Man rejects elderly woman's plea to swap plane seats with blunt response

18 September 2023 , 11:18

1054     0

The elderly woman was sitting in the man's seat (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One of the many things you have to do before travelling on a plane is check in, which often involves choosing which seat you want to sit in. Sometimes, you have to pay for this privilege, while other times it will be included in the price of your ticket.

Either way, many people like to be able to pick where they sit, whether that be so that they can sit next to the person they travel with, or so they can have a window or aisle seat - or be close to the front. Plane seat rows have caused heated debate online in recent months as people cling onto their reserved seats, and one man stuck to his ground despite an elderly passenger's plea.

The man, who was travelling with his wife, had booked the flight six months ago, and had actually picked a "worse timed flight" so he could "specifically have an aisle seat for a 10 hour flight". One of the reasons for this is because the main is over 6ft, which means he needs the leg room. Another is that he uses the bathroom frequently, so wanted to be able to move in and out with ease.

However, when he approached his dedicated aisle seat he found that an elderly lady was already sitting there. Taking to Reddit, the anonymous man explained: "My wife just said, 'oh, are you in the window seat.' The lady said 'yes, but I'd like to sit here, so I can easily get in and out.' This is when I chimed in and simply stated, 'I'm pretty tall, so I'm going to need the room, sorry.'

The woman "seemed miffed" but then moved to the window seat "without objections". However, it was the woman behind him who then gave him a "dirty look" and told him he should have "given up the seat for the old lady". He added: "The older lady seemed to move fine across the seats, albeit it being somewhat difficult for anyone."

'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'

In the comment section, many people supported the passenger, with one person saying: "You paid for your specific seat for a reason. If she wanted an aisle seat, she should have bought an aisle seat," while another added: "The audacity of that lady behind you, who wasn't giving up her seat."

Another commented: "They have reservations for a reason. You paid for the specific seat. You have a reason for wanting an aisle seat. You have no obligation to give it up."

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz