A woman shared her experience of being shamed by a fellow passenger after refusing to give up her seat for a child booked in a separate row by their family.
The Briton posted details of the awkward incident on Reddit, prompting over a thousand people to voice their opinions about “entitled parents” who expect paying passengers to switch seats so families can sit together.
The unnamed woman – who is a secondary school teacher – was traveling on an eight-hour flight from Africa to Britain via Dubai, where more passengers had boarded.
The passenger – also known as u/kitsune_chan29 – explained on the subreddit r/AmITheA*****e on Aug. 22 that another passenger, after refusing to move into a middle seat for personal reasons, berated her for she hadn’t done this.
The after has since racked up 5,500 upvotes and 1,100 comments from irate Reddit users who generally told the woman she wasn’t the only one who chose to stay in her original seat.
A woman has shared on Reddit her experience of being shamed by a passenger after refusing to give up her seat for a child on an eight-hour flight from Dubai to Britain (Photo: Getty)
The report reveals that the woman’s tense experience began during the connecting flight she had to take from Dubai while returning home to Britain from Africa.
The passenger said she specifically booked an aisle seat so she had the freedom to get up whenever she wanted, and that she booked a special meal for the seat due to health regulations.
After settling into the plane shortly after boarding, a family of five boards the plane and asks if the passenger can switch seats so the kids can sit together.
She wrote, “I initially said yes, thinking it was just a move down the aisle, but then I realized they wanted me to switch to a middle seat and I said no.
“Another passenger then gets up and says he has a seat in the back that I can go to and I said no, that I reserved my seat and ordered a diet meal.
“He then starts criticizing me loudly and says he hopes I understand I’m splitting up a family.
“This eventually catches the crew’s attention because it deters boarding.”
The woman then went on to explain how another random passenger from the adjacent row eventually switched seats with the child – but this didn’t stop the rowdy man from continuing his tirade.
She continued, “The other passenger from before starts saying loudly to his children and the family, ‘Do you understand what happened?
“She thought her chair was too special so she wouldn’t let you sit together.”
The report shows that the woman’s tense experience began during the connecting flight she was supposed to take from Dubai, when a family of five boarded and asked her to switch seats.
“I told the man to mind his own business and he replied that he wasn’t talking about me.
“I didn’t think I was wrong here. I had organized myself and booked my seat in advance, and felt it was unfair that someone criticized me in half the cabin for not wanting to swap a seat on an 8am flight. AITA?’
Almost every response to passenger anxiety about the situation revealed a degree of annoyance among “entitled” parents and families who make passengers feel uncomfortable for not giving up pre-paid seats to accommodate their children.
One person said, “NTA. You have booked your seat. It is yours. I don’t understand the right of people who insist that other people pay for their incompetence.’
Another wrote: ‘NTA. It drives me crazy. It is an epidemic of people getting on a plane expecting others, who have planned their trips and booked their seats, to meet them. Not really.’
More than 1,000 people shared their thoughts on the post about ‘entitled parents’ expecting paying passengers to switch seats so families can sit together
One person seemed to mock the attitude of some of the pushy parents by saying, “NTA. “How DARE you not to feel uncomfortable for 8 hours because of my lack of responsibility. My children are YOUR problem.’
One parent even commented on the matter, writing, “NTA. I hate plane shaming. I’m a parent and I would never do that.’
One commenter remained neutral, highlighting what they believe was the single most contributing factor to uncomfortable seat requests: “I think we’re forgetting who the real assholes are: the airline.
‘Who knows whether they can actually book seats together between all those different surcharges and seat restrictions? A family with small children has the right to want to sit together. They can ask, but they cannot expect.
“The other people giving rude comments and stares should mind their business. That guy making comments is very much the AH.”
This came after another airline passenger caused a stir earlier in August after revealing she refused to give up her FIRST CLASS seat so the 10-year-old boy could sit with his parents – who left him in the coach while they were in luxury lazed.