Aisle Be Damned: When Seat Switching Turns Savage
Gather ’round, dear readers, for a tale of in-flight entitlement and passive-aggressive dramatics, freshly plucked from the wilds of Reddit. Yes, it’s a real story from a real person, though the sheer audacity of the characters involved might make you think it’s something straight out of a sitcom. Buckle up, because this one’s going to be a bumpy ride!
Our protagonists are a married couple, a 36-year-old woman and her 34-year-old husband, who just wrapped up what I can only assume was a Guinness-soaked sojourn in Dublin. They were winging their way back to Washington DC, blissfully reveling in that rare and almost mythic trifecta of coach seating perfection: the empty row.
Imagine: they were assigned the notorious middle and window seats, only to have the aisle passenger pull a no-show. They scored “Jackpot!” and settled in for the long haul in sweet, sweet row real estate. This led to a cozy first half of their flight, replete with extra drinks courtesy of the flight attendants (cheers to that!).
But as every seasoned flyer knows, happiness in coach is as fleeting as airline peanuts. Cue Ms. Entitled Aisle Hopper and her loyal lackey, a few rows back, sharing their flight with a certain air-bound cherub, otherwise known as a screeching infant.
Here’s where it gets juicy. Ms. Entitled strolls up, friend in tow, and *announces* (not asks, mind you) that her pal would be taking the middle seat to escape the wails of the baby. Now, dear reader, let’s pause and let the sheer gall of that sink in. She didn’t so much as bat an eyelash; she simply declared it like she was entitled to it. Imagine strolling into someone’s living room and announcing you’re commandeering their couch like you’re the king of Ikea. The nerve!
Understandably, our loyal poster and his wife were taken aback. Subscribers to the old-fashioned notion of negotiating, he asked if a flight attendant was clued in on this seating coup d’etat. She said yes. Naturally, being an astute gentleman, he called over said flight attendant for confirmation. Plot twist: she hadn’t a clue! The agreement was only to take unoccupied aisle seats without disrupting seated passengers. And here’s the cherry on top: Ms. Entitled had the audacity to berate our hero for sitting in the aisle seat in the first place. Five hours in, with their stuff already spread out like they owned the place, and she had the gall to say he didn’t deserve that seat.
I can practically hear you now, “Oh no, she didn’t!” Oh yes, she did.
So, the tale continues with Ms. Entitled and her cohort slinking away to solicit other flight attendants, probably pitching it like a badly written reality show episode. When her little coup failed to take off, she returned and delivered one last parting shot: our gentleman was, according to her keen observations, a “fucking asshole,” whose rudeness had driven them away from such primo real estate.
And what did our hero do during this unprovoked character assassination? He kept his eyes glued to his in-flight entertainment. Now, that’s class.
So, was he the asshole for not giving up the seat mid-flight? The floor is open, but I think you already know where I stand. Let’s break it down:
1. The Seat Shuffle
Our hero moved from the middle to the aisle well before takeoff. The key point here is that the plane wasn’t full and the seat was up for grabs. Like any savvy traveler, he nabbed it. The entitlee’s argument that he didn’t “deserve” that seat is as flimsy as an airline napkin.
2. The Presumptuous Announcement
Major faux pas number two: Ms. Entitled didn’t ask — she announced. It’s one thing to politely ask for a favor when traveling; it’s another to stomp your feet and demand attention like a tantrum-prone toddler.
3. Courteous Inquiry
Our protagonist simply asked a flight attendant. Let’s be clear: he wasn’t belligerent. He didn’t throw a hissy fit. He did what every travel etiquette article out there would recommend: he sought confirmation.
So, dear readers, wrap your minds around this: our hero did absolutely nothing wrong. The rabid entitlement unleashed upon him was unprovoked and over the top. His polite inquisition didn’t warrant a verbal skewer, and it certainly didn’t justify labeling him the antagonist in this airborne drama.
Roger’s Take
Now, as for my sassy, witty take on this high-flying circus? Oh honey, let’s talk. Travel is stressful enough without playing musical chairs with a side of melodrama. Everyone wants a smooth flight without the soundscape of a crying infant—understandable. But no one is entitled to steamroll someone else’s comfort for their own without so much as a “Pretty please, with a cherry on top.”
In the grand theater of life, if you’re going to make a scene, at least be charming about it. And if you’re not prepared to return to your row after your single-act play is booed off stage, maybe it’s best to stay seated and keep your grievances to a low simmer.
So, for the record, our Reddit poster is not the asshole. He navigated an unexpected kerfuffle with grace and class, only ruffled by the hysterics of an uninvited stand-in. The skies were turbulent, but our hero remained calm. In the end, it’s just another tale to tell, another notch in the belt of travel war stories. And remember: always be kind, unless you’re called out for taking what’s clearly not yours. In that case, hold your ground with poise—preferably with a witty retort, free of the expletives. Bon voyage!
Original story
My wife (36f) and I (34m) were flying back from Dublin to Washington DC. We were assigned the middle and window seats in a row.
The aisle passenger no-showed so we ended up having the entire row to ourselves (huge win). Before leaving the gate, I moved to the aisle seat and my wife stayed at the window.
Nothing eventful happened for the first 4.5 hours of the flight.
FAs were amazing and even gave us extra drinks for the “guy in the middle”. Randomly, the passenger from the aisle seat across from me comes over with her friend who was sitting a few rows back and ANNOUNCES that her friend would now be taking the middle seat to get away from an crying baby further back.
She did not ask – she told us this was happening. There were about 3 hours of flight time remaining.
I ask the woman whether the Flight Attendants are on board with this. She said yes, but since these deals are usually brokered by the FA, I called over a FA.
The FA said the agreement was that they could take an available aisle seat but could not disrupt anyone’s seating arrangements. The woman then starts bitching about how I was assigned the middle but then moved to the aisle before takeoff, so I shouldn’t even have that aisle seat.
I had been sitting there for almost 5 hours and we had already distributed our items all over the row.
The woman and her friend disappear to talk to another FA for about 5 minutes. The woman across the aisle then comes back to her seat and proceeds to yell at me saying that “her friend would not be sitting there – not because she was not allowed to, but because I was so incredibly rude” and that I was a “fucking asshole”.
I kept my eyes on the show I was watching.
The only thing I did this entire time was ask to talk to the flight attendant. I did not say anything else to this woman, though I would have liked to.
AITA for not volunteering the middle seat mid-flight?