A man has shared how he refused to swap plane seats with a pregnant woman on his 12-hour flight – but now he is riddled with guilt over the decision to prioritise his comfort over hers
A man admits he’s been riddled with guilt after refusing to give up his plane seat for a pregnant woman.
However, strangers are taking his side are he explained his tale.
The 28-year-old was travelling from New York to Hawaii on a 12-hour flight – and made sure to book a ‘comfort seat’ before boarding, costing him around £200 and points.
However, after settling down in his assigned seat, he was approached by a pregnant woman who asked for a trade as she was struggling with her condition. He said on Reddit: “About 15 minutes before takeoff, a visibly pregnant woman was walking up and down towards the front of the plane.
“She and a flight attendant looked around for a moment, talked a bit, and then the lady approached me asking if I would be willing to switch seats with her due to her condition. I politely declined. I explained that I had specifically booked this seat because I’m pretty long (I’m 6’4 tall) and that I needed the extra comfort and space.”
He says the flight attendant was understanding and started asking other passengers, who also turned down the request. Despite this, a sense of guilt came over him as he started to question whether he’d made the right decision.
He added: “If I agreed they would have reimbursed me for the extra cost via a voucher so that my ticket would’ve been the cost of the normal economy ticket. I’m not certain if the pregnant lady would’ve had to pay extra to switch with me because I just politely declined a few times and we didn’t get into that level of detail.
“The pregnant lady then told me I wouldn’t understand what it feels like to be a woman carrying a baby in this summer heat, got upset, and eventually had to return to her seat in the back. Throughout the flight, I felt awkward passing by her every time on the way to the bathroom. When I landed, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“I’m a young man without the burden of carrying a child in me and totally could’ve sacrificed a bit.. and wondered if I had been wrong to prioritize my comfort over someone who might have needed it more.” While most users agreed he had every right to remain in his pre-booked seat, others argued the pregnant woman should have planned ahead knowing she’d be uncomfortable in a ‘normal’ seat’
Commenting on his post, one user said: “She had the option of purchasing a more comfortable seat. Unless Delta was willing to compensate you for the seat-swap I would not expect you to just ‘gift’ her your seat. I had done seat swaps before and United always took care of me. I pay extra for the better seats and do not want to be crunched in to some cubbyhole for twelve hours.”
Another user added: “You paid for that seat, and she paid for hers. She could have booked a different class if she wanted to. Most likely she knew she would be this pregnant when she booked the flight. It is unfortunate the situation she is in, truly, but unless a medical emergency were happening I’m not sure why you would be expected to give up your seat.”
A third user said: “Many a pregnant woman has survived economy class. If she had wanted the extra space, she also could have paid for it like you did. The other people could have also switched. But didn’t. This isn’t on you.”
