You used to be able to take any open seat in your cabin once the doors closed. You might move closer to the front, grab an aisle seat, or head for an empty row in the back so you could stretch out.
As a kid I remember making a bee-line for an empty middle row on an American Airlines flight from Honolulu to Sydney, so I could lay down and sleep.
- Self-upgrading was never allowed. You couldn’t just move from economy to business class.
- Now, though, airlines charge for ‘premium’ seats in coach so they don’t usually let you go from regular coach to extra legroom seats for free, even if the seats are empty once the doors close.
- People might not pay if they knew they could take an extra legroom seat for free that was empty once everyone had boarded!
The norms have changed but passengers don’t always know this in advance, which makes for a stark clash of expectations. One American Airlines passenger was shocked to learn that nobody would be permitted to spread out into wide open exit rows on a recent flight.
Although he wound up in a bulkhead seat (he calls it an exit) and it’s not clear how. He proceeds to sully the privilege with his feet propped up on the wall.
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Years ago open seats were pretty much fair game. Now different airlines take different approaches. Southwest still has open seating, for a little while longer! And once you’re on the plane it’s Lord of the Flies complete with seat-saving and crumpled up tissues to keep people away from the middle seat they hope to save.
Sitting in an open seat that can never be sold (because the plane is already in the air) is not the same thing as taking something away from the airline or anyone else. The airline loses nothing. It’s even the same passenger weight carried, so no increased fuel burn.
Seven years ago American started offering free alcohol to passengers in their extra legroom coach seats.
Back then the ability to change seats took on added significance (and cost to the airline). Still, the policy allowing customers to move remained in place at the time.
That changed in 2022, with the airline telling flight attendants that they should police passengers moving from regular coach up to extra legroom seats (“Main Cabin Extra”). Not all flight attendants will enforce this, but some do.
It’s not unusual for Main Cabin (MC) customers to ask to change seats after they’ve boarded the aircraft – to sit next to a family member or get out of a middle seat, for instance. However, customers may not be familiar with our seat change policy; particularly when it comes to Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seats.
While you may allow a customer to move to an available Main Cabin seat after boarding is complete, they’re not permitted to move into an MCE seat unless they are booked in that class. So, if a customer asks to move to a seat in a different seat classification (i.e., MC ot MCE, MCE to First, etc.) politely decline their request unless there is a customer service or regulatory conflict present.
If a customer asks to change seats before the boarding door closes, work with the gate agent to accommodate the request. As always, please remain on the aircraft to avoid a minimum crew violation while assisting the customer.
The argument that works here is: we do not allow passengers to move to better seats without paying extra (except under our own terms, for our operational convenience or elite perks) because that would encourage passengers to take a chance of getting the better seat free instead of paying in advance on future trips. And it’s their plane, their rules, and they can change the rules even after many decades of forming passenger expectations.
Changing to an open seat nobody else is using can’t be stealing because the airline hasn’t given up anything, and claiming it harms other passengers isn’t right either because other passengers still got exactly what they paid for. It is against the airline rules, not theft, but it is still not allowed if a flight attendant decides not to allow it.
Geez. Pay up if you want exit row seats. As simple as that. I love how KLM enforces this. I wish more airlines enforces this. You get what you pay for. Of course the airlines lost money if you get an extra leg room without paying. Your last sentence is dumb. Same thing can be said about self upgrade to business class. Don’t serve me J food. It is not theft because airline will not lose money and other passengers still get what they want. What a stupid argument.
Good.
Why didn’t the person pay?
Guess they didn’t want the extra leg room after all?
So sick of entitled Karens and Darens. Why not try and walk up to first class too??
Bad article.
This is a clickbait piece because you already pointed out all the reasons for denying him the exit row seat.
So in the end the FA had every right to deny him the seat and is probably instructed to do by management.
Pointing out how it used to be makes you sound like someone with “good old days” syndrome.
Times change and people have to deal with that. Too many people think, it is all about them.
