Seat hogs

[roadman3313]

On the CC I go for one of the single seats in the California Cars (8000-series). If those are filled I look for sitting diagonally across from someone at a table. If it is an empty run I will sometimes take a table as a single but I tuck my backpack by my feet. Anyone is welcome to sit but most will try to find another seat or sit diagonally across.

My working time has changed... taking the 4:30am train out of SAC is no problem as most of the people tend to venture up towards the quiet car where the dim lights help them sleep better. The train usually has singles at each seat but not enough to have to double up.

On the return trip it also isn't as bad on the 3:00pm or 3:40pm from EMY. Most of the seat pairs have a single and the tables have people across from each other. Now if I stay late and take the 4:30pm, 5:00pm, or 5:30pm train from EMY I will often be seated next to someone or diagonally across at a table. I usually ask if anyone is sitting in the seat before I sit down. I know I don't have to but I try to do so to be polite and I have never been told no.

The conductors on the CC's I ride (generally the same conductors on the 4:30am train as the 5:30pm train... can't say I'd like that shift but it seems to rotate so they get rest at the end of the shift before the next one) are generally polite about asking people to move their belongings off the seat unless they pay for another seat. If they want to pay they have no problem having people place things on it as they paid for it and there is no checked baggage.

On the San Joaquin in Bakersfield I am part of that mad rush that hovers in front of the train doors until they open. I leap on and try to snag one of the four single seats in the coach car. The train usually sells out when they use the shorter train set which has been happening the last 3-4 times I rode and people fight over seats. On one train the conductors enforced keeping the seats clear. On the other they didn't. Both times anyone riding 1 to 2 stops generally was asked to sit in the cafe car as they could not find enough seats for everyone even though the train is Reserved. The people sitting in the cafe actually preferred it though so they said (when I was waiting in line for the cafe which took about 30 minutes!)

It really comes down to how the crew handles it and if they follow their guidelines or not.

 

[Amtrak George]

In the "old" (pre-Amtrak) days I remember coach seats on several trains were "reserved and specifically assigned in advance." This worked just fine on the City of Miami which traveled through my home town.

Perhaps it is time for Amtrak to head in this direction.

 

[rusty spike]

And if it is a crowded train, and we pull into a station with people boarding, should I make sure every single item is gone, and every single boarding passenger passing me will be met with a happy welcoming smile and "oh, won't you please sit here next to me?!" even if they weigh 300 pounds and have lots of tatoos and piercings. No, I don't think that's what I'll do.

What does the fact that they "weigh 300 pounds and have lots of tatoos and piercings" have to do with it? That person paid for a seat just like you.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

What really needs to happen is that the car attendants need to be a bit more strict on this issue, as its for the comfort of all passengers riding the train. It needs to be a systemwide stricter enforcement type thing.

 

[NE933]

And if it is a crowded train, and we pull into a station with people boarding, should I make sure every single item is gone, and every single boarding passenger passing me will be met with a happy welcoming smile and "oh, won't you please sit here next to me?!" even if they weigh 300 pounds and have lots of tatoos and piercings. No, I don't think that's what I'll do.

What does the fact that they "weigh 300 pounds and have lots of tatoos and piercings" have to do with it? That person paid for a seat just like you.

I enjoy riding next to someone with these qualities because i know what i'm getting, it is frankly warm and comfortable most of the time. Although i prefer fewer piercings, but now we getting into other territory (though it works great on trains.....).

 

[Barciur]

This is an interesting thread which more than anything kind of shows the difference between different trains.. for example, I only travel the Keystone line, which made me think about "2 hours between stations" as someone mentioned - I have 10 at the most then again, Keystone is hardly ever totally sold out, but there tends to be some rotation there, so it's a totally different dynamic than LD trains.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I have been on several non-Southwest airplanes where people "spread out", apparently in hopes that someone wouldn't take the seat next to them. I've had to wait, sometimes for several minutes, as people (early boarders in zone 1 or 2) pack up their bags, purses, ipads, newspapers, books, etc. to make room for me (always a zone 5 boarder) - and they've only been on the plane for a few minutes!

So, if it can happen in purchased, ticketed, assigned airline seating, it will surely happen in Amtrak coach. I have no hope that the traveling public will ever fix this sort of behavior on its own.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

I know the public wont fix it on its own, hence the need for stricter enforcement from Amtrak. I think it would go a long way to making coach travel more comfortable and slightly more bearable.

 

[roomette]

A laptop running a little porn usually keeps the seat next you you empty. *Usually*

 

[MattW]

This thread has made me think of a question and I'm real interested in the responses on this one. If you'll be riding with someone, but they're boarding at another station down the line, what do you consider acceptable as far as trying to sit together? For LD trains, I would hope the train attendant would make arrangements if notified, but what about unreserved, and reserved but unassigned seats?

