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Airplane seat squatters

G

gman

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There’s been plenty of news about people claiming a seat paid for by another passenger. Apparently these people have been so bold as to refusing to give up the seat to the payer and have become physical.
Well, this past February my wife and I made seat reservations for a direct flight to St. Maarten. Our seats were on the aisle right across from each other. When we finally made our way to our seats my wife’s was unoccupied but there a gentleman in about his mid 30’s in mine. His girlfriend or wife was in the middle seat. I said, “excuse me sir but you’re in my seat”. He wouldn’t look at me and he didn’t speak but pointed what was apparently his seat by the window. I said, “sir, that’s your seat and want you to move now”. A flight attendant was standing there apparently ready to intervene if the guy got ugly. He just sat there looking straight ahead and I put my face into his and I said, “sir, move now” and I made sure my cap with my VN unit was clearly visible to him and that I was a combat vet and ready to get him out of my seat. His companion nudged him and without saying a word he made a disgusted face and moved to his seat. After we were seated and buckled in I tried to de-escalate the situation and leaned over and said, “thank you sir”. His companion smiled and said to me, “thank you”. He sat there pouty faced and I don’t think they said two words to each other for the flight. I don’t know what these people are trying to prove by being so obnoxious. I wouldn’t doubt if that’s his modus operandi in life.
 
Awful, low-brow. Glad it worked out for you. I think a lot of people believe (possibly correctly) that most people want to avoid confrontations and figure it's worth pushing how far they can go.

On a plane, it's so regulated that a passenger does have resources in the flight attendants and even pilots. Maybe even an air marshall. I wouldnt let it go on a plane.
 
sorry
gman said:
e and he didn’t speak but pointed what was apparently his seat by the window. I said, “sir, that’s your seat and want you to move now”. A flight attendant was standing there apparently ready to intervene if the guy got ugly. He just sat there looking straight ahead and I put my face into his and I said, “sir, move now” and I made sure my cap with my VN unit was clearly visible to him and that I was a combat vet and ready to get him out of my seat. His companion nudged him and without saying a word he made a disgusted face and moved to his seat. After we were seated and buckled in I tried to de-escalate the situation and leaned over and said, “thank you sir”. His companion smiled and said to me, “thank you”. He sat there pouty faced and I don’t think they said two words to each other for the flight. I don’t know what these people are trying to prove by being so obnoxious. I wouldn’t doubt if that’s his modus operandi in life.
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I could not get past the part where you said how tough you are.
 
I blame all of this on Jerry Springer.

People have gotten emboldened by the understanding that they can be a douchebag and there isnt an ass kicking as a result. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying the answer to life is an ass kicking. I AM saying people have no fear of an ass kicking. That's what empowers the proverbial 'Karens' of the world to believe they can scream in peoples faces and get away with it.
 
Thankfully, I have never had to deal with this problem.

To be fair, I never fly in steerage, so I don't have an occasion to encounter these low brow types.

Since I am paying well north of $1,000 for first class, there would be hell to pay if somebody tried to pull that shit.
 
VanceMack said:
I blame all of this on Jerry Springer.

People have gotten emboldened by the understanding that they can be a douchebag and there isnt an ass kicking as a result. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying the answer to life is an ass kicking. I AM saying people have no fear of an ass kicking. That's what empowers the proverbial 'Karens' of the world to believe they can scream in peoples faces and get away with it.
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Interesting. I think you're on to something here. Springer not only popularized crass and boorish behavior, he celebrated it.

In a way, Springer was a forerunner to youtube videos and other social media venues.
 
Pyrite said:
Interesting. I think you're on to something here. Springer not only popularized crass and boorish behavior, he celebrated it.

In a way, Springer was a forerunner to youtube videos and other social media venues.
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Not sure what's being discussed here...people can act like entitled assholes like the guy trying to get the plane seat...and people can act like entitled assholes "Karens" when confronted with that. It's not the same thing. "In general" the first entitled asshole is wrong and just hoping to get away with it...the second entitled asshole, the Karen, is over-reacting. But not wrong.

And someone isnt a Karen if they simply demand their seat back and are clear they'll stand up for themselves to get it.
 
gman said:
There’s been plenty of news about people claiming a seat paid for by another passenger. Apparently these people have been so bold as to refusing to give up the seat to the payer and have become physical.
Well, this past February my wife and I made seat reservations for a direct flight to St. Maarten. Our seats were on the aisle right across from each other. When we finally made our way to our seats my wife’s was unoccupied but there a gentleman in about his mid 30’s in mine. His girlfriend or wife was in the middle seat. I said, “excuse me sir but you’re in my seat”. He wouldn’t look at me and he didn’t speak but pointed what was apparently his seat by the window. I said, “sir, that’s your seat and want you to move now”. A flight attendant was standing there apparently ready to intervene if the guy got ugly. He just sat there looking straight ahead and I put my face into his and I said, “sir, move now” and I made sure my cap with my VN unit was clearly visible to him and that I was a combat vet and ready to get him out of my seat. His companion nudged him and without saying a word he made a disgusted face and moved to his seat. After we were seated and buckled in I tried to de-escalate the situation and leaned over and said, “thank you sir”. His companion smiled and said to me, “thank you”. He sat there pouty faced and I don’t think they said two words to each other for the flight. I don’t know what these people are trying to prove by being so obnoxious. I wouldn’t doubt if that’s his modus operandi in life.
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Assholes gonna asshole.

That sucks, travel days are annoying enough without this kind of bullshit.
 
Safiel said:
Thankfully, I have never had to deal with this problem.

To be fair, I never fly in steerage, so I don't have an occasion to encounter these low brow types.

Since I am paying well north of $1,000 for first class, there would be hell to pay if somebody tried to pull that shit.
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If you encounter rain, be careful of drowning…….
 
Seat squatting when someone else is there to claim the seat should result in the person getting booted from the flight. That would stop it. Sit in your own ****ing seat.
 
gman said:
There’s been plenty of news about people claiming a seat paid for by another passenger. Apparently these people have been so bold as to refusing to give up the seat to the payer and have become physical.
Well, this past February my wife and I made seat reservations for a direct flight to St. Maarten. Our seats were on the aisle right across from each other. When we finally made our way to our seats my wife’s was unoccupied but there a gentleman in about his mid 30’s in mine. His girlfriend or wife was in the middle seat. I said, “excuse me sir but you’re in my seat”. He wouldn’t look at me and he didn’t speak but pointed what was apparently his seat by the window. I said, “sir, that’s your seat and want you to move now”. A flight attendant was standing there apparently ready to intervene if the guy got ugly. He just sat there looking straight ahead and I put my face into his and I said, “sir, move now” and I made sure my cap with my VN unit was clearly visible to him and that I was a combat vet and ready to get him out of my seat. His companion nudged him and without saying a word he made a disgusted face and moved to his seat. After we were seated and buckled in I tried to de-escalate the situation and leaned over and said, “thank you sir”. His companion smiled and said to me, “thank you”. He sat there pouty faced and I don’t think they said two words to each other for the flight. I don’t know what these people are trying to prove by being so obnoxious. I wouldn’t doubt if that’s his modus operandi in life.
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I can sense and understand your frustration but the rest of us who aren't tough hombres would have just asked the flight attendant to intervene.
Sure, taking your seat is rude but...
 
gman said:
There’s been plenty of news about people claiming a seat paid for by another passenger. Apparently these people have been so bold as to refusing to give up the seat to the payer and have become physical.
Well, this past February my wife and I made seat reservations for a direct flight to St. Maarten. Our seats were on the aisle right across from each other. When we finally made our way to our seats my wife’s was unoccupied but there a gentleman in about his mid 30’s in mine. His girlfriend or wife was in the middle seat. I said, “excuse me sir but you’re in my seat”. He wouldn’t look at me and he didn’t speak but pointed what was apparently his seat by the window. I said, “sir, that’s your seat and want you to move now”. A flight attendant was standing there apparently ready to intervene if the guy got ugly. He just sat there looking straight ahead and I put my face into his and I said, “sir, move now” and I made sure my cap with my VN unit was clearly visible to him and that I was a combat vet and ready to get him out of my seat. His companion nudged him and without saying a word he made a disgusted face and moved to his seat. After we were seated and buckled in I tried to de-escalate the situation and leaned over and said, “thank you sir”. His companion smiled and said to me, “thank you”. He sat there pouty faced and I don’t think they said two words to each other for the flight. I don’t know what these people are trying to prove by being so obnoxious. I wouldn’t doubt if that’s his modus operandi in life.
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Fly internationally in Business Class... a much better experience.



d
 
This is what happened last time somebody tried to take my seat... luckily I had some friends... but so did he.

 
I’ve had people in my seat now and again but I’ve never had to show them my hat to get them to move. In the OP’s shoes I would have made a bigger show of my wife being in the other aisle seat to make it clear to the guy that we were seated “together” and weren’t going to tolerate somebody splitting us apart, e.g. “excuse me, my wife and I booked these two seats, I think you’re in the wrong seat.”
 
phoenix2020 said:
I’ve had people in my seat now and again but I’ve never had to show them my hat to get them to move. In the OP’s shoes I would have made a bigger show of my wife being in the other aisle seat to make it clear to the guy that we were seated “together” and weren’t going to tolerate somebody splitting us apart, e.g. “excuse me, my wife and I booked these two seats, I think you’re in the wrong seat.”
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Maybe so, but given the direction our country has taken by being bullied by obnoxious behaving people feeling entitled to their behavior, I’ve had enough. Your posit sounds good and in a perfect world we’d all strive to behave like that. You do you and I’ll do me. There was a time in this country when people wouldn’t even have entertained the thought of being a totally self absorbed obnoxious jerk.
 
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Bodi said:
This is what happened last time somebody tried to take my seat... luckily I had some friends... but so did he.

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Cute.
 
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