We just paid over $500 extra for exit row seats on 3 segments to Tokyo and didn’t receive a single exit row. Not only that American airlines also made us fly over a day late and in Dallas we almost missed the flight because they had the wrong gate posted on the departure board. And they stuck us in different middle row seats when the seat next to me was open, not even letting us seat together.
I’m just flashing back to the person who paid for an extra leg room seat with points and was mad when someone from regular economy made a mad dash for the open seats next to them when they remained open after the door was closed. Who is entitled to those seats more? To me, no one is, but it causes unnecessary drama. So I’m not surprised if flight attendants default answer is no.
I agree with the above comments. You should remain only in your assigned seat. No seat switching or moving to another seat allowed for any reason. You can not move to a business or first class seat even it it is empty because people who paid extra for those seats look dumb if airlines allow that.
Reread it. Did the article say that tou cannot pay to upgrade once in the air? Did it say seats left empty in a high priced exit row will result in a safety omission for passengers?
Actually, seat assignment algorithm is designed to optimize the longitudinal center of gravity of the plane: the closer it is to the optimum, the less the pilot has to use trim (reducing drag) to maintain the plane “flat”. So changing seat, even for the same category few rows up or down, still costs airline money. It’s a fact.
A left/right imbalance is less important, as the wing fuel tanks can easily be used to adjust center of gravity.
They have the same ability to upgrade as I do…no sympathy, they knew what they were doing or it was made abundantly clear
I used to move people until a guest wrote in and complained that they weren’t one of the chosen ones to move. If I don’t have 160 exits seats to move everyone else to, then no one gets to move unless you buy it.
This could have been a safety issue for weight and balance. People need to do their research for complaining. Weight and balance is life threatening.
First of all when you book a flight and you do not pay for a seat which I find absolutely ridiculous to begin with, but even still the airlines make it a habit when you book a flight to assign you a middle seat if you do not pay for one, this does not in any way help the customer, I have been on a plane halve the plane was empty so why was I assigned a middle seat, especially when the seats are assigned 20 minutes before boarding, and my opinion that is not customer service, now if the plane is full that’s a totally different story, kadus to all those airlines who act like an ex-wife
I’m thinking of the instances where a parent notices some random passenger. They sidle up to this unsuspecting person and ask/demand they surrender their seat so that a child may sit with them or near them.
Of course the passenger says no. And when that occurs, the self entitled narcissistic parent blasts everyone on social media about the “selfish” person who didn’t want to lose an upgraded seat due to poor planning , being late, etc.
How is it the airlines don’t step in and make the parent pay for their desire to upgrade?
If I paid the extra and you got it for free. I would ask them to make you move back. Also leard how to travel and not be a cretin, keep your damn feet off of the wall. People have to clean after you. I bet you took a piss right before boarding and stood in the urine on the floor in the dirty airport bathrooms. Dumazz.
Stupid article. I pay for the extra legroom. I’ll protest a seat stealer. I’m tired of these Karen’s and Daren’s.
When you go to a basketball game, do you help yourself to a courtside seat when the game starts becauseyou see an open seat available? What about taking the box seats at an opera because the regular patrons did not show up? You think in an emergency, no one is going to open the exit because they are not sitting there? Stupid article. Anyone who puts his feet up against the wall is a slob; the airplane is not your home.
There should always be at least one possibly two people in each exit row. Plane goes down are you going to care who paid for exit seats? Any delay in getting the door open is unacceptable and I bet lawyers will stick it to them. This is 100% money > safety.
First of all passengers moving around a plane can change the c/g and the weight and balances of the plane which has nothing to do with fuel burn but safety and control. That’s why passengers on half empty planes will have seats reassigned at the gate. I remember when people were far less angry or concerned with what others do but now people get so angry and cause conflict when they see someone upgrade themselves when they don’t have the same opportunity. Also remember that his cheap seat is as a result of the airlines able to get more for higher charges on more premium seats. If no one over all paid more for those seats then your cheap seat would cost more.
All above arguments are irrelevant.
Fly DELTA instead
They’re much more relaxed and accommodating. I was even asked by flight attendant if I wanted to change to an empty
row from 3 across
Oh, and if you have pre ordered a meal, tell the crew of your seat swap. Or you may not get your meal.
