Airplane passengers agree that, ‘people who ask you to switch seats are the ultimate thorn in your flying experience’: Personal stories are shared to back this decision

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

Aug 5, 2023 6:00 PM EDT

Flying used to be a luxury experience. Never for anyone under 50 years old, but it apparently used to be very relaxing and fun. Now, the first thing you experience when you get to the airport is the unnerving feeling someone might have slipped a kilo of illegal substances into your bag while you nervously walk around in your socks… Doesn't sound as luxurious anymore. Plus, if you want any sort of comfort on the flight, you need to dish out the cash. So if you want extra legroom or just the assurance you'll get an aisle seat, you have to add an extra $50/$60 to your already expensive traveling. So back in the day, if someone asked you to switch seats with them, it probably just meant you were switching to a similar seating situation. But now, when someone asks you to switch seats with them, it usually means they're asking you to give up the window seat you paid extra for to a middle seat by the bathrooms… It's not ideal.

Many people who fly seem to agree that people who ask to switch seats are the scum of flying. Of course, there are exclusions, like when the airline screws over a family and separates a 2-year-old and a mother even though they had tried to plan ahead and get seated together. But mostly, the general consensus is that it isn't so much asking to switch seats; it's how you ask. If you're asking someone to switch seats, make sure you are offering them a seat that is an upgrade from their current one, and always ask without an expectation that they will say yes. The entitlement in some of these people trying to switch their coach middle seat for a business seat is absurd!