Man refuses to swap plane seats with mum and baby because he paid extra to sit there

18 November 2022, 15:31

The man shared his story to Reddit (stock images). Picture: Getty

A man has opened up about his decision to refuse to swap seats on a plane to accommodate a dad, mum, and baby.

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A man has caused quite a stir after revealing that he refused to move seats on a plane to accommodate a mother and child.

He and his wife had booked seats in the first row on a 10-hour flight from Europe to Asia, as it meant that they had more leg room.

When he boarded the flight, however, there was a woman with her baby sitting in the seat next to his, who asked him to swap seats with her husband on the row behind them.

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The man told her that he wouldn't, as he had paid extra for seats with more leg-room.

The man paid extra for seats with more legroom (stock image). Picture: Getty

Sharing his story to Reddit, he said: "My wife and I were travelling on a 10-hour flight from Europe to Asia last week. We booked our tickets well in advance and also managed to book the specific seats we wanted - two seats in the first row. We paid for these seats as it was going to be a long journey and wanted the extra leg space.

"When we boarded, there was a woman holding a baby sitting in the middle seat. This woman, before I even had a chance to put my bag in the overhead compartment, asked me 'Can I be really cheeky and ask you to switch seats with my husband?'

"She then pointed toward her husband sitting in the second row (only the first row has extra leg space and requires additional payment to book the seat). She then told me that her husband needs to be next to her to help with the baby.

"My wife stayed quiet while I politely but firmly told her that unfortunately as his seat is in a second row, I wouldn’t be moving there as I had specifically paid for the seat with extra legroom."

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The mum called a member of the cabin crew to help with the seating arrangements, but he still refused to move. Eventually, the staff found another two seats at the front to accommodate them.

The man added: "A steward came and requested me to switch with the husband, and I had to tell him the same thing, making things quite awkward. The woman then threw daggers at me for some time.

"Thankfully the steward came back and told me that there were two vacant seats in one of the other first rows and offered to move us. We ended up moving there but could hear this lady animatedly make comments about us to her husband from behind for some time after that.

"When I recounted this incident to my in-laws they said that I should have just moved as she had a baby with her and that turned into a different conversation about baby expectations! My wife agrees with me that her poor planning is not our problem and that we should have stayed out if there were no other first row seats."

Many Reddit users took the man's side, with one writing: "Having a baby doesn’t automatically entitle you to whatever you want, especially because booking is in advance and they had ample time to do the same amount of planning as you."

Another added: "You paid for extra leg room, and paid for that seat. You were under no obligation to switch. If she wanted to sit with her husband, she should have booked side by side seats."