Business-class plane passenger refuses to swap seats after couple's wild request

20 December 2023 , 08:58

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The passenger was applauded for refusing to give up their seat (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images)

A traveller has been applauded for refusing to swap their business-class plane seat with a couple as they were trying to get a free upgrade.

The passenger was approached by the couple who asked if they could swap seats so they could sit next to each other, only to then realise the seat they wanted to swap was in economy.

Many people agreed the seating request was unfair, but the couple were upset and the woman "couldn't believe" she wasn't allowed to sit next to her husband, even though the pair had booked separate seats on the flight.

"I boarded the aircraft and went to my business class bulkhead window seat. [I was] getting ready to settle in for a long flight. A woman came to the aisle seat and placed her bag on the seat. She looked at me and asked me if I would be willing to trade with her husband so that he and she could sit together," the passenger wrote in an anonymous Reddit post, according to the Independent. As they shared their ordeal, they also noted that they were travelling alone.

The passenger then asked where the husband's seat was, to be told it was in row 25. The passenger realised this was an economy seat rather than a business-class seat and declined the offer as they were trying to get an upgrade in a more premium section of the plane for him without paying the extra.

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

The Reddit user then explained how the woman was getting "visibly upset" when they had refused the swap, and stated that she "couldn't believe" she wasn't allowed to sit next to her husband. "I suggested that she trade her seat with whoever was sitting next to her husband so that they could sit together. She snorted and told me she had paid for a first-class ticket! I smiled slightly and said that, indeed, I had as well," the post further detailed.

The post, which has now been deleted, saw many people chime in with their thoughts, as many applauded the Reddit user for refusing to swap with the couple. "I can't believe she thought this would work. What a moron," one person jibed, while another penned: "You know this has worked at least once in her life or she wouldn't even try." Whereas another Redditor claimed: "Sadly I saw a 'TikTok Travel Influencer' market this as a 'hack'," and added: "I hate everything about TikTok."

Niamh Kirk