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Do airlines let you switch seats?

It's sometimes possible to change seats once you're on board the aircraft, but please don't change seats without asking a flight attendant first.



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Unless a member of the flight crew instructs you to move, you are never required to give up your seat or exchange your seat with another passenger. Whether you agree to exchange your seat for another on the plane if asked by a fellow passenger is entirely up to you.

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“A cardinal rule of seat swaps is that you should never take someone else's seat before they board,” the blog states. As for how requests to swap seats should be handled by travellers, both Gottsman and The Points Guy say that passengers should feel comfortable declining if they don't want to give up their seat.

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Tammy Nelson was flying on Delta Airlines from Cincinnati, Ohio, to San Jose, California, when she was asked to swap seats with a woman who wanted to sit next to her two children.

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It's sometimes possible to change seats once you're on board the aircraft, but please don't change seats without asking a flight attendant first.

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Speak with an agent If you don't heed our advice and find yourself at the airport with a less-than-desirable boarding group, Southwest advises that you speak with a gate agent or flight attendant. They will see if any passengers are willing to move to accommodate your family if you aren't able to get seats together.

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Not at all. You have a seat either assigned by the airline or you paid for it. If someone has a compelling reason that matches with your willingness, then by all means swap. But be SURE to tell the attendants.

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Depending on the carrier, changing paid seats after booking may or may not be supported. In particular, some Direct Payment Carriers may not permit changing paid seats after booking, or may have specific requirements for changing seats.

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This is a common question, but really, there's no clear cut answer. At the end of the day, it will simply come down to what works better for your floor plan. This might mean all couples sitting side by side, all couples sitting opposite each other, or a mixture of the two.

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Some parents assume they will automatically be seated with their kids. Others may end up separated from their families if they are rebooked due to a cancellation. Regardless of the reason, airlines are not legally required to seat families together.

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Delta Air Lines: Permitted to swap once
Delta offers the opportunity for customers seated in different cabins to change seats once during the flight, with the change occurring after takeoff (once [the] seatbelt sign is extinguished) and before the start of the first meal service.

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In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It's often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn't do it. No matter which airline you're flying on, don't ever pay to select a seat.

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If you want a window seat, then suppose you choose from left to right (looking toward plane's nose): kid, kid, parent (aisle), parent (aisle). if in the middle then it's parent, kiddo, kiddo, parent. Mirror image it if you want the other side of the plane.

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An adult must take the child to the departure gate and stay until the flight is airborne. When you get to the gate, tell the gate agent you have an unaccompanied minor traveling on the flight. We'll board your child early so they can meet the flight crew and learn about the plane's safety features.

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The back of the plane, where many young families like to sit. I personally prefer to sit up front as it's easier to get on/off the aircraft with carry-on luggage and the front seats may come with extra legroom.

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“We trust our people to make the right decisions on and off the clock,” said Michelle Agnew, a spokesperson for Southwest. Flight attendants say that fending off flirtatious passengers comes with the territory, but some admit that they are open to finding a mate, or at least a date, on the job.

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Most airlines assign booked seats before your flight; see Planning your flight. A few airlines do not assign seats (e.g., Southwest), but do assign you a boarding group based on how early you confirm your flight on-line within 24 hours of the flight.

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