Plane passenger seat disputes aren’t unheard of, but when one traveller was asked to swap their business class seat for economy, they didn’t move and people said they made the right decision
When it comes to flying on a plane, everyone has their own seat preferences and many passengers like to have the window seat. The aisle seat is often the second best option with the middle seat being the least preferred, especially when seated between strangers.
There are typically four main cabin classes airlines offer on planes, with economy often being the most affordable and least luxurious and business and first class on the pricier end to give passengers a more comfortable flight and added perks. A traveller who booked a business class ticket when flying with Lufthansa found themselves in an unpleasant situation when a mum and son in economy told a lie to try to swap seats.
The traveller took to Reddit to share that they chose business class, as it guaranteed the middle seat being empty.
They noted that the other passenger in the aisle seat was a man in his 40s or 50s and his wife and son came to ask if they could swap their economy seats to sit next to the man instead.
The Reddit user added: “His wife and son came in, asking me to switch (business for economy) so they could all sit there, then telling me that if I didn’t switch with the wife, the son would sit in the middle at least, reasoning that I didn’t need an empty seat next to me and claiming the stewardess allowed it.
“Turned out, she said it was possible if the other passenger agreed to which they replied that I was a family, so I would 100% agree.”
After hearing this blatant lie, the passenger didn’t give up their seat so the son and wife had to stay in economy class while the dad “spent almost 4 hours muttering passive-aggressive comments.”
The user was grateful for the stewardesses for staying professional, mentioning that a second one had to come as the mum and son “refused to go back to their seats.”
The Reddit post has amassed more than 6,100 likes and more than 100 comments. One user pointed out: “Lol he didn’t give up his seat for his family, just wanted you to.”
Another replied: “It’s wild how some people feel entitled to what others paid extra for. Lying about being your family? That’s next-level manipulative.
“You had every right to your seat and your space. Props to you for standing your ground, and huge respect to the flight attendants for backing you up.”
A third commented: “Omg lying abt (about) being ur (your) fam (family) is wild. If they’ll fake that, imagine what else they pull daily.”
A fourth remarked: “Imagine lying to the crew about being my family to steal my business class seat… then getting mad when I don’t agree to the scam. I paid for that space, not to babysit someone else’s travel drama.”
Someone else gave another possible solution to the issue: “[The] wife could have asked the person in her row if they could switch to business so her husband could sit with her and son in economy. Problem solved.”