A plane passenger caused a stir after telling a mother traveling with a baby that she should be “ashamed” for changing seats on a three-hour flight.
The anonymous woman took to the popular Reddit thread Am I The A**hole to offer details of the dispute.
The 31-year-old explained how she had been the victim of “rude comments and dirty looks” throughout the trip after being moved to a new row of seats with her 19-month-old son.
Most readers were quick to flood the comments to defend the doting mother, but not everyone was convinced she was right.
The anonymous woman took to the popular Reddit thread Am I The A**hole to offer details of the dispute.
The 31-year-old explained how she had been the victim of “rude comments and dirty looks” throughout the trip after being moved to a new row of seats with her 19-month-old son (file image).
In the post, which was shared over the weekend, the woman began: ‘I was traveling today with my 19 month old son on a plane on a three hour flight. My son, who is less than two years old, has to sit on my lap.
‘I also had a large backpack with all the necessities that I keep on the floor and easy to access. It can fill up quickly, but that’s how it is when you’re traveling alone with a small child.’
He explained that he was assigned a random search upon check-in and ended up in an entire line.
The mother continued: “While I appreciate there being an empty seat next to me as it greatly enhances our flight experience, it is not an expectation I have and I never ask for it at check-in.
‘Once boarding was completed, but before takeoff, a flight attendant approached me and offered to move us up three rows because there were two seats available, and they normally try to accommodate people with small babies.
‘I was delighted and accepted immediately. The flight attendant helped me move my things and explained the situation to the other passenger in line.’
But the seat change was not well received.
‘The passenger didn’t appreciate it at all, she started complaining to the flight attendant that she was planning to sleep on the flight and that now it would be impossible.
The post was soon flooded with comments, with most insisting the mother was not wrong.
‘(He said) he specifically chose this seat while checking online because the row was empty and now it’s going to be a nightmare.
‘The flight attendant simply explained that my two seats (the old and the new) are standard, that the woman only paid for her own seat and that their policy tries to accommodate young parents if possible.
‘The woman then told me that I should be ashamed for imposing all this noise on people who are just trying to enjoy their flight. Especially since it wasn’t even my seat and I didn’t even pay for it.’
The mother candidly admitted that she was normally “not good with confrontation,” so she “completely ignored it.”
“That made her even angrier, but she finally stopped complaining after a while,” he said.
“My son ended up crying only once, I had sore eyes and other rude comments, but overall the flight was much more comfortable for us this way, so I don’t regret changing seats.”
In a follow-up edit, the mother said the bag she carried could fit under the seat during takeoff and landing, but “was on the floor the rest of the time for easy access.”
She continued: ‘My son was on my lap the entire flight, the extra seat was just extra space to feel less crowded and not bump elbows.
‘I’m overweight, yes, but not that much…
“I can’t afford to buy an extra seat just to have more space, since my son is not allowed to sit there yet.”
But on the other hand, there were a handful of comments that suggested the mother was actually the ‘jerk’.
The post was soon flooded with comments, with most insisting the mother was not wrong.
One person wrote: ‘NTA, you paid for a seat. The airline accommodated him and explained to the other passenger. The other passenger paid only for her seat, not for the entire row.
‘It seems like the other passenger was an unpleasant person, which is not your fault. If another mother with a toddler had paid for her seats near her, I almost guarantee she would still have complained about her.’
Another commented: “NTA; the other woman was never guaranteed those two seats would remain empty, they were simply empty at the time of her reservation.”
And someone else simply said: ‘NTA. If she wanted to have the row to herself, she should have bought the empty seats.
The mother candidly admitted that she was usually “not good with confrontation” so she “completely ignored it” (file image)
But on the other hand, there were a handful of comments that suggested the mother was actually the ‘jerk’.
One person wrote: “I’m not going to pass judgment, but as a person who doesn’t like children, if I were the lady in that seat originally, I would be upset to see a child so unexpectedly next to me.” me.’
Another added: ‘I’ll be honest with you. It bothers me that you haven’t bought a seat for your child. You obviously like the fact that airlines usually try to accommodate as you say. You booked your flight practically relying on that.
‘Your son is not a symbol of privilege. It also bothers me that the other woman thought she had the right to a fight all to herself. Anyone could have chosen those seats after she chose her seat. So you’re both AH.
‘I personally don’t enjoy sitting next to a crying child, a drunk seatmate, a seatmate who falls asleep using me as a pillow lying in the row, etc.’
‘I know I can buy an extra seat so I keep an empty one next to me, but I don’t as I expect seatmates to respect personal space. Next time buy your child a seat.
‘And tell the other woman that next time (she should) buy the whole row. You were hoping for a free seat for the kid, or for your rowmates to have to deal with four humans in line instead of three. What a shame.’