Plane seat disputes are not uncommon. When you book a flight, you'll sometimes be asked if you'd like to choose a seat that you'll be assigned when you travel. Depending on the airline, this might be something you have to pay extra for, and if you choose not to fork over the cash to pick a seat, then you'll be assigned one at random.
For most travellers, the ideal plane seat is either the window or the aisle. Almost everyone has a preference between the two, and even if you don't really mind, you probably still don't want to be stuck in the dreaded middle seat, which is often the likely outcome if you don't book a seat reservation ahead of time.
One woman on social media who had booked her seat before her flight was left fuming when she was approached by a man who asked if she'd be willing to swap seats with him, as he wanted to take her aisle seat in exchange for his middle one.
In a post on X, the woman said the man was assigned the middle seat next to the aisle seat she'd paid for in advance, but his wife and child were sitting in the aisle and middle seats across the aisle from them. The dad, therefore, wanted the woman's aisle seat so he could talk to his wife across the aisle.
The woman declined his request, and instead of settling into his seat and quietly continuing with the flight, the man got "petty" and decided he would continually lean over the woman to talk to his wife.
WARNING: The below X post contains strong language.
She wrote: "I hate the middle seat. I paid for my aisle seat in advance. He huffed and puffed the whole flight. Kept reaching over me to signal to his wife some bulls**t I wasn't paying attention to.
"Listen, I don't care if you booked this flight last-minute and didn't get the seat you wanted. Stop making your problems other people's problems, too."
In a follow-up post, the woman said she always pays for an assigned seat whenever she travels, and usually flies around 2-3 times a month, so she is "well versed in flying and travel etiquette".
She claimed the man grew "frustrated" after she "politely" said that she wanted to keep her aisle seat, and that he took it upon himself to be "petty by constantly reaching over" her once she had declined his request. She even said he was so annoyed by her decision to keep the seat she paid for that his wife "told him to relax".
She added: "Whether they were unprepared or not, I'm not giving up my comfort for a 4.5-hour flight and a seat I paid to secure, for a stranger."
Commenters on the post were largely on the woman's side, with many asserting that if you have booked a seat reservation, whether you had to pay extra for it or not, you should be able to keep hold of that seat for your journey.
One person said: "Plane seat switching is a big no-no for me. Should've booked a different flight or [booked] earlier."
Another added: "I NEVER give up my aisle seat. You as well might be crawling through the aisle, but I still won't."
A third posted: "People shouldn't expect others to solve their problems and then get angry when they don't."
