A man has been praised for his refusal to switch plane seats so an ‘entitled’ boyfriend could sit next to his girlfriend during a flight for no extra cost.
The 29-year-old was returning from a business trip and had pre-booked an aisle seat. Being tall, he wanted a bit more legroom so he could stretch during the flight.
His peaceful journey was interrupted when another passenger noticed him sitting alone and approached him with a ‘favour’.
He shared on Reddit: « I was flying home from a work trip and had booked an aisle seat because I’m tall and need legroom. As soon as I sit down, a guy comes over and says, ‘Hey bro, can we switch? My girlfriend’s by the window and I’m in the middle back there.' »
« I glance at his seat, literally the second-worst spot on the plane. I say, ‘Sorry, I booked this one specifically’. He gets annoyed and says, ‘Dude, I’m just trying to sit next to my girl.' »
He empathised with the man’s desire to swap seats but gently explained that he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his comfort.
He continued: « He said, ‘You’re sitting alone, man. What do you need the aisle for?’ I replied, ‘Because I paid for it. That’s how seats work.' »
« He called me an ‘inconsiderate loner,’ which was amusing, given he tried to guilt-trip me into accepting a less desirable seat. The flight attendant eventually had to instruct him to take his seat or face removal. »
In a final social media post expressing his disdain, he added: « Couples don’t get priority over people who planned ahead. Sorry not sorry. »
While many users commended the person for holding firm, others recounted their encounters with ‘entitled’ passengers on flights.
One commenter recalled: « This happened on a 12h flight from Korea to Toronto and when the person said no the girlfriend started bawling and eventually someone else nearby traded with her.
« I was so mad they gave into her crocodile tears because now she’s going to do it every damn flight.
« This poor tiny Asian woman was stuck in a middle seat for 12 hours instead of her aisle seat because a pretty young white woman can cry on command. »
Another added their perspective: « In the airplane seat war card game, inconsiderate loners beat inconsiderate losers every time. Especially the ones too cheap to buy an aisle seat. »
Sharing a similar story, a third individual commented: « This exact thing happened to me! What preceded it was the girl jumping into the window seat in my aisle and laughing cutely at him that she got the good seat first.
« Then she asked if I could trade with him (in the middle seat in another row) so they could sit together. »
Reflecting on the fairness of the situation, they continued: « I thought, if they really wanted to sit together, she could have given up her window seat to someone for a fair trade. »
Expressing their decision, they stated: « I said no. She replied, ‘It doesn’t hurt to ask’. Sure it doesn’t, but don’t expect anyone to take a downgrade to give you an underserved upgrade. »
