Man sparks fiery debate after complaining about being downgraded on flight so mum could sit with child
Plane etiquette has to be one of the most hotly-debated topics online, from whether or not it’s ever okay to walk around barefoot (it’s not) to when it’s best to put your seat back in recline.
One of the issues that seems to come up regularly is the small matter of the seats themselves, as everyone’s got their own preference.
Some people love to be next to the window so that they can enjoy a cool view, while others prefer aisle spots for an easier getaway if they need to pop to the loo.
Some others, meanwhile, like to stick toward the front or rear of the plane to disembark first, and many also choose to splash out a little more on some extra leg room.
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The latter is exactly what one man decided to do on a recent Delta flight, only for it to backfire massively when a couple of other passengers had other ideas.
Taking to Reddit to share his predicament with others, he explained how he ‘had to give up a preferred seat for a lady with kids’, asking if Delta should refund him.
“I had to give up a preferred seat with extra leg room for a seat 15+ rows back so that a woman could sit with her approximately 10 year old child,” he wrote.
“Will Delta refund me at all or just award miles?”
The man continued: “I know I’m being a giant baby but i put a lot of thought into choosing a seat. Especially picking the opposite side the sun will be on because I get motion sickness and hate being hot on a plane.
“Like I get it she needed to sit with her kid but still annoyed that this happens.
“It seems like gate agents should solve instead of putting passengers in uncomfortable positions.”
His post triggered a fiery debate on Reddit, with many users agreeing the situation had been unfair - while others argued there could have been a simple fix.
"The woman didn’t book two seats together with her ten year old?" one asked, adding: "Sounds like her problem, not yours."
Someone else said: "They should have moved them both to the sets 15 rows back and upgraded the person in the back of the plane. Asking somebody to downgrade to benefit somebody else is not cool."
Another said the woman should have handled the problem with the gate agent, while one person piped up: "As a parent I’ve often been told by the gate agent I have to ask someone on the plane. I try to plan ahead but if there’s an equipment change or a system glitch it sometimes shuffles us around."
A fourth also commented: "It sounds like you have regret for not standing up for yourself. If you’re platinum, not paying extra and didn’t have an FA say 'switch or we aren’t leaving', it’s on you. If everyone took a hard line, said 'no' and made Delta deal with it, maybe it wouldn’t happen so often."
Tyla has reached out to Delta for comment.
Jess Hardiman