Flight etiquette?!

maisonette

I'm flying to Australia for the first time in October, when I look at my booking on the airline's website (Royal Brunei) it shows which seat I've been allocated and also the seats which are currently vacant.

At present there are near enough 30 empty rows of 3 seats! I appreciate this will change closer to the day as people check in online or get allocated seats when they check in at the desk but if there are lots of spare seats then what is the etiquette on dashing out of my seat (I'm flying alone) as soon as the seatbelt light goes off and nabbing a row to myself?!

Would I have to ask permission to move? I'm normally a very polite person and would never do something without checking it was permitted but I have visions of me politely waiting to speak to cabin crew whilst everybody else scrambles for the empty seats! What's the done thing in your experience of long haul flights?

Nick_C

If there is an empty row, move to it as soon as the doors are closed.

maisonette

Nick_C wrote: »

If there is an empty row, move to it as soon as the doors are closed.

Thanks, have you done that before yourself? For some reason I had it in my head you had to take off in the correct seat?

tomtontom

Nick_C wrote: »

If there is an empty row, move to it as soon as the doors are closed.

Crew normally ask that you wait until after the seat belt signs are off - you should not move before take off.

maisonette

tomtontom wrote: »

Crew normally ask that you wait until after the seat belt signs are off - you should not move before take off.

Thanks, would you normally ask to move or just make a run for it?!

tomtontom

maisonette wrote: »

Thanks, would you normally ask to move or just make a run for it?!

I ask wherever possible, on more than one occasion the crew member has taken my book off me and put it on a spare row as a kind of reservation.

maisonette

tomtontom wrote: »

I ask wherever possible, on more than one occasion the crew member has taken my book off me and put it on a spare row as a kind of reservation.

I suppose I could ask while they're checking the cabin for take-off and then make a dash for it once the seatbelt lights are off.

mick_vandick

I've always been under the impression you can't move seats before take off because of weight distribution for take off which they work out is based on the seats they give you. This was told to us by the captain on a flight once who then said that once the signs were off then feel free to sit wherever you like. Get your eye on the seatbelt sign and get ready to run is what i say!

balletshoes

i've done this on a couple of flights over the years - as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, nick off to your lovely empty row (you have got an aisle seat allocated to you at the moment, don't you ). I've never asked cabin crew before moving to an empty row after take-off.

maisonette

balletshoes wrote: »

i've done this on a couple of flights over the years - as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, nick off to your lovely empty row (you have got an aisle seat allocated to you at the moment, don't you ). I've never asked cabin crew before moving to an empty row after take-off.

Oh yes, aisle seat is already reserved - the thought of sitting by the window, or even worse in the middle, for the whole flight makes me shudder!

ferf1223

I have previously moved once the doors are closed...though the times I did I asked a flight attendant if it would be OK and was told yes that would be fine once the doors were closed...the flights where it was an option for me were not particularly empty so maybe the weight distribution was less of an issue and in general I moved from the aisle on the side to the aisle in the middle (with at least one empty seat next to where I ended up) so not far. I'm not sure that any of the seats worth moving to have ever been left by the time we have taken off though I haven't had the chance for awhile.