While traveling by plane can be stress inducing for a number of reasons, one of the perks it has over traveling by bus or by train is that most airlines allow you to pick your seat.
True, depending on when you book your flight you might not have a lot of options.
But many people have a strong preference as to where they sit on a plane, ideally closer to the front, allowing them a speedier exit, or in an exit row, giving them a bit more leg room.
Redditor Extension_Week_9880 always chose to sit in a specific seat while traveling by plane, and a recent trip was no exception.
During boarding, however, a mother approached the original poster (OP) asking her if she might be willing to trade seats, so she could sit with her child.
The OP’s answer did not please the young mother one bit, and resulted in the OP getting a bit of attitude from other fellow travelers.
Wondering if she had done anything wrong, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for not giving up my seat on the plane?”
The OP explained why she wasn’t willing to give up her seat on a recent flight to a traveling mother:
“So I (25 F[emale) went on a 10 hour plane ride out of the country around a week ago!”
“I booked the aisle seat because I don’t like having to climb over people to go to the restroom!”
“We’re about to take off when a mother of, I think, a 9-or-so-year-old comes up to me and asks if we can switch seats. (She had a middle seat.) I told her no, and I liked it for a reason!”
“She got very mad and started yelling and her kid was crying, I just put in my headphones and didn’t gaf!”
“When the plane landing a got nasty comments and was called a horrible person and an a**hole!”
“The kid was sitting close to or next to his mom from what I could see.”
“I had an empty seat next to me where I assume the kid would have sat.”
“So was I the AH?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to give up her seat.
Everyone agreed that the OP chose her seat for a reason, and she was under no obligation to give it up, even so a mother could sit with their child, as the mother could have booked two seats together or asked someone else to switch seats.
“NTA.”
“She’s not asking if ‘no’ is not an acceptable answer.”
“That’s a demand disguised as a question.”- Cultural_Card_2603
“No, you are NTA at all.”
“I always book an aisle seat, too, because I can’t stand still and get very anxious and claustrophobic if I am not in the aisle.”
“Just a few days ago, I was taking the train, coach, so I got there very early so I could snag an aisle seat.”
“This woman came on the train with her two kids (about 7 and 15ish), and she stands right behind me and shouts, ‘Hey, can anyone trade an aisle seat so me and my kiddo can sit together?'”
“‘Anyone? ANYONE?'”
“Then she sighed and said, ‘Great people, real classy, thanks’.”
“It would have been okay if she would have just asked, but she was shouting and then acting so aggrieved.”
“That is probably why no one helped her.”
“I seriously can’t not sit in an aisle chair.”- CantaloupeSpecific47
“‘I booked the aisle seat’.”
“I stopped here because this AUTOMATICALLY means NTA for saying no to someone tying to take YOUR seat away from you.”
“I’ll read the rest anyway and comment in a moment.”
“As already known, NTA.”- Scenarioing
“NTA!”
“I’m sick of these people that keep coming up and expecting others to change seats with them.”
“You want a specific seat, pay for it yourself!”- stroppo
“NTA.”
“On God I almost want someone to try making a comment about me not swapping seats.”
“THEIR lack of planning does not get to become YOUR problem.”- hobo888
“No, it’s your seat that you paid for.”
“NTA.”- gojoOnSol
“NTA!”
“The mother should have booked a different seat if she didn’t want the middle!”-TemptingPenguin369
“NTA.”
“The mother could have booked other seats, assuming they were available.”
“You paid for that seat, and she paid for hers.”
“I’m willing to bet she did this on purpose with the hope of using her kid as an excuse to get an aisle seat.”- GatorBoy669607
“I’m usually a person who will be empathetic and give up my seat in some situations.”
“But on a 10-hour flight for which I’d booked early and paid extra?”
“Nah.”
“I have chronic pain issues, and long flights and car rides trigger flares that last days.”
“The Mom should have planned better.”
“NTA!”- Marshmallowfrootloop
“NTA at all.”
“You picked out that specific seat in advance and have no reason to give it up.”- LowBalance4404
“NTA.”
“I just booked for a holiday next year with my boyfriend’s family, and we have booked plane seats specifically so we can be with our 3-year-old as we don’t want the risk of not being sat together.”
“You dont have priority because you have a kid and didn’t plan ahead, that’s her problem not yours.”- Mysterious_Post_280
“NTA.”
“Sounds like that lady was just being a moan, you booked your seat so don’t gotta move for no one.”
“She shoulda planned better if she wanted the aisle.”- _PrettyRedditor_
“NTA & f her.”- Upstairs-Storm1006
“NTA.”
“But it feels like there is a little more context.”
“Why was your seat the only aisle seat on the plane that she wanted?”- Impressive_Aioli5620
“NTA.”
“Next time, I’d explain patiently so the 9-year-old can hear that when she books a seat in the future, she can choose the seat she wants to sit in.”
“It costs a little bit more, but then you can get the seat you want.”
“Mom is telling her 9-year-old that you were mean and in the wrong.”
“You can have her overhear that mom had the opportunity to book the aisle seat for her daughter but chose not to.”- houseonpost
“NTA this is a common scam.”
“You didn’t fall for it.”
“Good for you.”- LongDistRid3r
“NTA.”
“As Stewie most eloquently put it, ‘mam, your poor planning does not constitute an emergency for me’.”- fungi1245
“NTA.”
“Parent entitlement is the worst.”
“Most of the time, they are airing out their grievances about having to deal with all that comes with having a kid onto you, which ironically makes them look worse.”
“You should never feel bad about choosing NOT to do someone a favor.”- courierfae111
“No one is ever an asshole for not giving up their assigned seat on a plane.”
“The end.”
“NTA.”- cuirboy
“NTA.”
“People really need to stop this behavior on planes.”
“If they wanted to trade an aisle for an aisle, that would have been a different story.”
“Really matters to get what you booked on a 10-hour flight but applies to a 1 hour flight as well.”-Outrageous-Pie787
“NTA.”
“I really wish people would quit having to ask this question.”
“Bottom line is: if you chose (and especially if you paid to choose it!) a certain seat at booking, you’re within your rights of keeping it when asked to switch, even more so if the seat you’d be switching to is not as nice.”
“Good for you, OP, for standing your ground!”- PopularFunction5202
“I would’ve just let my kid sit alone… give myself a break.”
“NTA btw.”- Pretty_Aerie_799
“NTA.”
“You booked that seat for a reason.”
“It’s not your responsibility to make it easy for her to have a better seat.”- triana_sd
“NTA.”
“I don’t know why people expect you to change a seat you booked.”- raingapqp
“NTA.”
“F*ck the mom and her entitlement.”- No-External-8243
“NTA.”
“‘I told her no and I p liked it for a reason!'”
“‘She got very mad and started yelling and her kid was crying’.”
“She didn’t plan ahead & couldn’t be bothered to pay extra for the seats she wanted.”
“She pulled a scene because she’s an entitled AH.”- Apart-Ad-6518
“NTA.”
“I pay extra for particular seat and I want to seat on that.”
“And it is not small amount of money for that.”- CvetCore33
Sometimes, a family might not be able to find seats that are all together based on availability.
But while these families can certainly hold out hope that a generous soul might be willing to trade seats with them, they should in no way expect it.
As the majority of aisle seat dwellers on long flights more than likely picked those seats for a reason.
Just as the OP did.