A United Airlines elite 1K passenger flying from Orlando to Washington Dulles reports how they were tricked into giving up their extra legroom window seat for a middle.
I was sitting in my preferred window seat (12A) minding my own business when the man sitting in the middle seat boarded. He was not able to speak any english. He taps my shoulder… and I see on his phone that he has a Japanese to English translator which says “can you please swap seats with my wife?”. I look over and he points to a lady who is sitting in 12F (opposite window).
I go… sure no problem! And switch over to 12F.
He thought he was now in the other passenger’s window seat. And he dozed off, until “an angry large man” shook him awake, “SIR IS YOUR SEAT 12F????”.
He explains what happened. He traded seats so a family could sit together. But it turns out he traded for 12E (middle seat). And he couldn’t get them to trade back,
Boarding is ramping up and it is crowded. I try to talk to the couple and go “wtf you told me you had the window seat”. But they look at me like a deer in headlights. So I ended up just sitting in between two very unfortunately large people.
I would never have gone for that! I would have enlisted the help of a flight attendant, shown my boarding pass and explained that the other passenger was in my seat.
I was once asked to change seats so that a couple could sit together, only to learn that they were already seated together, they just didn’t like the bulkhead, and they stuck me with the bulkhead (I don’t like the bulkhead either!). I wasn’t going for that, either.
A reader once gave up his premium seat so that a family could sit together only to have the family sell that seat to another passenger and not actually sit together. You don’t know what someone is going to do with the seat once you’ve given it to them! In a way I think the reader was ‘had’ even more egregiously than where this United passenger was lied to about which seat he was switching for.
It’s important to pre-select the seats you want if you can. Sometimes things happen – you’re booking last minute and not much is available; an aircraft change messes with seat assignments; you get bumped for an air marshal. But where possible, to maximize comfort, you should never assign seats next to the person you’re traveling with. Go with the aisle and window with empty middle trick, but then follow through: actually trade one of those with the passenger stuck between you in the middle!
Even better is just assigning yourselves two aisle seats across from each other. That way you’re still sitting together, with no passengers in between you, and you’re guaranteed that extra space. < ahref="https://viewfromthewing.com/why-it-makes-sense-to-pay-for-first-class-on-domestic-flights/" target=_blank>Often, just buying first class isn’t even much more expensive.
Of course you can also buy that extra empty seat if you wish on most airlines. Yet almost no one does this, either. And if you don’t like the seats that are available, that you do assign yourself, you can set a free email alert for a better seat. Virtually no one does this, either.
I am happy to offer my seat to a couple or family that are not sitting together. However, if asked to give up my seat for someone, I will not. Sorry… and for all of the reasons + found in this article.
If sitting together is so important pay for seats or pay for premium versus playing the upgrade lottery.
Travel rule #1 for me:
I never, ever swap seats unless it involves a FA and an upgrade.
So how do you buy an extra seat that you intend to keep empty? Never seen this option on any booking engines. Do you have to insert a fake name, then just check in for both of you? And how does staff know that you bought that seat next to yourself, and it’s not available for them to put somebody in if a seat is needed?
Ah, no good deed goes unpunished, it seems.
@Phil C –This is the way.
@Gary – Is your wife good with sitting in opposing aisles where she gets a random stranger as her neighbor? Mine isn’t, which is why I get the middle seat a lot since marriage means giving as well as taking, but other couples differ.
@Gary – Also, I’m still getting the duplicate comment notation when I enter one but only on VFTW.
In Canada, airlines are greedy. If you want a window or aisle, you have to buy it. If you buy an aisle, you can often trade it for another aisle and sit with your spouse, who has a middle seat.
Canada is so mad at Trump that they want to punish American products. They are greedy and pushy
@derek — Many airlines may you pay to pick your seat, not just Canada–they are no more greedy or selfish than any of us in the United States.
@Robert Drumm- United allows you to buy an extra seat. My brother and sister-in-law just did it going to Europe. Not sure what the process is but it is doable on United
@Robert Drumm – yes. Typically the seat is booked under same name, with EXTRASEAT added to the first name. The passenger needs to check in and get BP for both seats.
@ Gary — I have never understood “you can’t get them to trade back”. It seems quite simple — call the FA, show them your boarding pass, tell them someone is in your seat and move back to your assigned seat. Problem solved.
A 1K should have known better. As soon as I sit down, I put on my noise-canceling headphones and pretend to sleep facing the window. If someone wants to switch seats with me, they can get an FA to facilitate.
People always thought Japanese are moral and respectful. This shows they are cheater (a dishonest swap). Why can’t that Japanese guy be honest from the beginning with the situation? They asked this 1K for a favor and they were dishonest. Shame on them.
@T — Woah. Easy there, partner. Less about ethnicity/language, more about the situation.
He was only duped because he wasn’t paying attention. He should have asked to see the boarding pass. The translator could help if needed.