[LuganoPirate]

I don’t think it’s rude but it would be nice to be informed first.

[FDOS_UK]

Thanks to everyone who has expressed an opinion, so far.

I find the different perceptions interesting.

To re-inforce the question, it is not whether moving another passenger to a free seat was wrong/rude etc, the seat was unallocated and at the airline’s disposal.

It was whether totally ignoring the passenger in the seat next door was rude.

I think it was (but my lens is as a professional who leads seminars where there is a distinct hosting role, as well as technical role), but that is my view and I’m not saying others who do not find it rude are wrong.

To reduce things to the base level (removing the desire to be courteous from the equation), if I had to do something similar to this in my role, I would be very careful in being seen to treat everyone equally, to avoid any unintended consquences of hurt feelings, resentment etc. that might have an impact later.

As it happened, the lady moved next to me was a little clumsy and obviously not used to air travel. She kept having problems working the seat, the IFE etc. and I have to admit that when she asked me for help for the second time, I pressed the call bell and asked the FA to deal with it – if the purser had been courteous to me, I’d have walked the extra mile in helping, but under the circumstances why should I do the crew’s job?

[mikeact]

Regardless, it wasn’t her fault and I think I would have been happy to continue to try and assist her……we’ll all be old one day, and may welcome assistance with unfamiliar technology etc.(Sorry, I’m assuming she was maybe elderly.)

[Henryp1]

I don’t find this rude as it was am empty seat and I believe the cabin crew can move passengers as they see fit, unless they require another passenger to move also.

Mikeact, I too would have assisted the other passenger if I could.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=789995]Regardless, it wasn’t her fault and I think I would have been happy to continue to try and assist her……we’ll all be old one day, and may welcome assistance with unfamiliar technology etc.(Sorry, I’m assuming she was maybe elderly.)

[/quote]

But you’re missing the point, Mike, it was the behaviour of the cabin crew member that directly drove my emotional response, which was not to blank the older lady or be rude to her, but to help her once and then knock it back to the crew – who are there to solve such problems.

If the purser had explained to me what she was doing and why, then introduced the lady it would have created a completely different slant on things and I would have most likely been proactively assisting her, as I would have known her name etc.

However, by ignoring me, showing the lady the seat and then just turning on her heels, she failed in her role of a host, in my opinion.

So, 20 mins into the flight, when I was heads down and writing up an important report that required a fair bit of focus, I tried very quickly to assist and then decided not to be disturbed again.

I was excluded from the conversations with the young couple and the older lady and ignored during the move. I didn’t ruin my flight and I didn’t make a fuss in the least, but there wasn’t going to be much more than basic politeness from me.

The motto of the story, from my perspective, is to recognise all the stakeholders in a situation, engage them (don’t blank them) and try to kick things off on a good footing.

I’m kicking off a seminar tomorrow morning and will be following my own advice throughout. This will include the lady who runs the reception desk, the young lady who services the room, the manager of the conference area, any other guests in the neighbouring rooms and the participants. In most cases, it will be initially no more than a 30-60 second chat – but it is noticed and it does make a difference, a point driven home when checking into the conference hotel today.

I was was touched that one of the former banquetting staff saw me and came across to greet me by name – I said I was pleased, but surprised she remembered my name after several months and she replied ‘you always treated me and my colleagues nicely and took the time to talk with us – we all know you and appreciate your kindness’.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=789997]I don’t find this rude as it was am empty seat and I believe the cabin crew can move passengers as they see fit, unless they require another passenger to move also.

Mikeact, I too would have assisted the other passenger if I could.

[/quote]

HenryP1

Before you go too far down that rabbit hole, the act of moving someone from one seat to another is not the issue here – it was (as I said in the OP) the right thing to do, the airline is entitled to do it and the passenger has no right to feel unfairly treated – end of that discussion.

The question is do you move someone and completely blank the person in the next seat, whilst doing it.

I find it rude, you may not.

[mikeact]

I don’t think I’m missing your point at all, maybe I’m a little more laid back and relaxed as I work on the principle that we all make mistakes. I used to commute every 2/3 weeks between Gatwick and my then office in Minneapolis ,and obviously you never knew who you were going to be seated next to. I met some really interesting people and of course the odd obnoxious person. I used to take work with me but always worked on the principle that it may not be completed on the plane ,depending on circumstances. Seat companions always included some first timers, particularly in Northwests’, World Business Class, and without wishing to criticise American airline crews, I was always more than happy to help if I could with the more simple functions of ‘how do I change programs ?’ etc. More of concern/annoyance to me were upset children, but that subject opens up a whole new can of worms.

nb Thinking about it, but I wasn’t there, I might well have light heartedly said hello and along the lines of ‘welcome to your new seat’ or some such comment.

[FDOS_UK]

Mike, you may or may not be more laid back, but you are missing the point.

It’s not your reaction, nor mine nor Basil Brush’s that the thread is asking about.

It’s about whether the pursers was rude in the way she behaved.

Everything else flows from that and there would be many individual reactions, due to personalities, jet lag etc.

By th way, you have made an implicit assumption that I am younger/more capable of working the seat than my fellow passenger, in your post.

PS: It’s a bit difficult to say hello to someone who is wearing head phones and listening to an iPad.

[mikeact]

For goodness sake, I said I wasn’t there and it’s easy to make assumptions…of course it would have been decent of the purser to have a word with you, but life’s too short to get uptight about it, or it is to me. I rest my case and wish you well on future travels.

I can’t quite see where I implied that you were younger or older in respect of moving the seat.

[FDOS_UK]

Not quite so laidback now, Mike? ;-), but thank you forfinally addressing the quesiton posed in the OP.

You wrote “we’ll all be old one day, and may welcome assistance with unfamiliar technology etc.(Sorry, I’m assuming she was maybe elderly.)”

FYI, I benefit from a senior rail card and thus am old – not …. ‘one day’.

Have a pleasant evening.

[mikeact]

You too, just about to board a 380, be interesting to see who’s next to me for the flight tonight.
Not sure that a Senior card implies that you’re old…just what is old this day and age!

[Henryp1]

It’s no worse than when other passengers board and sit in their seat without saying hello to their neighbour. Although it’s not such an issue when seats are not 2 or 3 together. It really doesn’t bother me anymore as I accept that we all have different behaviours.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=790067]It’s no worse than when other passengers board and sit in their seat without saying hello to their neighbour. Although it’s not such an issue when seats are not 2 or 3 together. It really doesn’t bother me anymore as I accept that we all have different behaviours.

[/quote]

But surely you can understand the difference between a passenger not speaking to you, when taking up their allocated seat and a crew member (representing the firm you have paid for the service) not speaking to you, when doing something that will impact you (even though they are allowed to do it)?

An apples v apples comparison, it isn’t.

[PeterCoultas]

Not rude but perhaps not a great advert for the airline….Mikeact has the right attitude: no need to be poncy if the cabin crew slightly underperform….treat the passenger with respect and don’t make a big issue out of a minor problem….sounds like another WDUTIA…

[handbag]

When the flight is not full, if someone is in a row of 3 they often move into the middle of the 3 (presumably so someone is less likely to sit next to them and they end up with 3 seats to themselves. Elsewhere, I find rows with 3 pax in 3 seats. Time permitting, I normally look at the passenger list and say to the pax in a row of 3 seats to themselves, that to be fair and try and give everyone a bit of room, I will be moving someone into that row and would they prefer the aisle or window , before I do it.

I notify the pax who is already in the row for a couple of reasons.

Giving them a chance as they were there first of which one they want. Quite often they were not even in that row at all and have just moved themselves anyway.
and
They are less likely to give the person that moved a hard time if I have been involved in the moving , rather than the person doing it themselves.

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