Originally Posted by
Dan Druff
I actually have my own post-9/11 seat moving story, which I've told before on radio.
I paid extra money for Economy Plus (extra legroom) in 2012, but didn't know about those sites where you could look up seats on airplanes for faults.
So the seats I chose couldn't recline, and I didn't know this until I boarded. The airlines should really warn you about this before you pay EXTRA for such seats, but they don't.
Anyway, I was very unhappy with the situation. I knew there was nothing I could do about it, so I didn't complain at first. However, after they closed the airplane doors, I noticed 3 other empty Economy Plus seats nearby, and those COULD recline!
I went to the stewardess and asked if I could move, and explained why. She got really bitchy with me right off the bat, lecturing me, "Those are your seats, and you can't move." I tried to keep as calm as possible, because I didn't want to get kicked from the plane for being a disruption. I tried to softly reason with her, explaining that I paid extra for these seats and had no idea they couldn't recline, and how I would be happy to move after takeoff when it was 100% clear no one was sitting there. She coldly responded, "You paid for legroom, not for recline. You need to return to your seat."
I was pissed and wanted to continue arguing, but knowing I was on an airplane in a post-9//11 world, I turned around and quietly sat down, accepting the crappy decision.
10 minutes after takeoff, she approached me again.
"Those seats over there... you can move now if you want."
I didn't understand why she changed her mind. Perhaps she cooled down in those 10 minutes and re-thought the situation.