Man praised after refusing to give up seat for pregnant woman on plane
One man has been praised after refusing to give up seat for a pregnant woman on a plane.
The jet-setter took to Reddit to ask fellow users whether he was in the wrong or not after denying the woman's request - to which he received an overwhelming amount of support
Opening up a little bit more about the ordeal on the 'Am I the A**hole', or 'AITA' thread, the man titled the post: "AITA for not giving up my airline seat to a pregnant woman?"
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He started off by providing some context to the situation, explaining he had been flying by himself on a '5+ hour flight' to visit family over the holidays.
"I specifically booked and paid extra for an aisle seat in the second-to-last row because I have medical issues that sometimes require quick access to the bathroom," he continued.
However, the man went on: "Right before boarding, a woman asked me to give up my seat so she could sit closer to the bathroom.
"She was pregnant but did not seem distressed."
Although he could empathise with the situation, the man refused the pregnant woman's request.
"While I felt for her situation, as someone with a medical condition, I did not feel it was fair to demand I move from the seat I planned for and paid for," he carried on, "especially since she apparently had not booked an aisle seat herself in advance.
"The flight attendants refused to help mediate when she insisted I should have to move.
"There were also no other aisle or close seats available on the full flight that I or flight crew could facilitate swapping."
The man then 'tried to recommend she speak to her doctor' about needing accommodation if sitting far from the bathroom is not 'medically advisable' for her situation during future flights.
With all that said, however, the bloke's family told him he should have offered her the seat.
He concluded: "Still, my family says I should have inconvenienced myself and given up my seat.
"I disagree though - I think she and the flight crew were unfairly targeting me instead of handling it through proper channels. AITA?"
The majority of people unanimously agreed with the man, with one Reddit user writing: "She should have booked another seat she wanted herself or not gone on the flight.
"Seems she just assumed she wouldn’t have to pay for it, since some sucker was going to move. The flight attendants are at fault for not mediating. At some point they should have told her to go back to her seat."
A second chimed in: "I say this as someone who has been pregnant and has flown solo with a toddler… every passenger has equal opportunity to pre-book seats based on their needs and preferences.
"It’s no one business why you booked that seat. Was the passenger or airline going to reimburse you for the cost of prebooking the seat? Zero obligation for you to move."
"This is when you throw back, 'I actually have incontinence so I have to be near the restroom' or another bladder-related medical condition," revealed a third.
"Realistically I would just tell her that I paid extra for the seat no thank you."
Where do you stand on the matter?
Topics: Life, Plane Etiquette, Pregnancy, Real Life, Travel, Health
Rhiannon Ingle