Switching seats is a hot topic among the frequent flyer community, and one story on the matter has added fuel to the discussion.
In a Reddit post, an airline passenger shared his frustration with a mom who had “the audacity” to expect them to switch seats so she could sit next to her child.
The unknown traveler explained that they were on a transpacific flight from Japan and had a widow’s seat, while the “little daughter was in the middle next to me” and the mother was also in the middle but in the back row.
Explaining the chain of events, the Redditor who has since deleted his account wrote: “She (the mother) asked me — and just me — to switch with her so she could have a window seat (next to her daughter) and I would. Take her middle seat a row back.
In a Reddit post, an airline passenger shared his frustrations with a mom who had ‘the audacity’ to expect them to switch seats so she could sit next to her child.
“Hell to the f*** no. Not my problem they didn’t book together.
To make matters worse, the airline passenger said they were “surrounded by others” from the mom’s tour group and “she could have ordered a three-way trade instead.”
Another alternative, Redditor said, is to ask the tour operator to trade places.
Venting their frustration, they concluded: “The audacity of you to only ask me and sign an inferior bargain on my part.”
The post quickly garnered attention, with other Redditors left divided over the debacle.
One commenter, themselves a father, sided with the mother.
They wrote: ‘As a parent of a young child, I’m amazed you’d rather sit next to an unaccompanied young child, versus just moving around.
Sure, someone else can move, but either someone has to move or someone has to sit next to a flying toddler.
The anonymous traveler explained that they were on a transpacific flight from Japan and had a widow’s seat, while the “little daughter was in the middle next to me.”
I honestly don’t know which is more annoying to other passengers.
It is not always possible for families to book seats together for some reason, to go in shape, and sometimes they need places to travel.
“I don’t know what the answer is here, but getting angry at a mother trying to watch her child is stupid.”
Another Redditor mused: “Why were you so anxious to sit next to a toddler’s daughter?”
However, some commentators sided with the airline’s bewildered passenger.
One wrote in their defense: “My rule of thumb is: 1). It will only change lane to lane (my preference). 2). It will never change the aisle or window to middle 3). It will never change if I have to spend extra money to get my seat.
Another user echoed the same sentiment, commenting, “I’m just starting to get totally rejected. Unless it’s for the upgrade. I’m fed up with people’s entitlements, it seems to be high on planes and even more so lately.”
‘I don’t know you. I generally don’t care for you beyond reasonable human sympathy. And I certainly am not responsible for your poor planning. Don’t talk to me again and go away.
In February, New York-based Surya Garg revealed that she faced a similar situation to a Redditor when a mom asked her to swap her teenage son.
In February, New York-based Surya Garg revealed that she faced a similar situation to a Redditor when a mom asked her to swap her teenage son.
In a video, Surya explains in detail how a mother came to her and asked if she could give up her window seat — which she had paid extra for — so she could sit with her son, who must be at least 16 or 17 years old.
When I asked where the woman wanted to move to, she was directed to the “middle seat like two rows back”.
Then, when she asked about the woman’s son, she was shocked to discover that it was not a child but “like a 6-foot-5-inch man”.
Surya said she “didn’t really know what to say” to the mother at this point and “didn’t want to sound like an ‘a**hole’.”
However, I decided to deny the woman’s request and explained that she had paid extra for the seat.
After being told “no,” Surya said the mother “absolutely makes an evil face at me,” then began “muttering obscenities at me” for “the entirety” of the trip.
Surya asked fellow TikTokers baffled by the experience: “Was I wrong here?” I need someone to tell me.
To date, her video, uploaded with the hashtag #nyc #airplane #airplaneseats, has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and many viewers have reassured Syria that she wasn’t wrong.
