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Take off your shoes and reclined seats are a pet peeve when traveling by plane
Among the biggest pet peeves of Americans traveling by plane are passengers who recline their seats, according to a survey by the website The Vacationer.
Ariana Triggs, USA TODAY
Enough of changing plane seats.
Swapping seats seems to be a trend lately. Maybe you’ve watched these viral videos featuring people change seats without authorization and other authorized passenger behavior involving airplane seats. Or maybe you saw the Reddit Topics in which passengers attempt to trick their fellow passengers into changing seats.
Someone has to say it, so I will: please stop trying to swap seats.
A recent survey carried out by Kayak revealed that passengers are sharply divided on this issue. A slim majority (54%) approves of changing seats, but only if you “ask politely.” But 64% of travelers said they wouldn’t allow a seat change with travelers who claim to be nervous travelers, and 77% would refuse it if the requester doesn’t like the seat they’ve been assigned.
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Let me read between the lines. You can request a seat change if you need to sit next to your young children or an elderly parent you are caring for.
But otherwise, stay put.
“Changing seats on a plane can sometimes be a tricky situation,” said Carla Bevins, who teaches business management communications at Carnegie Mellon University. She said there were cases where it was absolutely forbidden to change seats. For example, when you are in a different class of service, when you are seated in an exit row, or when the “Fasten your seat belt” sign is on.
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Why should you stay in your airplane seat?
Why should you stay put? Aside from safety reasons, changing seats is one of the easiest ways to get into a no-win confrontation with another passenger. Think about it: You could star in your own viral video – or get kicked off the flight.
Changing seats can even make your flight more dangerous, both for you and other passengers. Each flight has a manifest containing information about each passenger. This may include allergies, special meals or connecting flights.
At best, you might end up with someone else’s meal on board; Worst case scenario, you might end up using your EpiPen or even forcing an emergency landing because you have an allergic reaction to a nearby meal or animal.
On small planes, a seat switch can affect the safety of the entire plane. Before each flight, the crew checks that the plane is properly balanced. If you move, you could shift the plane’s balance in the wrong direction, making it more difficult to fly the plane.
But that’s not the only reason you have to sit in your assigned seat for the entire duration of the flight. Changing seats is disruptive. Too often this ends in unnecessary confrontation between passengers.
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Changing seats is rude, so don’t do it
When I asked etiquette experts about changing seats, I heard about it. In the past, they might have offered their best tips for politely changing seats. But the experts I consulted seemed to suggest that most forms of seat shifting are just plain crude.
Think of it like going to a dinner party and someone has a card with your name on it on the table. And instead of sitting in your assigned seat, you throw the card and sit wherever you want. How rude!
Etiquette expert Rosalinda Oropeza Randall said there’s no need to play along.
“If someone asks you to change seats, you don’t have to do it or even consider it,” she said. “You have the right to refuse – politely, of course.”
His pro tip: The other passenger might want to know why you’re not moving. But you don’t have to give a reason. “You can say something like, ‘I’d rather stay where I am,'” she said.
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert who runs the Texas Protocol Schoolsays changing seats shouldn’t be a problem.
“It’s always best to plan ahead if you know you’ll need more legroom or want to be seated next to your best friend,” she said.
I agree. But I think airlines deserve some responsibility for the seat-changing epidemic.
By forcing their economy class passengers to pay extra for seat assignments, they have created an underclass of passengers who show up to their flight without assigned seats and then attempt to negotiate their way out of the middle seat.
Airlines could quickly end the seat-changing trend if they allowed their passengers to choose their seat without asking them for more money. In the meantime, maybe you should just stick to your assigned place.
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Elliott’s Tips for Getting a Better Seat on a Plane
- Pay for it. Often the cost of an assigned aisle or window seat is worth it if you start to think about how difficult it will be to try to persuade another passenger to change with you. I know, airlines make a lot of money from these missions. Personally, I think we should ban seat selection feesBut this is another story.
- Leverage your loyalty program (if you must). Loyalty program members have access to better seats, often without paying extra. But you should know that these programs are not free. I believe they are addictive and not useful for most air travelers – but again, that’s a topic for another time.
- Fly on an airline without assigned seats. You have a much better chance of getting a prime seat when there are open seats, like on Southwest Airlines. Just make sure you’re in boarding group A or B to ensure reasonably good selection.
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate and journalist. He founded Elliott’s Plea, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidentiala newsletter on travel and Elliott Report, a customer service news site. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can contact him here or send him an email to chris@elliott.org.