Man praised for refusing to switch plane seats with elderly couple

Flight etiquette is a much-talked-about topic and one that is particularly important while on a long-haul flight.

Travelling for such a long period of time is not pleasant at the best of times, though a good seat on the aircraft can certainly make it more enjoyable.

While those that can afford the luxury of first-class plane tickets will reside there, extra leg room in economy is the next best thing.

Especially when you are taller than the average person, and sitting in a standard economy seat can be a bit cramped.

One man who paid for the extra leg room took to Reddit recently to explain how an elderly couple sat in his seat which he had paid extra for.

Captioning the post on the ChoosingBeggars subreddit, the man who goes by the name of @churtothechur, wrote: "Old couple try to take our seats on a plane."

Pixabay

He then explained: "A few years ago my significant other and I planned a three-month trip around the world. Our first flight was from New Zealand-LA. 12-13 hours.

"We booked and paid for our flights and I added the premium economy seats as I'm 6'3 and wanted the extra legroom. Cost an extra $60 (£50).

"This flight was with Air New Zealand, the screen has your name on it when you get to your seat."

The anonymous man then explained how a couple in their 70s were sat in his seat when he boarded the plane.

He continued: " I ask them if they got confused with their seat numbers. They hadn't.

"I show them my ticket and seat number and point to my name on the screen. They then ask me just sit in their seats which were ten rows back. No leg room."

Unfortunately, a problem was brewing for the man as the elderly couple refused to move to their seats.

Jay Fog / Alamy Stock Photo

In the Reddit post, the man explained how the conversation went: "Me: You want me to sit in your seats?

"OP(old people): Yes, that would be nice thank you.

"Me: I paid extra for these seats and would like to sit in them. Please move to your seats.

"OP: Oh, it's not that bad there's plenty of legroom.

"Me: Yeah, there's plenty of legroom in my seats because I paid for it. I'll help move your bag if you need."

A flight attendant then got involved, telling the couple to go and sit in the seat that is designated to them.

But as they got bums off seats, the man said he got a few harsh looks off fellow passengers.

Many in the comments section agreed the man was in the right, giving him praise for how he handled the tricky situation.

He did pay for the flights, after all!