Smug Bastard's not so Smug Now

[Caractacus_Potts]

I just remembered this. A few years back I and my wife were on a red-eye back from Las Vegas that was absolutely packed. Shortly after we got to our seats I became aware of a situation a few isles away. There was a middle aged man in a business suit parked in a seat, a young woman standing next to him and a stewardess checking both of their tickets.

Turns out the airline had screwed up somehow and had issued both of these people a ticket for the same seat on a sold out flight. The stewardess apologized and told the woman she would see what she could do and left.

For the next five minutes or so as the rest of the plane was seated this poor woman looked visibly distressed at the prospect that she might be bumped from this flight. Meanwhile...I just cannot convey the smug look this guy had since he had managed to plant his ass down on the seat before the woman did. It was clear that as far as he was concerned it was first come first serve and dynamite would have to be involved to get him out of that seat.

The stewardess came back and let the woman know that there had been a cancellation in first class and asked the woman to come with her to her new seat.

This apparently was dynamite as the business man pretty much flew out of that seat...

BM: THAT'S NOT FAIR! WHY DOES SHE GET FIRST CLASS? WE BOTH HAVE TICKETS FOR THIS SEAT YOU HAVE TO FLIP A COIN! IT'S NOT...
Stewardess: (Cuts the guy off mid-shriek) YOU will sit down and be quiet RIGHT NOW or I WILL have security come on board and escort you off the plane.

BM meekly sits down and the stewardess escorts the woman to her new first class seat. I almost felt like commiserating with BM. Something along the lines of, "Man, that was really unfair of them to just give that first class seat to that woman. I mean, if there hadn't been any seats left at all I am SURE you would have insisted on flipping a coin to see which one of you would be bumped from the flight!"

[Peppergirl]

Heh. Serves him right.

Was this pre or post 9/11? He's lucky he got off with a warning.

For anyone counting, this still occasionally happens. The airline will do one of two things: See who got the boarding pass first, or see who is a higher-flier with them in miles.

[morgana]

This definitely goes in the "karma's a bitch" file.

[ArcticChicken]

One time when I was going to visit my mom I was on a sold out flight, I went to sit down and the woman sitting next to me started flipping out, and insisted I had to trade seats with her husband, who was up in first class. For the record, I am rather large, and while she didn't say anything specifically about that, I got the distinct impression that it was my size she was objecting to. I might have been a stubborn bitch and refused to move, at least until she asked me politely, but I'm not stupid enough to turn down a free upgrade to first class.

[Seraph]

Was this pre or post 9/11? He's lucky he got off with a warning.

Sounds more post-9/11, betcha ten bucks beforehand, they would've coddled him. Instead, they get to throw out the security card.

If this ends up being pre-9/11, well then, extra awesome points to the stewardess!

[Caractacus_Potts]

This was around 2007 so defenitely post-911. I'm guessing BM was a regular traveller and realized right away that he was on the edge of a razor because he deflated like a popped baloon as soon as she threatened to have security take him off the flight.

[Mytical]

Hmm somebody needs to buy that stewardess whatever drink they fancy.

[Peppergirl]

Sounds more post-9/11, betcha ten bucks beforehand, they would've coddled him. Instead, they get to throw out the security card.

If this ends up being pre-9/11, well then, extra awesome points to the stewardess!

Meh - it depends on the attendant. I'm in the business and knew plenty of surly ones pre 9/11, but yeah, now they have the added cushion of the security card to throw. Comes in very handy with idiots like these.

[Fudgethatkay]

see, i would say something like that...or just smile at the guy if I was a witness/

[Mr Hero]

This definitely goes in the "karma's a bitch" file.

Depends on your point of view

[Nashida]

Sorry, I'm still laughing that his initials became 'BM'. Sure suits him.

[iradney]

Oh, I love me some poetic justice.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Ah, how sweet it is when karma pays a courtesy call.

[Pixilated]

This definitely goes in the "karma's a bitch" file.

Oh yeah! Given how willing he was to "flip a coin" to see who got the last seat in the 'peasant' section.

And yeah, some flight attendants can be crappy but in this case the FA's attitude was well-deserved.

One time when I was going to visit my mom I was on a sold out flight, I went to sit down and the woman sitting next to me started flipping out, and insisted I had to trade seats with her husband, who was up in first class. For the record, I am rather large, and while she didn't say anything specifically about that, I got the distinct impression that it was my size she was objecting to. I might have been a stubborn bitch and refused to move, at least until she asked me politely, but I'm not stupid enough to turn down a free upgrade to first class.

ROFL
It's not actually funny if it was in fact your size she was objecting to, but really, did she think it was some kind of penalty to demand that you take her hubby's first-class seat?? (I'm wondering if she was PO'd to begin with that he was in 1st class and she wasn't.)

[wolfie]

Had an incident some years back (pre-911). I was flying on business (in my first career) and the seat didn't exist (DC-9 variant, don't recall the exact numbers, but it was something like being assigned to seat 32B, while the "AB" pair only went as far as row 28 to make room for the galley). Showed my boarding pass to the flight attendant, asked where I was supposed to sit, and got re-assigned to the second overwing exit row (yeah legroom, a reclining seat, and not being behind a reclining seat).