Flight attendants spill on whether it is okay to ask for a seat change due to the habits or behaviour of nearby passengers or not.
According to a Southwest flight attendant on Reddit, who responded to a curious traveller’s question regarding mid-flight seat changes, the answer is yes. And there’s a way to it subtly, reports Travel + Leisure.
When being seated on an aeroplane, you’re typically in charge of a few things before boarding — window or aisle, back or front of the plane, emergency exit row or not.
But, one thing you’re not in charge of is fellow passengers. And while you can be as polite as can be when it comes to your row mates’ habits (Oh, you want to eat tuna? Sure…), sometimes there is no getting around it: You want to move.
“Pretend to go to the bathroom, ask one of us if there’s any other open seat and then just sit there,” the flight attendant shared. “I’ve helped someone move because the person next to them had bad BO (body odour).”
Flight attendant, Jasmine Khadija also confirmed to our correspondent that asking for a seat change is OK but it takes some transparency on the passenger’s part as well as some coordinating on the flight attendants’ end.
“Be honest with the flight crew,” she said. “Tell them exactly what you’d like. This allows us to consider all angles of the situation.”
Khadija, who has been a mainline flight attendant for two years, suggests walking straight back to the galley (where the flight attendants are) to ask, and maybe even taking some of your items with you for a quick manoeuvre.
“Allow the flight crew to reseat you accordingly and strategically,” she said. “The last thing we want is to offend the passenger who was disrupting you.”
The crew will assess the situation and help you make the move, if possible.
In the end, there may be nothing the flight crew can do (especially if it’s a full flight), but it may be worth your while to ask, especially if your seatmate’s behaviour is making you feel ill or uncomfortable.
This reseating tactic should only be used in emergency cases, when it’s seemingly possible to do, and do so without disruption of other passengers.
“A safe, comfortable, and relaxing flight is all we (flight attendants) want to ensure,” Khadija said.
