Man refuses to switch airplane seats so dad can sit next to his son

7 November 2022, 14:54 | Updated: 7 November 2022, 14:59

A man has been praised for not moving seats on a plane. Picture: Getty Images

By Naomi Bartram

Would you swap seats to let a father and son sit next to each other? This man has caused a debate!

One man has asked for advice after he refused to swap plane seats so that a father and son could be next to each other.

The anonymous flyer explained that he was on a flight from Madrid to Abu Dhabi when he was approached by two adult men.

After he - and the rest of the passengers - refused to move, the dad was furious and told him that he lacked compassion.

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Opening up about the experience on Reddit, he said: "I was on this flight from Madrid to Abu Dhabi and there was this son (maybe 32 years old) and father (maybe 55 years old) travelling together and they got separated from each other.

A plane passenger has been praised for not swapping seats. Picture: Alamy

"They were asking people around them if they could switch so they could be beside each other.

"Everyone said no. They were seated one row and two seats apart, so they could still see and talk to each other.

"When we landed and were about to deplane, the dad talked to me and said 'word of advice, try to be more compassionate next time'.”

The Reddit user went on to say that if they wanted to sit beside each other, ‘why didn't they pay for the reserved seating?’.

"He was being entitled and assuming his option/preference is greater than mine,” the post finished.

A man has revealed he refused to swap seats. Picture: Alamy

Plenty of people commented on the post, with many agreeing the man was being ‘entitled’.

One said: "It is incredibly rude to go up and lecture a stranger about their so-called lack of compassion when the problem really is about your own entitlement and lack of planning."

Another wrote: "His lecture isn't needed or appreciated.

"I'd also ask him why his 32-year-old son needs to be glued onto him. Does he want his grown son to sit on his lap?"

A third added: "You paid for a reserved seat. They didn't. That's not on you. You did not owe them anything."