People will not say they didn’t order a special if it’s offered to them. They don’t care if they deprive someone else.
I don’t think this is about the airlines losing anything (money) or not, but it’s not fair for those pax that actually paid for the extra leg room.
The flight attendant didn’t deny her to move, she just told her she has to pay. Sooo the point of this article is showing the flight attendant did their job? SMH
So why do people still accommodate an airline that is obviously hostile to them? I stopped using united years ago because of experiencing surly stewards and getting chintzty resentful service. I would rather reorganize my time a little bit for a more pleasant encounter in the air.
“Explain how there is a cost to the airline if someone changes seats ‘once the doors close.’
We do not live in a single-period world. Those who paid extra will becangry. If Braniff lets people upgrade and Eastern does not, those people switch to Eastern. It costs Braniff to let them move. Also, people know the Braniff policy, so they are less likely to pay extra for a bettercseat, and Braniff loses money. I could go m on, but these two prove my poiht.
Don’t tell anyone, I can still remember eating a meal on a cross country flight … the sky is not friendly anymore … on one flight the flight attendant needed the row to stretch out, wish I’d taken the picture to share.
Funny! Of course a person that put their dirty shoes on the wall while setting at the bulkhead would complain about not being able to move to a better seat. If you wanted that seat, pay the extra money and stop looking for handouts. Those seats cost extra money so stop being cheap and just pay for the extra legroom. It’s not the airlines fault that you weren’t able to move, it’s yours because when you bought the ticket, you had the options to choose where you wanted to sit (1st class, main cabin extra and main cabin) and you chose the cheaper seats so deal with.
The Emergency exit row. LOL. This week on a 2 hour domestic hop, I observed two very frail, elderly folks, who were unable to lift their own bags to the overhead bin, occupy two exit row seats. On the other side of the aisle, a lady who had her right arm in a sling, siting shoulder surgery. Every man for themself!
“I could go m on, but these two prove my poiht.”
Nope, they prove nothing. Your “argument” is little more than speculation. Let’s see your facts to prove your contention. Sorry, there is no cost to the airline from “seat changers”.
That’s how ignorant everyone has become. EVERY airline had free checked bags before 911 and really the market crash and high oil prices of around 2004-2009. . Every airline accommodated passengers. Every airline had it where you paid the ticket for the flight NOT an additional charge for some seat. That’s greedy. If the seat is OPEN then they should allow someone to sit there. They didn’t sell it so why should they piss customers off any more?
And how idiotic not put someone in the emergency row. So all the sudden airline don’t care if there’s an emergency? Don’t want anyone “willing and able” to open that door in case of an emergency? Greedy bastards.
Exit row passengers must be briefed by flight attendants BEFORE the plane’s doors are closed. This briefing is mandated by aviation regulations and ensures passengers understand their responsibilities in an emergency, specifically, how to operate emergency exits if needed.
After the main cabin door closes, no one should be moved to the exit row.
Yet the seat in question has an emergency exit if I’m reading this right! Thus for safety purposes should it not always be occupied? If a stewardess has to take time away from her evacuation duties to open and man the exit all on board are put in increased jeopardy!
To Dave W: Maybe that’s why your two airline examples have long been outta business
Gary Leff keeps playing this same, tired old tune over and over. Gary, get over it. If there are 150 people in coach, what if they all went for the same open upgrade seats at the same time? How would the flight attendants decide who gets the seat? Wrestle off in the galley? I can say with certainty that if you attend a play, musical, opera, ballet, or any sporting event, no one will allow you to move from the third balcony to open orchestra seats after the show starts
This is a dumb article. The guy is talking about how he has his legs propped up… well he’s sitting in a first class seat on ann Airbus 319. So this is all a lot anyways and just a way to get clicks. A little pathetic.
