I refused to give up my airplane seat for a pregnant woman – many think I’m ‘selfish’ but I don’t care
A man has caused a stir after refusing to switch seats with a pregnant woman on a flight.
Michael boarded a five-hour flight to visit his family over the holidays and paid extra in advance for an aisle seat at the end of the plane because he suffers from Crohn's disease.
“I have medical issues that require quick access to the toilet,” he explained in a Reddit post.
'But just before boarding, a woman asked me to give up my seat so she could sit closer to the bathroom. She was pregnant, but didn't seem upset.'
A man was applauded for refusing to swap seats with a pregnant woman on a long flight – but his family called him a 'bastard' for his cruel act (stock image)
Michael's disease often causes unexpected abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Therefore, he refused to present his ticket, claiming it was “unfair” for the woman to demand that he move from the seat he had scheduled and paid for.
'The flight attendants refused to help mediate when she insisted I had to move. There were also no other aisle seats or close to the full flight available that I or the flight crew could facilitate a change.”
Still, he tried to be cordial and gave the pregnant woman advice for the future.
“I tried to encourage her to talk to her doctor about the need for accommodations if sitting far from the bathroom is not medically advisable for her situation,” he revealed.
When they explained the situation to his family, they saw red because of his selfishness.
“My family says I should have made myself inconvenienced and given up my seat. However, I disagree; I think she and the flight crew wrongly targeted me instead of handling it through the proper channels.”
Many agreed with the jetsetter.
“She should have booked another seat herself or she wouldn't have been on the flight,” one person said.
“It seems like she just assumed she wouldn't have to pay for it because someone was moving.”
Another commented: 'The fact that she went so far as to not take no for an answer and tried to get the flight attendants involved 100 percent shows that she wanted this to be public and she wanted the person to would encourage them to exchange.'
A third added: 'She doesn't need to pay for a cheap seat and then harass others who had the foresight and ways to plan ahead.'
“It was fine that she asked, but it was also fine that you said no, and she should have accepted that graciously and immediately,” one woman wrote.
Some called him “selfish” and claimed he should have accommodated the pregnant woman.
“Your family is a bunch of assholes. Cut them out of your life,” one man said.
“If I had Crohn's disease and asked a pregnant woman to trade places with me, I probably would. When you're pregnant, it's much harder to exercise.'