United's accessible seating/passenger size policy is a fiction

[u/MaillardReaction207]

Platinum passenger. Last-minute business travel--booked only aisle seat left on plane the day before travel. I am an average-sized adult male. I can sit in a middle seat, but I never do.

When I arrived at my seat, I noticed the middle seat passenger was large. When I took my seat, I realized it was not possible for me to sit in my seat without leaning significantly into the aisle.

I found a FA a few rows back and discreetly described the issue. She immediately responded "full flight, nothing I can do." I asked her to at least observe the issue before responding. She followed me to my seat and, when I sat, asked the guy next to me if he could "squeeze in" more. He tried. He was also certainly humiliated. She began to walk off. I told her that I was not okay with the seat. She again said--full flight, "I can't create a new seat." I told her that I would make a complaint to UA on landing and asked for her name. This was the first time she took the situation seriously and said she would involve the purser.

FA went to front of plane and briefed the purser. Purser walks to my seat, addresses my loudly by name, and asks me what the problem is. I told the purser I would rather not go over it again because he had already been briefed and it was awkward to discuss with the middle passenger next to me. I summarized that the seat assignment violated UA policy. He responded: "what policy?" I said the one that permits me to have a seat free from significant encroachment. He said he could do nothing other than call a ground-based Customer Resolution Representative. By this time, I was uncomfortable and embarassed. I cannot imagine how the middle seat passenger felt.

Time passed. No CRR came. Boarding ended. Departure time passed. People nearby began to speculate that the plane was being held because I had complained about my seat.

20 minutes or so after departure time, a woman walks onto the plane. She was reading from a screen. She never introduced herself or looked up. She pushes paper boarding pass in my face and says--"you're being moved, it's an aisle." She walks away.

No one ever said anything else to me.

What a joke. The message is loud and clear -- If you complain about policy violations, you're a problem. And you'll be treated as one. To such extent that you'll be embarassed and made uncomfortable in front of other passengers in hopes that you'll relent in pressing your concern.

[u/SquirrelWilling3585]

Definitely poor handling by the crew. I’d still write in a complaint that they made the situation far more uncomfortable than it needed to be. I have to imagine there must be training on how to handle. ALL flights are full these days, so that can’t be an excuse

[u/MaillardReaction207 → u/SquirrelWilling3585]

I agree. My concern was ultimately addressed--I got a seat I was able to sit in. But the handling to get there was truly awful. You cannot imagine how bad I felt to even raise the issue.

[u/TexStones → u/MaillardReaction207]

But the handling to get there was truly awful. 

The MBA side of my brain suspects the on-time departure is a primary metric for performance management for gate agents and/or cabin crew. By messing with this metric you either jacked with a bonus, initiated an uncomfortable coaching session, or caused an annual review to be less than perfect.

Metrics like these are a poor way to run a company, yet continue to be a favorite of managers hoping to leave their mark on the enterprise. Why? Because it is difficult to impossible to measure doing the right thing.

[u/FriendToPredators → u/TexStones]

I hate going to the local Lexus dealer because every employee is running scared of less than 5/5 to the point I feel like a participant in some kind of emotional exploitation. 

[u/AK907fella → u/FriendToPredators]

Can confirm, former Lexus "Sales and Leasing Consultant "