Eliminate the drama of trying to move to a seat with 2 inches more legroom just do what seems to be the new trend and become a phoney wheelchair passenger they’re always one of the first to board and 90% of the time will get an aisle seat and if you pay attention when the flight lands the wheelchairs that are waiting for those passengers at their destination are mostly unused because those “wheelchair” passengers are running outta the airport faster than OJ Simpson in those old Hertz commercials, this along with the bogus support animal must be stopped
Your feet up on the wall, how inappropriate. You look like a jerk. Very unsanitary too.
I agree sit changing only if is within the same class and when the plane is not full. But a free upgrade thats a no no, you wanna be cheap then u get what u pay for plain and simple.
As most planes fly completely or close to full, weight balance is NOT the reason to not allow passengers to move.
@stephen rochman — Your comment “Fly DELTA instead” brought joy to myself, @Tim Dunn, and @Matt, who has been pitching us to ‘please consider Delta’ for months now. Keep Climbing (to better seating arrangements.) Bah!
@Mike P — Sir, it’s been a while, welcome back. I’ll debate you because we tend to be contrarians of each other on here (for fun? spite?) There is a cost (to the airline from “seat changers”) because they could have made more money on the upsell to the different seats. Not always, but it’s possible. Anyway, got any good quotes for us these days? Twain? (Dare I say… Sowell?)
Darn shame!!!!
You have to pay more because you are talk & sexy-handsome like me.
Sounds like another person who feels entitled to free upgrades. People who pay extra and use points for those seats. The extra leg room and free alcoholic drinks are part of the extra costs. The author’s reasonings on why he should have the seat for free is illogical, selfish, and arrogant. We are not condoning your “poor pitiful me” act because a flight attendant followed procedure and said no. Grow up.
@JimC2 – I am very late to the party here so odds are you’re not going to see this. I pay for revenue F domestically and have for years now. I also think that government absolutely SHOULD mandate minimum seat width and pitch in the U.S. domestic market for a number of important reasons. My politics are usually libertarian, but not on this particular issue. Airline seats are a finite resource, and they are a public conveyance no matter how much folks like you may wish to argue otherwise.
I am a flight attendant and this article is completely wrong. I always move people back to their assigned seat, when they decide to upgrade themselves. It’s not fair to those passengers who actually paid for the upgrade and extra legroom. Only moving passengers if the captain asks me to, due to weight and balance issue, which is serious. The writer of this article is not well informed. Stop spreading wrong info!!
The cheap bastard doesn’t want to pay extra for an empty row of seats. He shows his low class upbringing by putting his feet up on the wall, which generally shows you everything you need to know about this douchebag.
It’s always the low-class white trash flyers that complain about having to pay extra
I love how the entitled moron thinks if nobody is sitting in the exit row seat., NOBODY will open the exit in an emergency.
1. Flight attendants know their job. Passengers are way more likely to screw up.
2. If this guy thinks HE is the savior needed in an emergency… those passengers are doomed.
Pay up if it’s that important, dipstick.
I don’t mind paying an extra 45 bucks for a longer (3+ hr) flight
I book that for a guaranteed restful event
I remember booking an exit row window seat and getting absolutely smooshed bt two 300 pounder NFL size gentlemen. It was then I would have scratched someone’s eyes out for a middle seat in coach!
So, the guy and the writer want the passengers to just duke it out over the single seat with extra leg room that NONE of them wanted to pay for…? How exactly will that make flying more enjoyable or orderly.
People just like to complain about non-issues.
Gary Leff….dumpster diving for ‘news’ again!
No different than someone who wants to move to some other premium seat like a bulkhead or business or first!!!
You didn’t buy it you can’t have it.
As a commoner reading an industry piece, I’m fascinated by the difference in the tone of the comments. I don’t know anybody who likes the per-seat upcharges involved in modern air travel, but this comment section really skews toward the naked money grab. Interesting, how we really do have two different Americas.
The seats have never been free game unless on Southwest. The flight attendants on all their others duties did not generally enforce the assigned seats. The companies are now prioritizing this, now they can upgrade you to an exit row seat from their efad. Want a different seat ask the gate agent nicely before boarding. Otherwise sit in your seat. Seat row/zone can affect aircraft weight and balance.