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On Sunday, I was on a flight in Greece, on a A320. I was sat just forward of the wings. Someone sat in the isle seat opposite me, asked if she could move to the back to sit with her friend, since the seat next to her friend was free.

The cabin crew member said she'd check with the pilots, as the flight was almost full and carrying maximum fuel... strange. She then returned and said she couldn't move seats as it would affect the 'balance of the aircraft'.

I find it hard to believe a roughly 200lb human could affect a 183,000lb aircarft in any tangible way, but I wanted to ask if this would be a real reason for declining such a seat change?

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    $\begingroup$ @Sanchise, For me this is not a duplicate question because it has particularities: We should not neglect the possibility the Flight being almost full the pilot wanted the least encumbrance to the emergency exit door just behind since the person asking the question was sat just forward the wing. This explains the pilot refusal, but the cabin crew member gave the usual answer for refusal. $\endgroup$
    – user40476
    Jun 19 '19 at 12:00
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    $\begingroup$ @DeltaLima, For me this is not a duplicate question because it has particularities: We should not neglect the possibility the Flight being almost full the pilot wanted the least encumbrance to the emergency exit door just behind since the person asking the question was sat just forward the wing. This explains the pilot refusal, but the cabin crew member gave the usual answer for refusal. $\endgroup$
    – user40476
    Jun 19 '19 at 12:01
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    $\begingroup$ This is a VERY good video to watch about loading a plane. $\endgroup$
    – CGCampbell
    Jun 19 '19 at 12:52
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    $\begingroup$ @user40476 Your actual question, which you helpfully bolded and italicized for our convenience, is "if [aircraft balance] would be a real reason for declining such a seat change?" And the answer, as indicated in the linked question, is "Yes, it is". Now, that's not to say that one person moving would put the airplane out of its CG limit. ICAO (which Greece is part of) rules state that every airplane carrying people must have a properly calculated weight and balance report on board the airplane before takeoff, and the pilot may not have wanted to redo it just for one passenger. $\endgroup$
    – HiddenWindshield
    Jun 19 '19 at 18:30