I’m sitting on a Delta MD-88 right now. I’m in the exit row. For the first time in a really long time, I had an entire row to myself. That was…until a guy 2 rows away from me decided to move into the empty seat beside me. Now…. I’m not brimming with anger or anything like that. I get that the extra legroom is tempting. It’s just that if I saw that one of my fellow travelers had lucked out and had a row to themselves at 6am…. it would never, ever, cross my mind that I should go sit beside them just to make myself slightly more comfortable. Am I in the minority here? I thought I’d conduct a reader poll just for curiosity!
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
It’s about my comfort.
The issue is that the person who moved is rude and uncouth in not checking with you first. You then have to spend time sitting next to someone whom you despise (in the sense that you know that their behavior is despicable). It creates an extremely unpleasant atmosphere.
This has happened twice to me on Delta HKG-NRT route. I would be sitting in the bulkhead exit row with two other empty seats, and either one OR TWO pax (an American coupon once and an Chinese couple once) from the back would move up and not blink an eye. I would ask them to return to their seat and if unsuccessful, inform the flight attendant.
Unless the seat carries with it an associated cost that differs from the mover’s original seat (such as moving E to E+), you have no more right to it than they do. Actually less, you are not actually giving up a seat to occupy it as they have, you just want to “occupy” two.
You completely reserve the right to be disappointed at not having the extra room. On the other hand, where ever the guy moved from, the person next to them is not disappointed, so its a wash.
How long was the flight and did you pay extra to get that seat?
@Grant, it was only 1.5 hours, and I did not pay extra. And please keep in mind, I’m not “hacked off” about this…. I was simply wondering if others feel the same way I do.
I had a similar situation recently. I was on a CRJ flight (SLC-ORD) and ended up having my side of the exit row to my self. While no one moved in next to me, it wouldn’t have mattered that much to me since the armrests don’t move anyways and the legroom is already really spacious. Now if we are talking a regular coach seat, that’s a little different. If I have a group of 3 seats to myself (like on a 737) I wouldn’t mind if someone took one of the seats (as long as they weren’t rude, smelly, etc) but if there are only 2 seats and there is an empty one next to me I don’t want them to take it just so they can talk to their friend or whatever. While I didn’t pay for the seat, neither did they so I would say we are equally unentitled to it in that case :).
The entire row, or just the same side of the aisle as you?
I normally wouldn’t move without asking a FA first, and I wouldn’t want to move to a middle seat, even an exit row, but beyond that I don’t see much of an issue there.
I was also on an MD-88 yesterday, sitting 3 wide with two other guys about my size, 220lbs or so. Needless to say, we fit, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. Fortunately right after the door closed the FA suggested I moved back to the available exit row behind me, and even stopped a passenger who was making a move for the seats as I approached. Thanks Delta.
I would not make the move to sit next to someone else. As stated upstream, 3 seats would be different assuming an open middle seat.
Unless you paid for the other seat I think you have no room to even wonder, the seat is up for the taking.
I don’t see the problem here.
I paid for one seat and one seat only. If someone wants to sit next to me because the seat has better leg what right do I have to be upset?
Not upset, just curious. And it was the 2 seat side.
Well I would start by asking you if it was a 2 seat row or a 3 seat row. I am guessing without knowing that since he sat right beside you that you were in a 2 seat on an MD 88. So I would say if I was in a three seat side middle seat, I would probably make the move. Would I ask you if you minded, probably. Would you say NO to me knowing that I was in a middle seat – perhaps but I would like to think you would not. Had you said no, I would have asked the Flight Attendant, she no doubt would have said yes then you would have had a long flight. If you said yes, I would have made your flight as comfortable as I could have, knowing that I invaded your space.
It depends on how many seats are in that row. If it is just two seats in the row than no way I move to sit diresctly next to someone no matter what seat it is. If it is a 3 seat row, leaving a middle seat open still than I would probably move.
I see this and have have it happen to me on long flights to Asia. The passive aggressiveness drives me crazy and I have actually passive aggressively kicked them out when they got up to use the bathroom. Just stretched out and pretended to be asleep. Would have been better if they just asked if they could sit in the vacant seat.