Woman refuses to switch seats on plane, is subject to 'dirty looks' and 'sad' passenger for rest of flight
An airplane drama is grabbing attention on social media, with commenters chiming in on a problem that appears to be seen frequently in the air.
A 20-something individual shared a travel experience this weekend on Reddit – and has already elicited more than 1,500 reactions to her flight plight.
Wrote a woman who described herself as 22 years old, "I was on a flight yesterday and noticed someone in my seat."
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She said a man – maybe in his 40s – "was sitting next to his wife and daughter."
So she "kindly asked him to move, as he was sitting in the seat I specifically booked and paid more for (I'm mostly comfortable sitting in aisle seats)," the Reddit writer added in the "AITA" subreddit ("Am I the a--hole").
But that didn't work.
"He refused to move and told me to move to his seat, which was a middle seat," wrote the user, "RandomLittleFlower."
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The woman said she "told him I don't do middle seats, and he got mad, telling me over and over again that he was sitting next to family and that the airline had messed up his seating."
Finally, the young woman said about her story, "a flight attendant came over and ‘forced’ him to move to his seat."
Continued the woman on social media, detailing why she shared her story, "Here's why I feel like the a--hole: It was a very short flight (less than two hours) and his daughter looked really sad that her dad wouldn't be sitting near, even though she had her mother sitting there with her."
She added, "They were also giving me dirty looks throughout the whole flight."
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Wrote commenter "AvidLearning" in response to the woman's story, "You did nothing wrong."
The person added, "You booked a specific seat for a reason. They could have booked other seats. It was a short flight, so even if the little girl was sad, it's not like she was without her dad for a long period of time. This is also just part of life – she had her mother there, she was fine. Don't let them get to you."
That comment alone elicited nearly 4,000 "upvotes" as of Sunday afternoon.
Another person seconded that sentiment, noting, "People need to stop demanding seats [that] other people paid for. He didn’t even ask you. He thought he could just intimidate you into letting him have it."
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A flight attendant also weighed in, telling the original poster, "You would've been an amazing person if you'd given up your seat that YOU have paid for – but you're under no obligation [to do] so."
The attendant added, "Get your aisle seat. If I was on the flight, I'd probably try to find you another aisle seat and make everyone happy, but that's not always possible."
Speaking to Fox News Digital previously about this type of airplane scenario, etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore of Florida, a former flight attendant, said, "If you are traveling with family (or even if you aren’t), it’s best to choose your seat(s) ahead of time."
She added, "This way, you won’t have to inconvenience other passengers by asking them to switch seats with you."
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She also said you simply "never know what will occur during your trip."
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