in this case.
Update: got a decent 6 hours of sleep. Laid down most of the time. No ragrets. Currently in the shithole that is JFK airport waiting to fly to Seattle.
Honestly, I'd be annoyed if I was window and someone asked to sit in the aisle seat in a 3 seat configuration. I probably wouldn't tell them no but I'd definitely still be annoyed. I'd be very peeved if someone tried to sit in the seat right next to me.
yes, ok, just making sure i was reading that correctly. why is it you decide the fate of the empty seat?
I mean, she asked and I responded. At the most basic level, her posing the question inherently implies that she's giving me that decision. Tbh, if she would've just sat there I wouldn't have asked to see her ticket or anything.
I would have wanted to say no but it would make me feel shitty for a significant time afterwards so I might not have actually said "no."
She knows she was imposing so she asked. That gives you right of refusal. It maybe a little rude on your part but doesn't make you the asshole. She was wanting to put her needs above yours. If there were 3 seats then its not a big deal. If she found somewhere else to sit I don't feel that bad.
If someone didn't ask and just plopped down then I would be more annoyed and would ask them. The older I get the less I let people walk all over me.
If you unpack this - that she found another seat somewhere else on the plane - this either turns the audacity of her ask up about 6 notches or reveals there are some major psychos on this flight. Scenario A: there’s another seat in the back with an open middle but someone on the window. This should have been her primary option, unless she’s that desperate to sit further towards the front on an inter-hemispheric flight. Conclusion: lady is a psycho with zero social awareness. Scenario B: perhaps more interesting - there is some very pitiful slouch that was in a middle seat, crammed up against a respectable window seater. Middle seater is so bound by rules and little numbers printed on a screen or paper that they opted NOT to shift to the aisle seat after the jetway closed and no one else was boarding. Conclusion: middle seat person is a complete sociopath and lady probably got her throat slit at the next airport for having their headphones on too loud or something. Scenario c: there’s a couple in the back packed into window + middle. They’re idiots for not expanding to fill the row when the jetway closed, but perhaps an understandable lapse in situational awareness. Conclusion: row shopping lady still sucks because the inconvenience applied to you as single passenger vs the couple choosing to pack in together is an easy call. To the victor go the spoils however so her being planted next to them is the just outcome.
I'll be the contrarian here: You're an asshole. She no more paid for the beneficial use of that seat than you did. Everyone saying "well she should have booked earlier" misses the point. You didn't buy the extra seat, either. You were claiming a space you weren't otherwise entitled to and not asking permission, she was trying to do the same but at least being polite. Me? I wouldn't have given a shit. Because I'm a dude and not fragile. Whining about needing leg room is for bitches. Somehow everyone else on that flight was capable of flying with people next to them.
Tiburon chose violence. I never claimed the space -- she asked a question and I responded. As I said earlier, if she would have "claimed" the seat without asking me first there's little to no chance I would have asked to see her ticket. The macho masculine approach isn't quite what I expected. I'm certainly "capable" of flying with people next to me, as I've done it plenty of times. If given the choice of sitting next to someone or a row to myself, I'm choosing the latter 11 times out of 10 -- if that makes me fragile then call me GlassNug. She provided that choice.
I'm not claiming it was the "good guy" thing to do -- that's like the entire point of me posing this question. It was a 9.5 hour flight and I valued my comfort over being nice to a random person that was, quite literally, placing her own comfort above mine. You somehow think that makes me fragile and "a bitch." Ok dude.
If I politely ask for your sandwich does that mean you're obligated to give it to me because I asked nicely? I mean, unless you're fragile you should be able to just be hungry for a while. GMAFB
I'm annoyed I have to fucking be within arm's length of another living soul on a plane, I would absolutely have said no. You're a literal adult, you know what the middle seat entails, make better decisions next time. you also know damn well what an otherwise empty row means to passengers on any sort of public transportation, why would you try and ruin that person's time?
I followed up with the airline co. about this story and they have told me that the lady in question has died.
If you own a sandwich, it's your sandwich. If she asks whether you mind if she takes a bite from your neighbor's sandwich and you say no, you're in the wrong. And your situations weren't equal. It is extremely uncomfortable to sit in a middle seat for a 9.5 hour flight. It is decidedly less uncomfortable to have a neighbor in a two-row seat where you have the benefit of leaning into the window. By your own admission, it was just too important to you to lay claim to using a seat that didn't belong to you than to allow your own comfort to be affected by an iota. Drawing the line at "well she shouldn't have asked and just imposed her will" is pretty arbitrary.
Here's the question: If the lady was your mom or daughter and some random passenger did the same to her, would you think he was an asshole? My guess is yes.
I think it'd be a better comparison to say, "do you mind if I take a bite of your neighbor's sandwich, and I'm going to spill crumbs all over your plate and make your experience less comfortable." In that instance, I'm still saying no. I know it's uncomfortable to sit in a middle seat for long flights. I've done it plenty of times and didn't go hunting for a free seat at the expense of someone else.