Etiquette for Moving to Empty Seats?

What is the generally accepted etiquette for moving to vacant seats on board? First to call dibs gets it?

Flying from ORD at Easter, we were in the middle seats at the back of a very full bus. Seeing vacant H/K seats directly across the aisle from us, I loudly said to my friend that I would move over as soon as the doors were closed to make sure that they really were vacant.

I was horrified a few minutes later to see a rat-like woman from the aisle on the other side, one row back, sneak around and start putting her stuff on the seat. I swiftly stood up and said to her 'Looks like you had the same idea as me'. She told me in no uncertain terms that she was taking both seats, pushed past me and plonked her badly permed self into the window seat.

I couldn't be bothered fighting so I sat back down in my seat and told her I would be taking the other seat after takeoff as I have a dicky knee and wanted be able to straighten it in the aisle, which is true. Seatbelt signs came off, I stood up to move and found she'd placed her bag in my footspace and was refusing to move it. I simply picked it up, thus forcing her to take it and put it at her feet. By now, rat-woman was just being nasty and commenced poking me with her elbow, kicking me with her feet, leaning onto my seat, and generally huffing and puffing. Had she not been such a cow I probably wouldn't have bothered moving seats, but my first reaction was that there was no way in hell she was getting 2 seats to herself. Its not like she needed them due to size - she was about 5 foot and 100lbs!

Rant over, was I right to have been annoyed? No one else had expressed their intention to move, and we were loud enough that anyone within a 5 row radius heard us. Growing up, whoever called shotgun got the front seat, and I don't see this as being any different!

I think it's first come first served but I have agreed swaps with people to get the seat I want; being pleasant has worked better for me.

However, I did meet someone a bit like rat faced woman once. Not on VS, on Virgin Trains. I needed to sit with some blind people I was travelling with and one guy had a booked seat at the table 3 were sitting at when I had been booked in the opposide side of the aisle (get my drift?). I offered to swap with him - he could have had two seats to himself still at a table - but he refused - so we just talked over him for the whole journey (VI people usually like to talk, especially the older generation). He had 2 hours of us prattling on! Happy days.

Originally posted by RJD
What is the generally accepted etiquette for moving to vacant seats on board? First to call dibs gets it?



Rant over, was I right to have been annoyed? No one else had expressed their intention to move, and we were loud enough that anyone within a 5 row radius heard us. Growing up, whoever called shotgun got the front seat, and I don't see this as being any different!

In my book it's all fair game until your backside is in the seat. You can express your intentions as loud as you like - she obviously had the same idea, but kept these views to herself and was quicker off the mark (though usually crew will request no moves are done until after take-off).
Next time you'll know to keep quiet and implement your swift sprint[}:)].

As I often say about many things in life ' theres the quick and the disappointed' ! [;)]

I think it's fair game, maybe you shouldn't loudly said your attentions.

There have been times where I got to a seat before someone else and other times not, it's swings and roundabouts.

There was one time, when I was boarding at JFK and found another PAX in my window seat. I politely asked if this was his seat and showed him my boarding pass and he got up in a huff without saying a word to me! He moved along to another window seat and the same thing happened with another PAX. This was still while boarding was still proceeding! Turned out he and his family had the last row in the centre at the back of the plane, on a full flight.

At least, it's not easyjet.

Originally posted by DarkAuror
At least, it's not easyjet.

Now there's a simple tactic that many adopt on Easyjet which is exactly the same as used by those on my commuter line into London. Sit in the aisle seat. Open paper (preferably FT). Catch no one's eye. When asked to move so someone can take window or centre seat, huff, puff and roll eyes.

Paul

[mitchja]

I've only ever moved once on a VS flight.

I boarded the A/C, A340 sat in PE mid-cabin window seat, ended up sitting next to a pax who I knew was going to annoy me, as they had their iPod on loud enough so I could hear what was playing (even during take-off [V]), waited until the doors where closed and the front PE row remained empty so I got up and had a quiet word with the CSS before we pushed back, who said it was fine to move once the seat belt sign was off so as soon as it went off I got up and moved. No-one else moved even though the whole front row in PE was empty.

Regards

Coming back from New York with my daughter a few weeks ago, it was a very light load in Y and lots of passengers were grabbing rows of four to themselves, even before the doors were closed. Not wanting to set a bad example to Miss Cloud, I waited until the seat belt sign had been turned off and finding two seats together in the next but one row, I settled Miss Cloud in to watch her films in her customary sprawl. I thought I had been suitably restrained but there was no harm in using the seats at this point.

Regards

EC

I'm sorry to say it but you probably shouldn't have announced your intentions. It might have just given her the idea to do it, or at least to be quicker than she originally planned. I don't think there's necessarily any etiquette, though obviously one should not move in to an entirely different seating class. Being on the other side of this situation and having someone move into a section I occupied (it was a bulkhead seat) I also think it's polite to ask if you move into a seat that's less than 2 seats away from somebody else.

I would suggest that seats should not be moved in any circumstance without asking for permission from CC. Manners maketh the man.[:D]


Regards
Bryan

Yes at least that way the cc may support you if Rat Woman gets violent!

MrsPVG often winds me right up when travelling Economy. We usually use online check in and try to select seats in the middle of a block that look unallocated. She then spends the entire boarding time like a meer cat bobbing up and down checking out where she wants to move too, where as I prefer to just chillout, relax and let fate take its course. She becomes so stressed and anxious about moving to the chosen seat as soon as possible that it upsets my preflight meditation!

On the train I freely admit to using the aisle seat and news paper trick, which invariably works and I end up with an empty seat next to me despite there being people standing. I like the extra elbow room in the morning and it avoids the embarrasment of dribbling on someones shoulder[|)]

Simple solution... only fly the wife Business Class - gauranteed MUCH less head bobbing and, therefore, less interference with your pre-flight meditation... Infact, everyone is happy (apart from, maybe, the bank manager...) [:D]

Boo

Originally posted by PVGSLF
MrsPVG often winds me right up when travelling Economy. We usually use online check in and try to select seats in the middle of a block that look unallocated. She then spends the entire boarding time like a meer cat bobbing up and down checking out where she wants to move too, where as I prefer to just chillout, relax and let fate take its course. She becomes so stressed and anxious about moving to the chosen seat as soon as possible that it upsets my preflight meditation!

On the train I freely admit to using the aisle seat and news paper trick, which invariably works and I end up with an empty seat next to me despite there being people standing. I like the extra elbow room in the morning and it avoids the embarrasment of dribbling on someones shoulder[|)]

[Neil]

Originally posted by Boo Boo

Simple solution... only fly the wife Business Class - gauranteed MUCH less head bobbing and, therefore, less interference with your pre-flight meditation... Infact, everyone is happy (apart from, maybe, the bank manager...) [:D]

Or, you fly Business Class and leave the misses in Y, that way her fretting won't bother you as you won't be able to see it! Works for me...

Originally posted by Neil
Or, you fly Business Class and leave the misses in Y, that way her fretting won't bother you as you won't be able to see it! Works for me...

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After take off, it's fair game. Before take off is a big no no.

I use an Airbus Take off issue as a troubleshooting Teaching issue in one of the classes I deliver. It highlights that passengers moving before take off and the Captain not being aware causiing damage to the plane on it's departure from the runway.

My experience has been that pre-takeoff seating is strictly enforced. Once the seatbelt sign has gone off then ... BUNDLE !!!!!

[buns]

Originally posted by McMaddog
My experience has been that pre-takeoff seating is strictly enforced. Once the seatbelt sign has gone off then ... BUNDLE !!!!!

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buns[:D][:D][:D]