I'm 22 and refused to let a dad use my expensive airplane seat to sit with his little girl – passengers knocked me down, but why would I trade?

A young woman is being praised for refusing to give up her plane seat for a family, but some believe she is a “selfish bitch.”

The 22-year-old revealed she was a nervous flyer and paid extra to pick out an aisle seat for her two-hour journey.

She was shocked to discover an older man in her seat, but she politely asked him to leave immediately.

'He sat next to his wife and daughter and refused to move. He told me to go to his middle seat. I said no and he got angry telling me he was sitting next to family and the airline ruined his seats,” she wrote on Reddit.

A flight attendant soon came over and 'forced' the man to go to his seat – but the mother, daughter and surrounding passengers continued to give the young woman 'dirty looks' for the rest of the flight.

The young woman questioned her actions after getting off the plane and felt guilty.

“His daughter looked very sad that her father wouldn't be sitting nearby, even though her mother was sitting there with her,” the woman said.

“I think maybe I'm the asshole because the flight was really short and I could have moved so he could sit next to his wife and daughter.”

Some criticized her for denying a family the opportunity to sit together.

“Two hours is short and you don't feel claustrophobic,” said one. “You should have given up your seat.”

“You should have let the father stay with his family,” said another. “I'm sorry, but you're wrong about this. The flight was short.'

“I'm a flight attendant and you would have been a great person if you gave up the seat you paid for,” one woman wrote.

A mother revealed she would have been devastated if she hadn't been able to sit next to her family on a flight

While another mother gave personal insight.

'My family has never flown together and if the airline messed up our seats it would be crushing not to sit together. “It would be such a big moment in our toddler's life that neither of us would want to miss,” she said.

'Flying is the norm for some, but for others it is a very rare event or a one-off event. And with a child it is certainly an extra special experience if it is your first time flying.'

But some thought the father was wrong for claiming the seat in the first place.

'You didn't book a specific seat for nothing. It was a short flight, so even though the little girl was sad, it's not like she was without her father for long. This is just part of life, she had her mother there, she was doing well,” said one woman.

“As someone who grew up with a father who would be an idiot in public to get his way, I can attest that this is character building for that little girl,” another shared.

'Most seats are paid seats. There is no possibility to exchange. He should have booked like this. Arrogance on top of negligence is stupidity. Staying apart for a few hours isn't the end of the world either,” a third added.

“Last night my child was sad that I didn't let her lick the dough. Children get upset about everything. You're doing well,” one mother joked.