We’ve all heard the stories of people who pressure other passengers on flights to swap seats with them, whether it’s their entitlement to a window seat or a family’s desire to sit together after not double-checking their ticket assignments.
But at the end of the day, it’s not their fellow passengers’ responsibility to make them feel comfortable, pointed out the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITAH) subReddit.
Redditor tiredofeditings**t was already an anxious enough flyer, even after mentally preparing for the event and envisioning their position on the flight.
So it was too much to ask of the Original Poster (OP) when a family expected them to switch seats so their children could play throughout the flight.
They asked the sub:
“AITAH? A few years ago now, I was hissed and booed at for refusing to move on a business class flight so that a family with their kids could sit where I was ‘to play'”
The OP was encouraged to switch seats on a flight to accommodate a family.
“During a stopover, I had to board a connecting flight. When I returned to my seat, there was a family (mother, father, and three children) in the row that I was seated in.”
“The steward told me, ‘Everyone else has agreed to move. We will subsidize your ticket for the price today but would appreciate it if you could move so that this family can sit together and give the children a chance to play.'”
Being anxious about flying, they did not feel comfortable with the idea of moving.
“I was, frankly, outraged as I’d paid for the ticket and was astounded because the two other people had agreed that they’d ask me to move, too.”
“I refused and was called ‘selfish,’ along with all manner of things by the family and some other passengers.”
“It was awful but, sorry, I am scared of flying and am incredibly anxious on a plane, having to get myself in the mindset months before (choosing flights, knowing where I’m sitting, etc.), and this change and the scenario essentially cause a panic attack.”
“Am I in the wrong?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some Redditors were fed up with passengers feeling entitled to other people’s seats.
“NTA. You get the seat you paid for.”
“I am tired of these stories about entitled people who think because of their own cheapness or poor planning, it’s okay to inconvenience other people to please them. F**k no.” – BlueGreen_1956
“I was on a flight with a fairly famous author and speaker. He and his wife were in business. Three kids (teens or tweens) were sat together in front of me.”
“They were perfectly behaved and sheepishly nice when we asked about their dad.”
“But that’s an age you can book separate seats. Young kids? You sit with them at booking, not impose on other people, and hope that they cave from politeness or fear of confrontation. If you can’t afford five business-class seats for the whole family, you just can’t go.”
“Entitled people make me so mad.” – malthar76
“I know, right? The number of people who try to guilt another person into moving their seats due to them not planning their own seats in advance is so inconsiderate. Please understand they booked it for themselves and not to give up the seat they paid for to xyz just because xyz didn’t book the seats they wanted in advance.” – ilovesweetsbro
“Not directly related to the OP, but the airline I fly regularly has pre-assigned seats. I choose seats for myself and my family (generally just myself and my youngest (13) flying…) Numerous, numerous, numerous times, this airline has separated us after I check in with my phone, where we are not together.”
“Mind you, we HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME!!! And are booked on the same reservation. It is beyond irritating. I generally ask the gate agent, as soon as they actually show up, to put myself and my so BACK together on the flight. He is not a fan of flying, and prefer him with me, thus the reason I booked it this way.”
“I guess just what I’m getting at, it’s not always a family that f**ked up their arrangements. It could be the airlines that jacked them around. But waiting till you get on the plane to ask a steward to take care of your problem is not the way to go. And shaming other passengers to accommodate other passengers is not the way to go on behalf of the airline either.” – RuntheSTRIP
“Just two weeks ago I was traveling with my wife and two kids and we got seats together, three together and the other next to them across the aisle. When we reached our seats, a lady was sitting in my seat with her two children while her husband was sitting in the row in front of us in the window seat.”
“I politely told her that this was my seat, but she shrugged me off and told me that I should take her seat in the middle near her husband as she was sitting with her two children. Instead of having one child with her and one child with her husband.”
“I did not argue much and just told a flight attendant who got her to move to her seat in front.”
“Entitled people these days will just spring it on you without even asking first.” – Scary-Antelope-3933
“You pick your seats when you book the flight. Pick two seats next to each other if it’s that important. They can play musical chairs with someone else, I’m not moving because at this point it just seems like it’s becoming a trend.” – Sufficient-Show-9928
Others agreed and reassured the OP that they were not in the wrong for refusing to move.
“I have flown internationally with three children many, many times, starting two decades ago with the oldest, and they NEVER randomly upgrade you with little kids (can’t annoy the more well-off passengers if you haven’t paid more too) and wouldn’t move people in business/first class for coach kids.”
“The only thing I can think of is those people maybe paid for business class on another flight, which got canceled or they got bumped. And they kicked up a huge stink because they’d paid for business class ‘for the children so they can play,’ and the airline was trying to accommodate them by refunding other people? Just my guess from many, many flights!”
“Also, NTA, OP!! You shouldn’t have to give up your flight that you planned a certain way for a reason. That wasn’t acceptable or nice of those people to act that way.” – CoolRanchBaby
“NTA. People forget that you paid for that seat, too. It’s not your job to accommodate their poor planning. You did nothing wrong.” – GloriousThunderButt
“Every passenger that hissed was a passenger who just volunteered to give up their seat for the family. They’re just angry someone had the nerve not to do the same. NTA.” – Boeing367-80
“As a dad of three myself, after they hissed at me, I would have looked straight at the parents and said, ‘As a Dad of three, you should have prepared better. Do better next time,’ and then I would have sat down.”
“I hate entitled families who think because they have children, everyone else has to bend to them. We already get through pre-check and boarded before others regardless, so stop being a**es and plan accordingly if you want seats together.” – theymademee
“Amen to that! It was their choice to fly with kids, they should have made sure they could sit together when the bought tickets, and even if that’s not possible, that’s a THEIR problem, not OP’s. They are not special because they decided to breed. NTA.” – Otherwise-Average699
“Seriously, who doesn’t quadruple-check their tickets multiple times? Even if they booked in error or split the kids up, then split the parents up to take care of the kids. I hate when they expect the stewards to be the referees once on board.”
“Take that s**t to the ticket counter before boarding, or let the boarding agents know. Don’t plunk your a**es down with the pre-rehearsed bulls**t using your kids as pawns.”
“And no, a last-minute ticket is not that prescribed price. I had the experience of having to book two tickets over the Christmas holiday due to a death in the family flying from the west coast to the east.”
“I took a red-eye out at 11:45 PM, literally the last flight from the airport, in coach, and the tickets were 2800 a piece plus tax. F**king coach at 2800 a ticket. And, I was told we were getting ‘special rates,’ and only after the airline had confirmed the person deceased, the funeral home and a relative to vouch for us and the cemetery where they were to be buried.” – Particular-Summer424
“NTA. I once was asked after a long-a** layover because our plane was stuck in Spain due to malfunction, ‘Would you want to give up your first class seat so a group can sit together?'”
“I laughed so hard before saying, ‘H**l no.’ The lady that sat next to me was obviously butt hurt but I didn’t care. I’ve been stuck in layover limbo and late in returning home. Do you want me to volunteer for my first-class seat? Take a hike.”
“I’m never going to see these people again. I got somewhere to be and if someone is that dense enough to ask me that, then I extra don’t care. NTA.” – Foamy-lizard
The subReddit could not believe that we were still having to talk to the flight crew at the front gate about seating discrepancies instead of waiting to board the flight, especially when that meant harassing fellow passengers.
Honestly, at this point, it would be a breath of fresh air to see more people treat the situation like the OP did and keep the seat they were assigned to in the first place.