Not to have given up my seat on plane

Lots of people do it because social media reels have told them nobody will be given the seat in between so they will have more space

They weren't bothered about having someone sitting between them; if they had been, one of them would have moved. It wasn't up to anyone else to assume what they'd want and get stroppy if they were wrong about it.

They wanted to sit at the window and aisle, so they paid for those seats. Even if that is a weird and unusual thing to do (it's not), it's entirely their right and everyone else on the plane could also pay for the seat they want if it matters to them.

That's the worst. I know it's "allowed" but that's really poor traveling etiquette!

The option of booking and sitting next to someone she was travelling with was available to the moany woman. She chose to take chances on 1) the seat she wanted being free or 2) the person in the seat she wanted being prepared to move. She lost, twice.

I was in the same position and refused. The man tried to guilt me by saying he needed to look after his mother who was in the row across the aisle. He involved the air hostess who asked if I’d consider moving. I still said no. He and his mother then had conversations throughout the flight about how entitled I was. 😂

Where do you get that from? OP had already had the experience of travelling out on a full plane, she had no reason to think that the flight back would be any less full so she and friend must have known the strong likelihood was that the middle seat would be taken.

Many years ago, when I was younger, thinner, prettier and far less assertive, a friend and I were flying off somewhere. We had the window and middle seat. The last people boarding were a couple who were deep in the throes of touchy feely lurve . He sat in our aisle seat. She had the aisle seat in front. Except that she didn’t sit in her seat except for take off and landing. The rest of the time she sat on his knee.

To my eternal shame we didn’t say anything. not a word. Nor did the flight attendants. Or anyone else. In retrospect we should have. Big time.

The only positive thing was that it was a relatively short flight, I dread to think what would have happened on a long haul when the cabin lights were dimmed……….

You were asked, you declined and explained why. No need for the other person's response.

Paying to book your seat in my opinion should not be permitted, it should be free, but whilst it is a payment, then do it.

Yanbu to not swap but it's odd to book with someone else and not sit together. Two aisle seats would make more sense to avoid having someone between you. She probably assumed you'd prefer to sit together.

Well done OP. My DH always insisted on booking and paying for seats even whhe the kids were young and would be unlikely to be separated from them.
We have just booked a holiday and were told when booking that as the children are teenagers now, we could be all sitting separately which they would hate so have booked seats together.
People just don't want to pay the money and think people will just move to suit them. I certainly wouldn't be moving either.

Next time pay to book your seat in advance!!!

I always pay for allocated seats so we are sat together and have always been firmly in the no swap if I’ve paid camp. But I was recently flying to Spain with DD12, our flight was overbooked and we were swapped to the next flight with no option to prebook seats. A lady very kindly offered to swap with me so we could both sit together and I was really grateful for her kindness. Next time I’d probably give someone the benefit of the doubt that they aren’t just CFs chancing the kindness of strangers but that maybe something had happened that meant they couldn’t book seats together.

But what if one wants window and one wants aisle? I don't think OP and friend did anything wrong.

YANBU. It's not your problem that she didnt want to pay out to book a seat and you had the thought to do so. Tough shit on her- she should have booked it herself if it was so important to her.

I would also have maybe swapped but only if she paid me the extra I paid to literally sit in that specific seat. If she doesnt want to pay then she's a cheeky fucker as that means you are losing your money for not getting what you paid for!

What a load of bollocks. OP and friend can sit in any seat they choose if they are paying. I seriously doubt it was a strategic booking to get the row to themselves and even if it was they paid so tough shit to anybody else not prepared to do the same.

I once flew with my sister and my 15 month old on my lap. My daughter was perfectly chilled, but the woman sat on the aisle seat kept looking at her, horrified, and asked to be moved. We got the 3 seats to ourselves, it was great!

The friend wanted a window and paid for a window. It’s not her job to be considerate to randoms, especially as OP has said her and friend were engrossed in Netflix and didn’t talk over the middle.

I bet you wouldn’t have a problem with men booking and paying for the seats they want.

If you have to pay £20 to book a sone if I seat I'd book the one I wanted and if I wanted aisle for leg room and friend wanted window so be it

Did you ask her for your £20 back if you were to move ?

That’s horrible. I guess it would have been better to swap as long as you got the aisle.

The flight was 70% full, Little Miss Middle-Seat could have moved to another seat that was empty

if you’re paying for seats, you can sit where you want to. Most of us DO use the time to watch a movie/read etc, it’s not often people chat

They charge in business too unless you have status! Quite a lot too on a transatlantic flight that is already many £K.

Surprised you’re well travelled and have never seen this, and don’t know you can move seats, never see people being moved, or moving of their own accord. I’d say nearly every other flight I take I see it.

Is this a modern phenomenon - this sense of entitlement to demand other passengers move if they don’t like their allocated seat? Pay for a seat and stop being so tight-fisted and arrogant.

I’ve travelled extensively all over the world since I was a baby and have never seen dramas over seats on planes, plus I thought the requirement was that you must occupy your booked seat in case of a crash/taking ill on the flight and needing to identify people?

Apparently some couples do this, book the window seat and the aisle seat n the hope that no one will book the middle seat.. DH and I don’t, we’d rather sit together.

OP YANBU not to move.

I ended up in a middle seat last year. In between 2 strangers but that was fine. What wasn't, was that both of them took up more space than the actual seat, so even though I tried to make myself tight and smaller, their arses and thighs spilled over the seats and touched mine. For 4 hours. That's a long time to simmer with rage and disgust. I have paid for a seat this year.