What to say if someone asks to trade seats

[jjarman]

It will just be me and DS16 flying in a couple of weeks on SW. He has not flown since he was really little but is not nervous I don't think. I still want to sit by him. I am going to go online right at the 24 hour mark and get out boarding passes and we will be at the airport in plenty of time. It looks like our flight is sold out so I want to make sure we get good seats, preferabaly with him a window. I will take the middle seat and have no problem with that. (Actually, I am going to take the aisle seat and put our backpack in the middle seat so hopefully most people will skip over us in case the flight is not sold out) What do you say though if someone asks you to give up your seat so that they and their companion could sit together? It would really bug me if someone did because I want to sit with my companion too and I made the effort to guarantee we did. Knowing DS he would say let them have the seat especially if it was a small child involved. I don't want to appear rude (I am from the south and we go to great lengths not to appear rude) but what should I say if this comes up?

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, in terms of a trade you don't have to say anything but "no", but I can tell you right now that that backpack stunt won't gain you any friends, and you will get publicly scolded for it if the FA notices what you are up to.

Saving seats for real people (one or 2 people, not a crowd) is fine, but saving for "phantom" passengers is not. Go to the back of the plane if you want to hope for an empty middle seat, but don't put your stuff in any seat that you haven't paid for.

 

[ducklite]

If someone asked me to give up my seat so they could sit together in your case, I'd say "I'm sorry, I'm sitting with my son."

And I agree that the backpack trick isn't going to do you any good. You're much better off going to the back of the plane and sitting in the aisle and window, the changes are pretty high that unless it's a full flight no one will take the middle.

Anne

 

[briar_rose_59]

Saving seats for real people (one or 2 people, not a crowd) is fine, but saving for "phantom" passengers is not.

ITA!

 

[seashoreCM]

It is OK to sit in the aisle seat while DS is sitting in the window seat at first.

Don't be so quick to offer to move to a different location. This sets a bad example that encourages others who want to gain two seats for themselves and their companions to keep on doing it flight after flight, possibly being rude themselves.

Instead just move over to the middle without actually answering his question. Your act of moving silently is in itself an answer although it does not "answer" "the" "question".

 

[traci]

take a baby with you - preferably under age two...then no one will want to sit beside you (wink! kidding...well sort of)

I would just nicely say no if someone asks for your seat - like another poster commented, just say you are sitting with your son.

Have a great trip!!

 

[bavaria]

I am severely claustrophibic (to the point of removing myself from the flight) and can only fly in certain seats. I fly 100,000 miles/year and make sure that I am on a flight and airline where I have assurance that my seat will most likely come through.

I AM asked to give up my prime seat frequently. If it's so that two adults can sit together, 'no sorry'. If it's for a child, I go to the FA and quietly advise them of my issue - I prepare well in advance so why should I give up my seat that I need?

I can tell you what really ticks me off - last week I was in First in a cabin with 8 seats. I was in 1B. I boarded first. A group of four adults boarded 20 minutes later; one male stood in front of me and loudly proclaimed 'you're in MY seat - move!' I said 'sorry, you are mistaken' and closed my eyes again. Mr BrainSurgeon figured out that he and his wife were in 1A and 2A, and loudly proclaimed that 1A and 2A should be next to each other.

I certainly wasn't going to move for him...

I WILL move for a comparable seat, but since I am usually in an aisle in the first row, there is rarely a comparable seat....

 

[Lewisc]

Your son is 16. Moving so a small child can sit next to a parent is polite.

You already said your flight looks to be sold out, putting your backpack on a seat that someone will wind up using is rude. A middle seat in the back of the plane will get filled last.

It will just be me and DS16 flying in a couple of weeks on SW. He has not flown since he was really little but is not nervous I don't think. I still want to sit by him. I am going to go online right at the 24 hour mark and get out boarding passes and we will be at the airport in plenty of time. It looks like our flight is sold out so I want to make sure we get good seats, preferabaly with him a window. I will take the middle seat and have no problem with that. (Actually, I am going to take the aisle seat and put our backpack in the middle seat so hopefully most people will skip over us in case the flight is not sold out) What do you say though if someone asks you to give up your seat so that they and their companion could sit together? It would really bug me if someone did because I want to sit with my companion too and I made the effort to guarantee we did. Knowing DS he would say let them have the seat especially if it was a small child involved. I don't want to appear rude (I am from the south and we go to great lengths not to appear rude) but what should I say if this comes up?

 

[goofy4tink]

If someone asked me to give up my seat so they could sit together in your case, I'd say "I'm sorry, I'm sitting with my son."

And I agree that the backpack trick isn't going to do you any good. You're much better off going to the back of the plane and sitting in the aisle and window, the changes are pretty high that unless it's a full flight no one will take the middle.

Anne

Absolutely the best idea!! I watched many people try the old 'backpack/jacket in the middle seat' trick when searching for seats on a SW flight. We were numbers 8 and 9 in the A group to boot!!! Seems that those boarding with little ones felt the need to save a ton of seats, middle ones to be exact. They had family members spread over 4 rows all doing the exact same thing. Since the plane was full, it was actually quite funny to see them all scrambling around, trying to sit together since they now had strangers sitting in those middle seats. There were more than a few folks who thought they were stuck in middle seats that ended up in aisle seats so that Mom could sit with little Johnny (but who had that empty seat inbetween them filled with a jacket to prevent Joe Stranger from sitting there).
Head for the back of the plane..you'll be much more likely to have that seat left open. Otherwise, just move into it so that you can be seated next to your ds.

 

[MEK]

The nice thing about flying SWA is that everyone just takes a seat and sits. If you print out your boarding passes 24 hours in advance you will have no trouble sitting with your son. No one will ask you to give up your seat. However, I would have your son take the window seat and you take the middle seat. Either that or you should sit next to a single passenger who is in the window seat and take the middle and isle seat. Don't put your back pack in the middle seat. You just can't do that on a full flight. It will make you look really bad.

Just don't stress about the flight. the first time I flew SWA I thought it was going to be bad, but I actually have never had a problem. In fact, I think the plane loads faster.

 

[crzy4dsny]

You stated that you don't want to be rude. In my opinion putting your backpack on the middle seat while you occupy the isle and your son the window is rude. I would just take the middle and window seats. Leave the isle open. The chances of someone asking you to move are very small. They will look for people who are traveling alone to move. As Ducklite said all you have to say is no I'm sitting with my son.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I love it when the flight attendant gets on the intercom as the people are filling the plane and reminds everyone that the flight is sold out and if someone sees a middle seat near the front to grab it. When we travel, we always choose to use the middle seat and aisle seat which leaves a window seat available. We never put anything in the extra seat and just wait for someone to be thrilled to get a window seat! They are always shocked that it is left unused.