Etiquette expert shares when to accept or reject seat swap on plane
Experts have explained the best times and ways to ask to switch seats on an airplane but have also warned that if the answer is 'no' then that response should be accepted. The advice comes after a Reddit user asked the community if he had been right or wrong in refusing to give up his free upgraded exit-row seat on a 14-hour flight for a pregnant woman. The poster refused and also wanted to know why the woman's husband had paid for a premium seat and not for his wife.
The poster also wanted to know why the man would not swap with his wife and was instead asking someone else to do so. The man said that his family were shocked at his action and thought he should have swapped, but other users of the site backed him up saying he was right. And, according to Fox News Digital, experts on etiquette and travel also said he was right to say no. Author and etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall of California, said: "Compelling someone to make a decision on the spot, without a lot of information or time to inquire, sounds impolite and a bit unreasonable."
And Randall added that it was not rude to refuse to switch seats as there is no obligation to do so and anyone making the request would have no right to expect it or even be given a reason why the request had been refused.
She did have some advice for anyone who wanted to ask for a seat swap, explaining that they should do so calmly or ask a flight attendant to help with the request. They could even offer to buy the person being asked some drinks or pay for some airline extras.
Elaine Swann, another etiquette expert from California, said much the same, advising that the person making the request should be prepared to be told 'no' and to take that answer graciously and not have an expectation of a positive outcome.
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Swann also said that a good way to influence the outcome was to sweeten the deal with a drink, snack, or some in-flight entertainment. She also said: "Certainly the best time to ask is during the boarding process, before they’ve gotten fully comfortable in their seat."
There should also be no drama attached to the conversation, warned Swann and people should steer clear of making the person feel guilty for wanting to sit in their seat, with the same applying to the person whose seat it is. She said: "It’s your prerogative as to whether or not you want to say yes or no. Because a person asked you to change your seats does not mean that you are required to do so."
Another sound piece of advice was to try to ensure the swap did not leave the person being asked getting the raw end of the deal. Clint Henderson, managing editor of news at the travel website The Points Guy, said: "These days, your seat assignment likely had some kind of cost, whether you paid for it outright or got it as a perk of status.
"Of course, if it’s an even trade and you are a generous person, you are likely to be kind and make the switch, but sometimes people who want your seat are offering you a bad deal on a switch. I’m not going to give up my aisle seat in the first few rows of the coach cabin for your seat in the back."
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