Flying on an airplane is often a very uncomfortable thing to do. Unless you are a first-class traveler or purchase upgrade options to get more comfort, like seats with more legroom, you’re going to be cramped in a small seat elbow to elbow with other coach-class passengers looking to get from one place to another. Families traveling together often feel the crunch to get seats together so they can feel safe and comfortable in each other’s company – but one priority passenger explains why he did not give up his luxury seat to allow a desperate family to sit next to each other on a flight in the United States.
The flight in question was from Greece to the United States. Now, the passenger who refused to give up his seat is earning praise from people online. The Reddit user, u/Unlikely-Strategy596, explained that he paid a pretty penny in order to get a seat near the front of the plane so he would be one of the first people to disembark after a long ten-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean country.
Before takeoff, the luxury traveler was approached by a family of four and asked if he would give up his seat for one twenty rows back into the plane. The family wanted his seat so both parents would be able to sit with their two children.
“So I traveled home today from Greece. The flight was roughly 10 hours, and around this time of year, it’s extremely hectic. I booked my ticket specifically to be closer to the front of the plane so I can be closer to the gate when it’s time to get out.”
Although the passenger felt pity for the separated family, he did not want to trade his premium seat for a poor one twenty rows back into the plane. The whole reason that he paid extra for his seat was so that he would be at the front of the plane so he could be one of the first people to get off the plane when it landed in America.
The mother “made a scene,” according to the luxury traveler. But he stood firm and told her: “Maybe you should have booked ahead of time or spent more money on tickets so you all could sit together. This is not my issue!”
Many people on Reddit showed their support for the luxury traveler, writing comments like the following:
“You paid for your seat, and you have a right to sit there!”
The traveler ended his post by asking, “AITA (Am I the a**hole) for not giving up my plane seat so a family could be altogether?”
The woman called the traveler an “as*hole” for not giving up his seat so both parents could be seated next to their kids.
“Respectfully, ma’am, your travel issues are not my problem. I am keeping the seat I paid for.”
What do you think about this traveler’s decision to not give up his seat to allow a family to sit closer together?