 

[roadman3313]

I usually mention to the car attendant and they usually are accomodating. On Unreserved trains I sit in the aisle seat and if someone asks I mention someone will be joining me at stop X. If they are getting off before that they usually say so and they sit down. If not, they generally move on. If they insist on the seat then I'd let them sit as Unreserved is first come, first serve. Same with a Reserved but unassigned train. Usually try to find a seat with another nearby then after they board, look at intermediate stops where a lot of people are getting off to try to find a pair together.

I haven't ever really had a problem or had to sit apart for more than a stop or two. Sometimes people will switch as well to sit next to someone so you can sit with your travel partner. That's my experience on the CC, CS, and SJ anyway. Can't comment how it works in the East, where I assume trains may be more full more often.

 

[guest amazed]

I hope there is happy medium somewhere here. I mean, I am not going to have any guilt about having my bag or a book or my jacket on the empty seat next to me on a train. I just am not. Like I am supposed to make sure nothing at all of myself is on that seat for an hour or two between station stops? Give me a break. People here who have posted saying they NEVER have anything whatever on the seat next to them and despise those "seat hogs" who do are simply not teling the literal truth.
And if it is a crowded train, and we pull into a station with people boarding, should I make sure every single item is gone, and every single boarding passenger passing me will be met with a happy welcoming smile and "oh, won't you please sit here next to me?!" even if they weigh 300 pounds and have lots of tatoos and piercings. No, I don't think that's what I'll do.

So. I am going to leave things on an empty seat all I want, and I am going to be conscious of people boarding a crowded train, and pay attention to what is going on, and move my stuff if i see a need for it, whether the conductor makes the "sold out" train announcement or not. In short, rather than some stupifying rule someone here thinks I should follow, I will instead use good common sense and courtesy. I respectfully suggest you all do the same.

You try to do what you want to do. But if I wanted the empty seat next to you and you gave me any grief, I would insist upon the seat and get the conductor to enforce it if necessary. If you were not pleased, tough-tough-tough. What gives you the right to decide who sits next to you or not on a crowded train? By definition, you are being discriminatory--not discriminating--in saying a heavily tattooed person would not be welcome next to you but apparently a swell-looking dressed-to-the-nines individual would be. How about if the person is African-American, or Latino, or is wearing a veil? If you are so picky about people, I suggest you only ride trains with sleeper accommodations and get a room. I would have thought attitudes like yours had disappeared, finally, in the United States. I guess not.

 

[roomette]

Correct Usage of First-Come, First-ServedIt's almost as heated as a tipping or seat hog topic!

 

[SP&S]

A laptop running a little porn usually keeps the seat next you you empty. *Usually*

Or it could attract somebody you really don't want to know better. :help:

.... Goes off singing Aqualung....

 

[guest]

A laptop running a little porn usually keeps the seat next you you empty. *Usually*

Or it could attract somebody you really don't want to know better. :help:

.... Goes off singing Aqualung....

Yeah! Some guy or gal might sit down and start singing the Barney song: I love you, you love me...

 

[benjibear]

As a larger man in the 300 lb range, I can relate to wanting both seats. When sitting with somebody, I can't relax because I am trying to keep myself outside their space. When boarding on a train that is over half full where there are no seat pairs available, I try to find a smaller person to sit with. When having both seats, I will offer as people push by to sit, but most people don't want to sit with me. My theory is I am a larger man and they want to find a smaller person as well so they have more room. Or I am not the best looking guy so they keep walking by.

 

[user 1215]

The thing about CC is that it was deliberately designed as a route where social interaction is encouraged. They've got tables, and someone literally taking up 4 seats (it does happen) defeats the purpose of why they ever set up tables to begin with. I've sat across from strangers (although rarely next to one because it generally doesn't get to that point) and it's a chance to meet people.

I wish some of the crew who hog seats in the cafe car would think about that.

 

[jis]

This is an interesting thread which more than anything kind of shows the difference between different trains.. for example, I only travel the Keystone line, which made me think about "2 hours between stations" as someone mentioned - I have 10 at the most then again, Keystone is hardly ever totally sold out, but there tends to be some rotation there, so it's a totally different dynamic than LD trains.

In my experience, on the NEC all that you have to do is walk up to an unoccupied seat loaded up with bags and stuff and just point at it, and usually the owner of the stuff will clear it quickly. The trains are usually so full that everyone understands that they cannot hog a seat for their bags.
There have been a few cases of pretending to or actually being asleep, in which case I have gently awoken the person and requested them to please vacate the seat. It is par for the course on the NEC.

 

[b243923]

We take the Auto Train every February in coach seating. For the last 2 trips we have encountered the same couple. The husband scouts out seats that are empty and waits and see if passengers come and occupy them. This time we found him in our seats as we did not rush to board the train. He said sorry he was in our seat and moved back to own seat. He stood up at his seat watching all the passengers come on the train to see if he could find an empty pair of seats. He even walked through the train after the train took off and told the coach attendant he found an empty pair of seats and could he have it. It turned out the passengers were in the lounge and he could not have the seats. We heard the couple talking on the phone telling their friends how they would have to sleep together in their own seats and this was the first time in 6 years they could not manage to get separate seating. I do not think they should be able to separate and sleep in a pair of seats on their own when everybody else has to manage together. Just my opinion.

