Northern Ireland Aviation Enthusiast's Forum
General Aviation Discussion => General Aviation Discussion => Topic started by: Angry Turnip on November 14, 2022, 01:51:12 PM
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Recently I was away on a week's holiday with Jet2 to Cyprus and got caught up in one of the oldest tricks in the book--" Seat Hawks " as I have heard them referred to.
I always pre-book my seat on any flight and usually pick a window seat as I don`t enjoy being bumped and bashed into through a flight with trolleys, and the folks with tiny bladders.
BFS to PFS is a fairly long flight, anything between 4 and half to 6 hrs depending on the wind.
When boarding was almost complete, a family got on-- mother, father and two young kids, a boy of around 20 months and a girl of around three. They were in the row infront of me, the father took the boy on his knee for take-off and no one else was in my row, happy days for me I thought, peace and quiet, in with the ear plugs and get some shut eye.
I had almost dozed off when the seatbelt sign dinged and switched off, next thing, father pokes me in the shoulder and asks can he sit in aisle row, he was one of these loud cocky types although he was obviously from eastern Europe. Again, I was almost asleep, then I noticed he had the boy on his knee and was bouncing him, then the kid started pulling all the magazines out of the back of the seat and throwing them at me.The father apologised and picked them up, then the kid did the same again, at which point I told the father he would have to return to his own seat, as the kids was annoying me.He said it would not happen again, so I thought ok I will leave it, 20 mins later he is bouncing the kid in the aisle, people are getting fed up with him, and again he sits down with the kid, magazines fired at me for 3rd time. Right, I said, you go back to your own seat, I am not putting up with this any longer. He wouldn`t go, so I called an attendant, and they told him to return to his seat. The entire flight he was up and down like a yo-yo, bouncing the kid, getting in the way of the crew, and annoying all the passengers around him.
The mother was not much better, with the little girl that kept kicking the seats in front, and trying to hide under her seat, she was even pulling passengers hair at one point.
I was glad to get off that flight, but my problems were not over.
On the way back, it was the same thing, they boarded the aircraft last, I could hear him telling his wife to ask me if I would move, I was in the same seat as outbound, the row they had been in had 3 other people in it, so the mother and little girl sat beside me-he sat in the aisle seat opposite, and again he asked me to swap seats. I told him no, I had paid extra for the seat, and was not moving, especially to an aisle seat. Then he asked the other two in his aisle to move, and they refused as well. I told him he had no business trying to intimidate other passengers to give up their seats to facilitate him and his family. I called cabin crew over because he was getting very aggressive about it all. Other passengers were getting angry with him as well, because he would not sit down and was shouting, that we were being horrible to them. The steward told him, if he wanted to seat his family together, he should have done so at time of booking, and had no business harassing other passengers on the flight. He was told to sit down and be quiet or he would be off loaded. That shut him up for a while, but again during the entire flight he was up and down with the kids, getting in the way of everyone, including the stewards.
When we landed, he told me I would have to wait for them to get off, because he wanted to get their hand luggage, I told him he had no right to speak to me like that or tell me what to do, I told him I will get off when I wanted to, and I was not waiting for him and his family-the cheek of the guy.
Obviously, they have done this many times before, getting people to move and give up seats they have possibly paid extra for just to suit him, because he is a freeloader and too tight to pay for seats, or even ask the airline to sit them together, some airlines would do that at no cost when booking.
The stewards spoke to him again apparently as we were getting off, most of the passengers around him were angry and disgusted at his behaviour, and mentioned him when leaving the aircraft, I spoke to some of them in baggage reclaim after the long walk of shame to customs (seriously that is one mad trek) and two people told me the crew had warned him about his future conduct and their names were taken.
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Sounds like an absolut. nightmare.
There seems to be an increase of morons and twits acting self entitled on flights since life returned to 'normal' after covid. End of the day, you paid for your seat, not your fault he was unable to co-ordinate with his family or keep his child under control.
I always now pay to choose the seat and priority boarding to get to my seat before anyone takes it.
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I reached the point long ago at which I will only fly commercial If I've absolutely no choice. Just cannot be bothered with the hassles involved.