Seat swapping is a hotly contended topic among the frequent flyer community and one story on the matter has added fuel to the debate.
In a resurfaced Reddit post, one airline passenger shared their frustrations over a mom who had ‘the audacity’ to expect them to swap seats so she could sit next to her child.
The anonymous traveler explained that they were on a transpacific flight from Japan and they had a widow seat, while the ‘toddler daughter was in the middle next to me’ and the mom was also in the middle but in the row behind.
Explaining the chain of events, the Redditor who has since deleted their account, wrote: ‘[The mom] asked me – and just me – to switch with her so she could have my window seat (next to her daughter) and I’d take her middle seat a row back.
In a resurfaced Reddit post, one airline passenger shared their frustrations over a mom who ‘the audacity’ to expect them to swap seats so she could sit next to her child
‘Hell to the f*** no. Not my problem they didn’t book together.’
To make matters worse, the airline passenger said they were ‘surrounded by others’ from the mom’s tour group and she ‘could’ve asked for a three-way trade instead.’
Another alternative, the Redditor said, was for her to ask the tour operator to trade places.
Venting their frustration, they concluded: ‘The audacity to ask just me and expect an inferior trade on my side.’
The post quickly attracted attention, with other Redditors left divided over the debacle.
One commenter, themselves a parent, sided with the mom.
They wrote: ‘As a parent of a toddler, I’m surprised that you preferred to sit next to someone else’s unaccompanied toddler, vs just moving.
‘Sure, someone else could move, but either someone has to move or someone has to sit next to a flying toddler.
The anonymous traveler explained that they were on a transpacific flight from Japan and they had a widow seat, while the ‘toddler daughter was in the middle next to me’
‘I honestly don’t know which is more annoying for the other passengers.
‘It’s not always possible for families to book seats together for some reason, and go figure, sometimes they need to fly places.
‘I don’t know what the answer is here but being infuriated about a mom trying to watch their own kid is dumb.’
Another Redditor mused: ‘Why were you so eager to sit next to a stranger’s toddler daughter?’
However, some commenters sided with the flummoxed airline passenger.
One wrote in their defense: ‘My rule of thumb is: 1). Will only change an aisle for an aisle (my preference). 2). Will never change an aisle or a window for a middle 3). Will never change if I had to spend extra money to get my seat.’
Another user echoed similar sentiments, commenting: ‘I just started refusing altogether. Unless it’s for an upgrade. I’m sick of entitlement from people, and it seems elevated on planes and even more so of late.
‘I don’t know you. I don’t generally care about you beyond reasonable human compassion. And I am certainly not responsible for your poor planning. Don’t talk to me again and go away.’
In February, New York-based Surya Garg revealed she was faced with a similar situation to the Redditor when a mom asked her to swap with her teenage son
In February, New York-based Surya Garg revealed she was faced with a similar situation to the Redditor when a mom asked her to swap with her teenage son.
In a video, Surya details how a mom came up to her and asked if she could give up her window seat – which she had paid extra for – so that she could sit with her son who ‘had to be a minimum of 16 or 17 years old.’
When she asked where the woman wanted her to move to, she was directed to a ‘middle seat like a couple of rows back.’
Then, when she asked who the woman’s son was, she was shocked to discover he was not a child but ‘like a 6ft 5in man.’
Surya said she ‘didn’t really know what to say’ to the mom at this point and ‘didn’t want to look like an ‘a** hole.’
However, she decided to decline the woman’s request and explained to her that she had paid extra for the seat.
After being told ‘no’, Surya said the mom ‘makes the nastiest face at me I’ve ever experienced’, and then went about ‘muttering profanities at me’ for ‘the entirety’ of the flight.
Baffled by the experience, Surya asked fellow TikTokers: ‘Was I in the wrong here? I need someone to tell me.’
To date her video, uploaded with the hastags #nyc #airplane #airplaneseats, has been watched more than 1.5 million times with many viewers reassuring Surya she was not in the wrong.
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