 

[user 1215]

We take the Auto Train every February in coach seating. For the last 2 trips we have encountered the same couple. The husband scouts out seats that are empty and waits and see if passengers come and occupy them. This time we found him in our seats as we did not rush to board the train. He said sorry he was in our seat and moved back to own seat. He stood up at his seat watching all the passengers come on the train to see if he could find an empty pair of seats. He even walked through the train after the train took off and told the coach attendant he found an empty pair of seats and could he have it. It turned out the passengers were in the lounge and he could not have the seats. We heard the couple talking on the phone telling their friends how they would have to sleep together in their own seats and this was the first time in 6 years they could not manage to get separate seating. I do not think they should be able to separate and sleep in a pair of seats on their own when everybody else has to manage together. Just my opinion.

This guy should sleep in his car, then. Or at least look into getting a roomette.

 

[Dovecote]

This has been a problem on the Pacific Surfliners for some time. When I last rode, the conductors refused to ask any of the passengers to give up the seat next to them. Put a really bad taste in my mouth...

You should have taken his name and reported him!

That is his job and he failed to do it.

My wife and I experienced a similar problem as well on the PS back in December. In our case we started travel in Fullerton heading to Los Angeles. There were no vacant two seaters available in the first car we entered. We could not find any vacant two seaters in the second car until we got to the opposite end. The four seaters on either side of the car displayed the infamous "Reserved For Crew members" sign. There was however a vacant two seater that displayed a "Reserved" sign. We decided to sit in those two seats and if necessary explain to the Conductor that this pair of seats was the only vacant one we came across. We were getting off at the next stop anyway and since the seats were empty we figured it would be permissible to sit there for one stop.

When the Conductor came to scan our tickets she immediately told us our seats are reserved for crew members and we would have to move. I responded that we could not find seats for us to sit together, we were on the train for only one stop, and there were no visible crew members occupying the ten vacant reserved seats. My plea was ignored and was again told to relocate. To avoid any additional confrontation and the risk of getting kicked off the train we moved. We relocated to the lower section of the car to the Cafe area and conceded to stand for the remainder of the short trip.

Within a short period of our relocation to the Cafe section, the Conductor came by to scan our tickets. Another conversation began. She pointed out that there were several vacant seats on the train for us to sit. I asked if any of them are together. She answered no. I told her we wanted to sit together and for one stop why we cannot sit in the vacant "Reserved" two seater that we were orginally seated. She again responded it is reserved for crew members. My wife then pointed out that the seats in question made no mention that it was reserved for crew members only stating it was "reserved". Mrs. D then asked who are the seats reserved for? The Conductor responded the Crew! I was then going to remind the Conductor that she does have the authority to relocate passengers to allow couple to sit together but opted not to considering it was pointless to do so with her narrow minded attitude.

After the trip I contacted Amtrak Customer Relations about my displeasure with the Conductor. The rep I spoke to agreed with me that my request to sit in the empty two seater should have been granted. It was not an unreasonable request and the Conductor should have been accommodating. The rep apologized on behalf of Amtrak for falling short of services provided. He would contact the District Manager of the Pacific Surfliner route and discuss the situation with the Conductor. I hope this Conductor will think twice when this situation comes up again.

 

[SarahZ]

Is there an option to purchase two seats for yourself? If someone is so bothered by another person sitting next to them for three hours on a regional train, perhaps that would be a good option. It would also be a decent option for Coach on the LD trips if someone wants to spread across two seats.

FWIW, I weigh 297 pounds (down from 357, so don't even start with me), with most of my weight in my hips and thighs. I do not extend past the seat boundaries on regional trains and actually have some wiggle room on the LD trains. I don't smell, and I'm polite enough to scoot over into the aisle a little bit to give the person next to me even more room (I don't like touching people either). I don't talk to my seatmate, and I sit quietly with a book and earbuds set to a low enough volume that the other person doesn't hear them.

If I ever encounter Maine Rider, though, I'll be sure to find a different seat, lest I offend his delicate sensibilities.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I don't care how many tattoos or peircings my seatmate has, or how much he/she weighs. My only problem is with a person who is unaquainted with soap!

 

[the Other Mike]

As a side note.......

Continental used to have 2 large seats unsold and up to the check-in agent to assign for either employees dead-heading or large people. When I learned about it I would walk up to check in and just say " am I fat enough for the big seat?"

Most of the time I was told " Sir, you're not THAT large" and to wait and see what/who else walked up. Usually I got the seat because so few people knew about it.

 

[user 1215]

Sorcha -

Because the seats are not assigned on Amtrak, I don't think you'll be able to convince the crew that buying two seats means you get two together - even if they are both for you.