A man has sparked debate after sharing how he refused to swap seats with a disabled couple on a flight he was on, even after being scolded by the cabin crew for his decision
The topic of swapping seats on planes is always a hot one.
If you’re a seasoned traveller, it’s likely you’ve been asked to switch seats at some point. The reasons can vary from families who couldn’t secure seats together, to passengers hoping for a better view from the window seat.
Most would agree that if you’ve booked your seat on a flight, there’s no obligation to give it up. Of course, nothing stops you from being kind and agreeing to swap if you want, but it’s not required and you’re entirely within your rights to say no if the offer doesn’t suit you.
But what if the person asking for the swap had a compelling reason, like not wanting their children to fly alone or having a disability? For some, this could tip the balance as we might see the other party as more “in need”. However, one man has shared how he refused to swap seats with a couple on a recent flight, even after learning one of them was disabled – and he was scolded by the cabin crew for his decision, reports the Daily Record.
In a Reddit post, the man recounted his experience on a four-hour flight with his girlfriend, who suffers from a fear of flying and needs medication before getting on a plane to cope with the journey. He explained that the plane’s seating arrangement was in blocks of three with an aisle in the middle, and they had reserved seats B and C on their row, which were the middle seat and the aisle seat.
However, upon boarding, they discovered a woman occupying one of their seats next to her husband who was in seat A, the window seat. The couple had actually booked seats A and D – the aisle seat on the other side – but hoped the man and his girlfriend would swap.
He shared: “When we boarded, an older couple were sat in seats 1A and 1B. They were given 1A and 1D, and offered us 1C and 1D. We politely refused this offer and explained that we’d booked 1B and 1C as we wished to sit together.”
To his surprise, a flight attendant sided with the older couple, arguing that one of them was disabled so the younger couple should surrender their seat so they could sit together. Despite this, the man stood his ground and declined the offer again, leading the flight attendant to “roll her eyes” before the woman in 1B finally moved to let them sit down.
Commenters on the post defended the man’s actions, stating that if the couple required “special accommodations”, they should have communicated that with the airline when booking their flight.
One individual weighed in on the issue, remarking: “You and your partner booked those seats in advance; they are yours. If the elderly couple needed special accommodations they should’ve figured that out in advance while booking.”
Meanwhile, another passenger chimed in: “You booked specific seats and you were 100% entitled to use them. I wish flight attendants would quit asking people directly if they are willing to switch seats and instead ask if anyone would be willing to switch seats so others can sit together. When asked directly and you decline, it just gets awkward.”