Dear Monetarist,
On a recent flight on American Airlines AAL to California, I used my frequent flyer miles to purchase an upgrade to a seat in a row with much more legroom. It cost me about 6,900 miles, or about $70 if you pay cash.
The flight was about a third empty and there was no one sitting in front of me in the “pay more for more legroom” row, and there was no one in the row in front of me (which I believe was the exit row, which costs even more to upgrade).
MarketWatch’s Most Read Articles
After the flight attendant announced that everyone was on board and the doors were closed, two women – a mother and daughter, from what I could see – rushed from the regular seats to the two “paid” seats and took each of them (not even seats together in the same row). The flight attendant said nothing to them.
As soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, the girl (who was in her twenties, I think) lay down on all three seats and slept there for the entire flight. Again, the flight attendants said nothing.
I felt offended because I had paid for my seat (and I am a very loyal American Airlines customer). I wrote to the airline to explain what had happened and to ask for a refund of my miles. They responded by email, but they did not refund my miles. It was as if they had not read my email,
Over time, I realized that, besides being upset, an interesting and contradictory message was being sent by allowing this practice: First, don’t buy an upgrade, even with miles, if the flight doesn’t appear to be full.
Then, as soon as boarding is almost full, make sure you have spotted the empty seats and have a strategy to quickly move to the empty “paying” seats as soon as the “doors closed” announcement is made, or even sooner! If someone boards late and takes one of these seats, just go back to your usual seat.
Also, if the entire pay-more row is full, go all out and take it all, lying down as soon as the plane is at cruising altitude. (God forbid we should be charitable and offer one of the pay-more seats to someone who really needs it.)
Loyal customers who play by the rules and use their AA miles to upgrade don’t really count: our loyalty is worthless. Plus, flight attendants don’t seem to really care if someone changes seats to a “higher-priced” seat.
But here’s an interesting question: How would they have reacted if one of these women had sat in a business or first class seat? I’m sure AA doesn’t want the idea that everyone should behave the way these two women did to go viral. Finally, do customer complaints and demands still carry weight these days? Does anyone know? Really Read the?
Note: Same thing happened to me on a JetBlue JBLU flight to California a few years ago. Same scenario, except the non-revenue sprinter didn’t lie down because two of the seats were already occupied. When I contacted JetBlue, they did refund my cash payment for the upgrade!
Okay, I know I’m obsessed with this. It’s true! And, whether it’s true or not, I took a picture of the young woman while she was fast asleep on all three rows.
A traveling man
Dear traveler,
Fasten your seatbelt, tighten it and prepare for some turbulence.
Yes, it’s perfectly legitimate to want to gain a little elbow room at 30,000 feet. You paid the equivalent of $70 for an upgrade to a more comfortable seat, and two people saw an opportunity and took it. They got to sit in one of your seats with plenty of legroom for free. The flight attendants either ignored it or turned a blind eye or thought that those empty seats could just as well be used by someone, but they weren’t stealing those seats from someone who paid $70.
You paid for a seat with more legroom, true, but you also paid for the guarantee of a seat with more legroom. Airlines have ad hoc policies when it comes to seating. They have the ability to move someone to an exit row seat because they are strong enough or willing enough to open the emergency door if necessary. As a reward, they may stretch out their legs. If you were upgraded to first class and another passenger cried foul, would you shamefully return to economy?
The line between ethics and etiquette is sometimes a fine one. Did they harm anyone by taking those seats? No. Sure, the airline didn’t get its $70, but those two passengers saw an opportunity and took it, literally and figuratively. They probably had fun doing it, and it made their flight more rewarding. Plus, they may not have wanted to pay more like you did. (I forwarded your comments to American Airlines and JetBlue, who did not respond.)
The proper way to approach the question would be to ask, “Can I take this row after the doors close?” In the interest of goodwill, flight attendants may agree. If the change is to a premium economy row, the airline may choose to refuse, as it could hurt the goodwill of the customer who paid for the extra legroom (you). Flight attendants are there for your safety and may not pay attention to every seat change, but I have seen them both refuse and approve such requests.
There are similar situations of rule-bending or rule-exploiting, where I sided with you on the moral argument. Take this couple — to paraphrase the comedian Henny YoungmanPlease, someone take them! — who made $1,000 opening and closing credit cards. They took advantage of the rewards system and, arguably, helped drive up costs and transfer fees for everyone. It’s the equivalent buy clothes and return them after wearing them once.
And now for a confession: A few years ago, a standby passenger boarded my transatlantic flight and glanced at the aisle seat in my row of three. There were other seats available, so I said, “Don’t even think about it!” He said, “What?” I said, “I have a whole row to lie down in and now you’re going to ruin it.” I asked him if he was a secret agent (he said no, of course), but he took the seat. “I like you!” he said, and sat down. (Maybe he was a secret agent, and wanted to keep an eye on me.)
One final note: taking their photo was probably a step too far. I understand that you were upset by what you considered to be awkward or “aggressive” behavior from this mother-daughter duo, but there is too much citizen journalism where people publicly humiliate private citizens with viral photos and videos. A TikToker recently exposed a passenger wearing a wedding ring talking to a woman on a flight who allegedly wasn’t his wife. Thank goodness you didn’t go that far.
Even if you sit in premium economy, it’s better to be a first class passenger.
Other columns by Quentin Fottrell:
