The airplane seat-swapping issue has been hotly debated online for what seems like an eternity, and while it feels like most of us agree that everyone should remain seated in their chosen seats – the horror stories keep on coming. Lucky for us (or not), the Redditor that goes by u/scrapped85 also has one to share!
The thing is, the traveler despises aisle seats due to an elbow trauma they once received; plus, they were also having a bunch of layovers and simply wanted to rest – however, some newlyweds were quick to sabotage their plan.
More info: Reddit
Plane passenger gets asked to swap seats by newlyweds who wish to sit together
Image credits: Long Zhao (not the actual photo)
They politely refuse as they wanted to rest, but get flak anyway
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: scrapped85
“AITA: Refusing to change seats with newlyweds who wanted to be seated together” – this web user took to one of Reddit’s most judgmental communities, asking its members whether it was a jerk move to refuse to trade seats with honeymooners who wanted to sit together. The post managed to garner nearly 4K upvotes as well as 515 comments discussing the situation.
Everyone wants to be comfortable while cruising between 33,000 and 42,000 feet up in the sky in some flying object; this is why seat selection exists – however, not many people are willing to spend an extra buck on already expensive plane tickets.
Some stick with their choices and have no problem with being sandwiched in the middle seat, while others aren’t shy to jeopardize a fellow passenger’s comfort purely for their own. And oh boy, does the author of today’s post have a story to tell.
The traveler stated at the beginning that they were inspired to write their own “AITA” post after reading a similar tale on the subreddit. They did this in order to determine if they were right or wrong because when they were on the plane, they felt like a true antagonist in the couple’s love story.
Now, onto the event.
The Redditor booked a window seat and beside them was a woman who was the wife of a guy in a seat in the middle row. Turns out, the couple had just got married and wanted to be seated together. They asked the netizen if they could change seats with them, to which they politely refused, while also giving them a couple of reasons why. The traveler stated that they despise aisle seats due to always being bumped by trolleys and other people. They also claimed that it was the second and the longest of the three flights they were taking that day, and all they wanted to do was doze off and relax. It seemed like none of the reasons were good enough, as another passenger chimed in and tried to persuade the author into giving up their seat. Naturally, it caught people’s attention, making somewhat of a scene, which we can all probably agree is not a pleasant thing to go through. Especially over something so trivial.
The Redditor later asked netizens to weigh in on the matter, as they felt like the “villain in their love story”
Image credits: Marco Verch Professional Photographer (not the actual photo)
Needless to say, the post’s creator didn’t budge, but they felt as though all the passengers around them, including the crew, were judging their decision. They then noted that, in their humble opinion, if it’s your honeymoon then it means that you must’ve made the bookings in advance, so the question stands – why didn’t the couple make sure they were seated together? We could circle back to the money, or maybe the trip was booked in a hurry. Who knows. But one thing we can all probably conclude is that the matter wasn’t handled very well.
The author then went on to ask the subreddit members a few questions, wondering if they were indeed in the wrong for refusing to swap seats and whether other passengers should accommodate people just because it’s their honeymoon.
It’s a delicate matter that seems to be doing an outstanding job of winding people up, and it’s all very much understandable. Just consider how much more difficult it would be for the identifying crew if there was an accident, or how you could just get someone else’s meal when you had booked a specific one, perhaps because of your severe food allergies. Of course, if you’re feeling extra generous, nobody can stop you from accommodating others, but it does make things complicated.
What is your take on this? What would you do if you were in the author’s shoes?
Fellow community members shared their thoughts and opinions on the story
Image credits: Mark Arron Smith (not the actual photo)
