A flight attendant has revealed how she deals with passengers who refuse to swap.
Disagreements over seat swaps on aeroplanes, particularly when families are involved, can turn boarding into an awkward affair. Flight attendant Mitra Amirzadeh, based in Orlando, told The Wall Street Journal how she tackles these situations.
Amirzadeh emphasises intervention only when a child's seating is disrupted. She utilises her interpersonal skills to assess passengers' willingness to swap seats. If someone seems unwilling, she employs a more direct approach, the details of which remain undisclosed.
The debate on seat swaps is a heated one. Some argue that families with young children deserve priority seating, regardless of pre-booked choices. Others believe passengers shouldn't be forced to move based on another's travel companions. Amirzadeh's tactic offers a glimpse into how flight attendants navigate these situations, aiming for a smooth and comfortable flight experience for all passengers.
“You'll want their snacks and their colouring books then, because they're going to need that,” in effect making those who won't swap with parents the babysitters for the duration of the journey.
However, the flight attendant said that she hardly intervenes when it is separated couples that want to sit together, as she doesn't want paying passengers to be “forced” to swap seats.
Ms Amirzadeh added: “The next time you feel yourself getting angry or frustrated that you're not getting the seat you want, you need to remind yourself that you didn't pay to pick your seat. Otherwise, you'd be in it.”
The cabin crew member, who also serves as a union representative for an airline implementing advanced seat selection fees, shared that she faces seat-swapping situations on approximately 80 percent of her monthly flights. The contentious issue of seat-swapping etiquette during flights has gained prominence amid the significant increase in pre-booked seat charges.
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