HONEYMOONER ASKS FELLOW PASSENGER TO GIVE UP PREMIUM SEAT AND SWITCH WITH HIS NEW BRIDE AT ‘BACK OF THE PLANE’
The flyer says they were called an "a--hole" when they declined the request
An airplane passenger claims that they were called an “a--hole” for not giving up their premium seat so a newlywed couple could sit together.
The traveler explained in a post shared on the r/AmItheA--hole (AITA) subreddit that the incident occurred during a 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Dubai. They had purchased a premium economy seat, wanting to be comfortable for the long trip.
“The person in the next seat had been upgraded and they asked if I could switch seats with their wife as they had just gotten married and were on their honeymoon,” the original poster (OP) recounted.
“I congratulated him on his nuptials and asked where his wife was sitting,” the post continued. “He pointed towards the back of the plane. In economy.”
Not interested in a significant downgrade, the OP declined to switch seats, but as a last effort the man asked if there was any way to convince him to do so.
“I offered to switch if he paid the difference between the seats,” the OP said. “It is a goodly amount. I had been lucky to get mine at a decent price. It would only have cost him $1,000 AUD [about $687 USD]."
According to the OP, their seatmate declined the deal, saying the couple was on a budget for their honeymoon.
“I congratulated once again and put in my earbuds,” the OP wrote. “He muttered that I was an a--hole. I said he was a prick for taking the upgrade instead of either sitting with his wife or giving it to her.”
Commenters on Reddit largely took the side of the poster, saying they were right not to switch seats.
“If he really wanted to sit with his wife? I'm sure the person sitting beside her would have loved an upgrade to premium economy. He was essentially asking you to pay for his wife's upgrade,” one person wrote.
“I'm so tired of people thinking they can 'guilt' someone into giving in, even expecting them to lose money in the deal,” wrote another user. “This guy is the AH and I don't think his marriage will last. They just got married and he already abandoned his new wife for the 'good life'. His wife now knows she made a mistake, hopefully she'll get out before too long.”
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“The AH is the guy who took the upgrade, left his wife in economy, and tried to guilt a stranger into swapping seats with his wife,” a third person said. “He had options. He could have either refused the upgrade, paid the price difference you offered, or swapped seats with his wife. Suggesting that you are the AH in this scenario confirms he's awful. Good luck to his new wife!”
Travel expert, advisor and writer Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel previously weighed in on whether a solo traveler should be expected to give up their assigned seat to accommodate a family who is seated separately and wants to be together.
Jackson told PEOPLE it’s up to the airline and flight attendants to offer customer service if a traveler declines to switch seats. In the case of a conflict, “It’s no longer that one passenger’s responsibility."
"Generally speaking, don’t board a plane expecting passengers to shift for you," added Jackson, "especially if your seat is not as comfortable as (or more than) theirs."
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2024-07-12T16:51:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd