can you change seats once on a plane

So I booked myself a window seat and made sure it wasnt over that horrendous view obstructer that is the wing (tip: always do this if you can). When passengers try to change seats on United, the airlines flight attendants stand on the bridge between seats declaring none shall pass. It used to be that passengers could change to any empty seat in the cabin, but now the airline charges extra for some seats in economy and flight attendants are the airlines revenue protection force. I was traveling solo, headed to Rio de Janeiro for the first, and possibly only, time in my life. My question is: Are there any restrictions on which seats I can switch to? I think its perfectly fine to ask others to accommodate this, though dont be surprised if youre rejected. "No" gets the point across, but it's hardly the hoped-for response. "Passengers are required to take the seats listed on their boarding passes during boarding and take off for a variety of reasons," says Ad van Aken, supervisor and protocol for KLM's public relations team. Last summer I was on a flight that delayed because the last passenger to board wanted to change seats from 24D to the empty 7C in coach. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Max covers a variety of topics with a focus on points, miles, and aviation. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Privacy Policy He was very pissy about it, took his sweet time while I stood in the galley nearby waiting for him to move, when he finally stood up he was actually just a tad shorter than me!! I asked the FA if I could move up. Flying DFW-LAS, I was sitting in Having said that, since becoming knowledgeable about such things, I've only actually been asked once. Flying DFW-LAS, I was sitting in the first row of F (my preferred location when flying domestic), and some guy asked me to switch so his wife could sit next to him. HARD no. She was so mad that SHE moved up to a different row where all four seats were free. I was thinking (but didn't actually say), "Yes, I WILL have a nice flight, because I'm sitting in the seat I picked." Its not that big of a deal. Basic Economy ticket holders must pay extra to change. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The woman on the other center aisle seat asked me to change rows. (I would have understood if it was a parent wanting to sit next to a young child.) Should I be more upset with the flight attendant or the person who thought it okay to move to a free middle seat.? For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. 2. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Cond Nast Traveler does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. OK, that's not quite true. Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Innovative double-decker seats on display at an aviation show in Germany received a lot of applause - but also some odd questions on social media. I actually disagree with the suggestion to explain yourself. Ok to change seats with a family member is first class? Whether you are switching with a stranger or just trying to swap seats with a friend, there are certain factors that you need to be aware of in order for your plan to go smoothly and to avoid confrontations. I was actually amused. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. asking someone who is sitting in F to switch to an economy seat just so you can sit next to your sweetie is not reasonable! Life is too short to be self-righteous and selfish. So let me say first that I will always trade seats with a parent who wants to be beside their own child (this comes with the added benefit of getting away from the child). But I will generally always honor someone else's request as long as its in the same cabin, not putting me in a middle seat, and they asked. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. United, for example, allows you to choose and pay for a seat assignment at the time of booking right up to check-in. There are all kinds of travel quandaries, ranging from missed connections to equipment swaps, or late-minute bookings due to personal emergencies, that even the savviest traveler can find themselves in a bind. Different airlines take different approaches, and for the ones that say no thats a relatively recent change. FlyerTalk Forums - Can you change seats once booked Changing your seat through the JetBlue app is quick and easy, so you can be sure to get the seat you want on your next flight . Asking a fellow passenger to change seats generally comes with the assumption that you failed to take the appropriate measures to avoid drawing that short straw (like not paying up or booking too late) and now you expect your more forward-thinking passenger to carry the can. To change your seat on United Airlines, you must locate your trip on their website and enter your confirmation code and last name. RSS. If they're too cheap to pay the fee to do so, or if they don't know how to do so, or if they're too dumb/lazy to do so, that's their problem, not mine. Empty seats are fair game (after you've checked with the flight attendant), but asking a fellow passenger to swap seats can be trickier. You're telling me you could plan your international wedding, but you didn't have the foresight to book your seats so you could sit together? Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. There's always comments like "if you book ahead of time and pay you can always get your seats together" but as I mentioned in another post that is total BS. If you have a booking, follow these simple steps: Log in to Manage My Booking. I'd like to understand the reasoning behind this. By subscribing to our newsletter(s) you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Are You Allowed to Swap Seats With a First Class Passenger? See more about our ethics policies here. I would have though the passenger has entitlement issues and was trying to get the airline to agree with their entitlement to my seat. ", "Customers traveling in different cabins are not allowed to switch seats but in cases like an illness or a special need, customers can communicate and work directly with the Flight Attendants if they need to switch seats. Do people really go to the theater, concerts, or other venues and ask people to change seats so they can sit with their family and/or friends the way people now do on airplanes? February 24, 2023 50 Airplane seating arrangements can be complicated, especially when you're traveling with others some airlines charge to assign seats, some airlines don't assign seats in advance, some people may book last minute and not be able to reserve seats together, etc. Seats in business class and first class are among the most-coveted on any flight. What she offered me would be two rows back, in the middle section, away from a window, and next to a family with three kids under the age of seven. Certain seats may have have some seating requirements, such as those in the exit rows. Some people are just effing a-holes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Here's a link to our Advertiser Disclosure. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. | I generally follow the rules Ben lays out here, and I typically only ask because I have children flying with me in those cases, and the changes leave them sitting with strangers. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. In other cases, I will swap equal seats. We gave the woman the first class seat next to her mom and ended up together in We gave the woman the first class seat next to her mom and ended up together in coach. While many frequent flyers score premium seats through award deals or with complimentary upgrades, others are not so lucky. Your email address will not be published. Choosing a seat. Share and share alike, below. No matter if you are the swapper or the swappee, confidence and a little compassion are key to getting or keeping a good seat assignment. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. If no seats have been assigned to you, it either means that the airline does not allow pre-assigned seats at this time, or they can only assign seats at check-in. When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare? Choosing your seat. Additionally, some airlines have unspoken rules in place prohibiting male passengers from sitting next to unaccompanied minors. For example, I booked a window and an aisle for 2 of us, if someone sits in the middle seat would we be able to ask that person to switch seats with one of us so we can sit together or do we have to stay in our assigned seats? This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. 10 Tips for Changing Your Tickets (or Postponing Your Trip) - U.S. News However, there's always the person that will decline out of principle. Of course, if you're flying on Southwest Airlines, that's another seat strategy ballgame altogether in the first-come, first-served environment. It's almost always a couple who get upgraded at the last minute, after I have paid for a full first class ticket and the tone is always.. you are not important, because you are traveling alone, and we are special, since we are a couple traveling together And you are correct, recently I witnessed someone who just took a seat before asking, super rude if it was me, I would ask them to move, just because because they just took what they wanted. Its definitely your seat let them know they should go to their assigned seat and ask their other seatmate to switch with them. It's an aircraft known for being a bit narrow in economy, and the thought of my aisle seat assignment was the breadcrumb I needed to squeeze an ounce of enjoyment from the long journey. Why No One Should Swap Seats on a Plane - YouTube And, should you feel bad about saying no? I'm a frequent AA flyer (plat pro) and fly with kids. I too always prefer the window but in both cases it was on a route I frequent so I didn't mind foregoing the usual wingview and (since I swapped into an aisle) feeling freer to get up to use the lav! And Southwest doesnt have an official policy on this one way or another. Unfortunately, the answer to this question will often depend on the exact situation, passengers, crew and route. You can always select your seat free of charge at check-in. In this day and age of differential seat pricing and different benefits for select rows, any open switching devalues the product and is a loss of revenue for the airline. [LAST CHANCE/ENDING] Best-Ever 165,000 Point Offer for IHG Business Card, When American Airlines Says Their Schedule Is The Product, This Happens [Roundup], United Airlines Passenger Illegally Vapes Throughout Flight, While Cabin Crew Shrug, The Best Seats To Choose On A Plane When Traveling With Someone, But Almost No One Does This, 20 Passengers Use Wheelchairs To Board Early On Southwest, Then Walk Off The Aircraft Fine On Arrival, Frontier Airlines Gate Agent Barks Erratically At Passengers While Boarding Flight From Denver, Earning 5,000 Delta Miles For Just 3 Minutes' Time [Roundup], Man Had His Own Private Jet After All American Airlines Passengers Took Other Flights During Delay. People used to be polite and reasonable. Not only are gate agents the absolute authority when it comes to seat assignments, but it's also much harder to convince a passenger to change seats once they are sitting comfortably and have already secured a precious overhead space. There are many implied rules and codes of conduct when it comes to flying and most of them boil down to just common courtesy. It looks like most of the rows 2-4-2 in the middle are empty so if I cannot buy a discounte upgrade to Economy Plus I had planned on changing my seat so I can sleep. Rooster, Thanks again to your wife, I needed the break. Review: Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich Airport Satellite Resisting Temptation In Lufthansa First Class. You forgot the most important part: whip out the BENJAMINS! But its less than 1% according to a social media survey by Virgin Australia last year. Say, one of you is in coach and the other in business class. Julia Buckley is someone who says no to swaps. Huh? I had a window seat and the new seat was also a window seat. but it was next to someone quite large. American really should make it a policy to forbid moving to empty seats which have an additional cost. You will be shown a seat map of the aircraft, and you can select your desired seat from there. Changing a seat request Can I change my seat once I have selected it? I'm thinking of doing the same thing on my 17 hour flight from LAX - BKK on Thai Air. Choosing your seat | Information | British Airways See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. German couple next to me in the center One time (a long time ago) I was on a flight in economy from Frankfurt to LAX (14 hour flight). I've been victim to frequent airline swaps that scatter seats when traveling with kids - it's brutal. Well done. All rights reserved. When I fly and choose a seat in an exit row for the extra leg room, how is it not a disadvantage to give up that extra leg room? These are the ones that are so frustrating the level of entitlement is just crazy. My philosophy is quitesimple: Ironically Im too sheepish to ask others for similar seat change requests. However, she suffers from chronic pain and literally wrote the book on traveling with a debilitating, but invisible, condition. While your instinct may be a hard and fast "no" to trading seats when asked, it's still important to consider and empathize with any request. But please, folks, dont be ridiculous, like that time I flew MIAT Mongolian from Ulaanbaatar to Frankfurt, and was asked by a passenger if I could move from business class to economy class so that a woman could sit next to her husband. In other cases, I will swap equal seats. is a travel editor, guidebook writer and digital content producer. Ill never pay for a sest on VS again. In my mind, if an airlines deems a passenger so young that they would require an "unaccompanied minor" fee if travelling alone, then that airline should also guarantee that child can sit next to a responsible adult travelling on the same itinerary. Air Canada Online Advance Seat Selection (Let's put aside rules about emergency exit rows and other special. If youre going to ask others to switch seats, try to be as fair as possible, and swap for a comparable or worse seat, rather than for a better seat. And as a practical matter if they did a last minute upgrade and you were in standby, you might get that same seat. ", "Delta offers the opportunity for customers seated in different cabins to change seats once during the flight, with the change occurring after takeoff (once [the] seatbelt sign is extinguished) and before the start of the first meal service. I chose the seat because there was no one else in the row of three. Then when the couple asks if you want to switch seats tell them no Thank you I prefer middle seats. Also boarding the plane were a woman with her elderly, wheelchair-using mother. He initially said hed pay but then changed his mind. It's not out of the ordinary for me to book flights for my family on points 330 days out so I can get the best rates on the best routing for big trips. It takes confidence not to acquiesce, but know that you do not owe an explanation for wanting to sit in your assigned seat, unless you're asked for one by cabin crew. Even diligently tracking the seat map through check in there are times the best I can do is within an aisle of each other. I don't think I'd ever give that seat up for anyone. Try to find a middle seat between a window and aisle already reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I don't ask anyone to change seats with me. 5. I find people are generally more than happy to swap from a worse seat to a better one. Check here before booking an award fare. I politely declined saying I had paid for the seat and she responded sarcastically, Thank you for being reasonable.. Finally, the person sitting in the other middle aisle seat agreed to swap and took the aisle seat next to me. This sort of behavior is the kind of thing that makes me now not willing to give people the benefit of the doubt.So unless you have a much better offer for me or a lot of cash upfront, it's a hard NO.

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