Couple sparks debate after refusing to switch seats mid-flight so passenger can ‘get away from a crying baby’
A couple have sparked a pretty heated debate online after refusing to switch seats mid-flight so a passenger could 'get away from a crying baby'.
Now, I'm sure we've all got an arsenal of stories from less than lovely flights but it's clear this pair of jet-setters had a far from smooth journey.
The husband took to Reddit's 'Am I the A**hole' thread to ask whether or not they were in the wrong 'for not letting someone switch seats mid-flight'.
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He began by explaining that he and his wife were flying back from Dublin to Washington DC and were assigned the middle and window seats in a row.
They were thrilled to find that the passenger booked to sit on the aisle seat was a no-show, meaning they had the entire row to themselves.
Then, before leaving the gate, the husband moved to the aisle seat and his wife stayed at the window.
"Nothing eventful happened for the first 4.5 hours of the flight," he recalled before praising the 'amazing' flight attendants who even gave them extra drinks for the 'guy in the middle'.
However, it wasn't smooth soaring for long.
The Reddit user continued: "Randomly, the passenger from the aisle seat across from me comes over with her friend who was sitting a few rows back and ANNOUNCES that her friend would now be taking the middle seat to get away from an crying baby further back.
"She did not ask - she told us this was happening. There were about 3 hours of flight time remaining."
The man then asked whether the flight attendants (FA) were on board with the decision to which she said yes.
He carried on: "But since these deals are usually brokered by the FA, I called over an FA. The FA said the agreement was that they could take an available aisle seat but could not disrupt anyone’s seating arrangements."
The woman then reportedly started 'b***hing' about how he was assigned the middle but then moved to the aisle before takeoff, so he 'shouldn’t even have that aisle seat'.
"I had been sitting there for almost 5 hours and we had already distributed our items all over the row," he noted.
The woman and her mate then went away to talk to another FA for about five minutes.
She then returns and proceeds to yell, saying that 'her friend would not be sitting there - not because she was not allowed to, but because I was so incredibly rude' and that I was a 'f***king a**hole'.
"I kept my eyes on the show I was watching," the husband added. "The only thing I did this entire time was ask to talk to the flight attendant.
"I did not say anything else to this woman, though I would have liked to."
He rounded off the post by asking: "AITA for not volunteering the middle seat mid-flight?"
People seemed to be pretty divided in the comments with many defending the husband.
"NTA - checking with the FA was appropriate," assured one Reddit user.
A second penned: "Absolutely, getting the FA involved was the right move. Their reaction was uncalled for."
While a third pointed out: "NTA. You were not directed by the FA to move."
Others, however, weren't so convinced.
One explained: "I'm going with the unpopular opinion here. You paid for 2 seats, not 3. You didn't ask the FA bc you wanted to 'verify the rules'.
"You asked bc you didn't want to lose your space and were hoping the FA would not permit her to move.
"You were assigned a middle seat. So per the FA, the woman could have sat in the aisle seat, once you moved into your actual assigned middle seat.
"She's somewhat an AH as well for her attitude and rude behaviour."
Another commented: "They should have asked politely, but you paid for two seats and had the benefit of three for most of the flight, and you were not actually entitled to hog all three seats while somebody else suffered.
"It would have been fair to decide which of the three seats you would let her have, but refusing her a seat because her friend was rude was an a**hole move, and the flight attendant shouldn't have let you do that."
And a final Reddit user echoed: "Wait. To clarify, your wife and you were taking the aisle and window seat and someone wanted to sit in the middle?
"You weren't asked to move, they just wanted that middle seat? And you refused to let them?
"In that case YTA. You paid for one seat you one seat. If you were asked to move back to the middle so the person can get the aisle, then you're NTA. But you said that the new passenger wanted to sit in the middle seat which is presumably unoccupied."
Ouch.
Topics: Real Life, Plane Etiquette, Travel, Reddit, Flight attendant
Rhiannon Ingle