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The issue of plane etiquette is once again being raised regarding the moral obligation to offer up one’s seat for another person.
A post on Reddit’s popular “Am I The A**hole?” subreddit asked a plane passenger to give up her seat for a mother who wanted to sit with her child.
The individual stated that they were on a flight to their sister’s wedding and the mother and son they were with were being difficult with the airport staff. The person’s assigned seat was in the middle and the mother and son joined them shortly after they sat down.
The post stated that the individuals had a window seat, a regular seat, and an aisle seat. The woman insisted on sitting next to her son and requested that I sit in the aisle seat so she could be next to him.
The female passenger expressed her displeasure with sitting in the aisle seat and refused to switch seats. The traveler wrote that she began to argue that it was her right to sit next to her son. The traveler politely offered to switch seats with the woman’s son, who had the window seat. However, the woman continued to yell that she required the seat and that her son should not have to give up the window seat because he is a child.
At this juncture, a member of the flight crew intervened to ensure that all passengers were properly seated. Despite the mother’s desire for revenge against the Reddit user, she continued to “accidentally” kick the traveler and her son deliberately annoyed her.
The post stated, “Upon my return from the restroom, I believed that the situation had been resolved as she may have agreed to it. However, upon arriving back to my seat, I discovered that she was sitting in my spot and my jacket and bag, which I had left there, were now tossed into the aisle. I informed a flight attendant and they instructed her to return to her assigned seat.”
Can I be seen as the bad guy for not giving up my airplane seat?
After the post was shared, numerous individuals commented in defense of her refusal to change seats. A few also pointed out that she did offer the mother the choice of sitting by the window, but not in the aisle.
“Some people purposely book the window and aisle seats hoping that no one will take the middle so they can get the entire row to themselves. Personally, I think this practice is just greedy. I’m willing to bet this is exactly what she did and got pissed off that it backfired. You have no obligation to give up your seat and even gave her an option which she refused – good for you for sticking to your guns!” one commenter wrote.
“I see this situation often,” another comment stated in support of the woman. “If she wanted to sit next to her son, she could have paid for assigned seats or reserved earlier. At the very least, she could have politely requested to switch seats. Your assigned seat is yours and you are not obligated to give it up for any reason.”
A third commenter suggested that the statement should have been phrased as, “Your lack of preparation does not make it my emergency.”
“Clearly, not the asshole. You paid for your seat and have the right to occupy it. The woman could have easily reserved adjacent seats if she had been better prepared.”
Source: independent.co.uk
