The man said one family member tried to persuade him to switch seats – but when that backfired they tried lying to a flight attendant to get him to move
Air travel, unless you’re willing to splash out on an upgrade, can often be a taxing ordeal. You might find yourself squashed into a confined space for hours on end, seated next to a total stranger, and it’s purely potluck whether your fellow passenger has any peculiar habits that make you want to pull your hair out.
However, one man has claimed that even an upgrade to a more luxurious class doesn’t necessarily shield you from impolite passengers who expect you to bend over backwards for them. In fact, he stated that during a recent flight, a family tried to deceive a flight attendant in order to nab his seat.
In a Reddit post, the man detailed how he opted to book business class for a recent flight, as it would secure him a window seat and ensure the middle seat remained vacant, affording him a bit more elbow room.
Upon boarding his flight, he took his seat opposite an older gent occupying the aisle seat across from him. Shortly thereafter, however, the man’s wife and son arrived and requested that he swap seats with them so the family could sit together.
But there was a snag – the wife and child were booked in economy class, meaning a seat swap would result in a downgrade for him.
Please note: The following Reddit post contains strong language
The gentleman declined this unappealing proposition, prompting the family to make a counter-proposal in which the son would take the vacant middle seat alongside his father whilst the mother returned to economy class.
But it emerged they had misled the cabin crew to facilitate this arrangement.
In his Reddit submission, he explained: “His wife and son came in, asking me to switch (business for economy) so they could all sit there. Then, [they] told me that if I didn’t switch with the wife, the son would sit in the middle at least. [The dad] reasoned that I didn’t need an empty seat next to me and claimed the stewardess allowed it.
“Turned out, [the flight attendant] said it was possible if the other passenger agreed, to which they replied that I was family, so I would 100% agree.”
The passenger refused to relocate and informed the cabin crew of the actual situation, resulting in the family being required to return to their allocated seats.
He continued: “I didn’t budge. The son and wife had to stay in the economy, and his father spent almost four hours muttering passive-aggressive comments. Whenever I took off my headphones, he was still going..
“Like what the f**k. But shoutout to the stewardesses (another one had to come, because they refused to go back to their seats) for staying professional.”
Commentators on the post were taken aback by the family’s conduct, particularly as the father could have exchanged seats with someone in economy to keep his family together, but was unwilling to sacrifice his premium seat.
One commenter remarked: “He didn’t give up his seat for his family, just wanted you to.”
Another stated: “It’s wild how some people feel entitled to what others paid extra for. Lying about being your family? That’s next-level manipulative. You had every right to your seat and your space. Props to you for standing your ground, and huge respect to the flight attendants for backing you up.”
A third observed: “The family 100% booked like this on purpose. Get three business class upgrades for the price of one. They probably saw a ‘travel hack’ on TikTok and then were mad when the scam didn’t work. Good on you for not budging.”
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