The golden rules for swapping seats on planes, according to a pilot
A PILOT has revealed how you should react if someone asks you to switch seats on a plane.
There are countless stories online about passengers being asked to move seats, so that a family, or a couple or whoever can sit next to one another.
However, some people aren’t always sure how they should react in this situation.
But for one airline pilot, it’s simple enough – you should just say no.
No one is entitled to sit next to their friends or loved ones during a flight and, if they want to make sure they’re sat together, they can just pay for it.
The pilot told Mail Online: “In the age of the internet, this is a tough one. Most people who are organized and know where they want to sit pick their seats weeks or months before a flight.
“If people want to make sure they sit together they should pay the extra money to make that happen instead of expecting others to move.”
The pilot also said that anyone wishing to swap seats should never ask to move to a seat better than the one they have to offer in exchange.
They also suggested bringing gifts if you find yourself in a position where you have to ask other people to switch.
They continued: “Passengers should also never ask to swap aisle seats for middle seats as that’s just ridiculous. My top tip is to stock up on some chocolate in duty-free to sweeten the deals if need be.”
Typically though, passengers are well within their rights to refuse a move, particularly if they’ve selected their seat ahead of the journey.
Sun Online Travel’s resident flight attendant said: “If that’s your seat, you have absolutely no obligation to move whatsoever.
“If you want to be friendly and let the separated friends, partners, parents, whoever sit next to one another, you’re welcome to, but don’t feel bad about saying no either.
“People who have been separated can sometimes get so upset when people refuse to move so that they can together, but it’s only a few hours, they’ll survive.
“They’re the ones who are being difficult here, not those who are happy to stay in a seat that they’ve paid, sometimes extra, to sit in.”
The people at Stuff NZ Travel came to a similar conclusion when assessing the matter.
They said: “If the offered trade is less desirable, like the dreaded middle seat in the economy cabin, it is fair that you might refuse to shift – especially on a long-haul flight.”
Meanwhile this passenger sparked a debate on Reddit after refusing to swap seats with a woman and her disabled partner.
And a mum has revealed how she gets passengers to swap seats without causing any problems during a flight.