Page 3 | Plane seat drama

itstoohotnow · 2024-08-02T11:29:23+00:00

Just returned from a European break, booked 4 plane tickets for DH and 2 DS (19 &16) and I, eldest DS decided too old to go away with mum and dad so stayed at home. I contacted the airline as cheap non refundable ticket but said I can use it as a spare seat between DH and I so all good. On return flight, only 2 hours long and we have seats A (me) B (spare) C (DH) and D (DS) then a couple with a baby in E & F Couple with baby realised we were together and pretty much demanded DS moved to seat B - I politely pointed out it wasn't a random spare seat but a booked and paid for one, now I have 2 kids so appreciate it's hard to travel with a little one and would have offered the seat but they were so bloody rude and entitled. I pointed out we had paid for 4 seats and they had only paid for 2 - so asked for a contribution towards cost £30 (by this point they are just demanding the seat because they have a child) They got pretty rude and offensive (called me a fat b**ch) so I said no, stewardess said was up to me Should I have given them the seat?

BlueMongoose · 07/08/2024 17:14

shuffleofftobuffalo · 02/08/2024 18:21

Im so glad you stood your ground OP, they sound vile. This sort of thing seems to be more and more common these days.

On the last few flights I've been on (all easyJet I think) there has been a "sit in your allocated seat and shut up" type announcement during boarding and everyone did, no drama on any flight, only changes were made because unsuitable/unwilling people were in the exit rows. And then it was the one person who was changed not the whole party if they were sitting together. All very sensible.

One of the flights was pretty empty and the announcement was sit in your allocated seat, no changing, need bums on those seats to balance the plane.

Yep- balance is more important then people realise.

BlueMongoose · 07/08/2024 17:11

AmandaHoldensLips · 02/08/2024 17:17

Reminds me of the mother who created merry hell on my flight back from majorca demanding that she wanted the front row seats for her and her son because of [insert random reasons here]. Kicked off and despite causing the flight to be delayed by 2 hours (after missing our slot) was not removed from the plane. In the meantime the front row passengers had thrown in the towel and given over their paid-for seats.

The staff ought not to have allowed the front seat passengers to be bullied in that way, nor should the plane have been delayed. The CFs should have been told to sit in their allocated seats immediately and shut up, or be removed from the plane and have their tickets ripped up.

Despair1 · 07/08/2024 17:09

PaperbackWrighter · 07/08/2024 16:37

You are a hero.

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Am definitely not! People have done the same for me, I'm a pretty average human being😄

Angrymum22 · 07/08/2024 17:09

I would have politely explained that I purchased the extra seat for medical reasons. Which in DH’s and my case would be true. They could huff and puff all they like but if they’d wanted more room they should have paid for an extra seat.

BlueMongoose · 07/08/2024 17:09

PoppyTries · 03/08/2024 19:50

Absolutely not. I have been hearing more and more stories about entitled plane passengers and people need to stop capitulating to them or it will just continue to get worse.

I was flying in the US and I had recently had shoulder surgery, so I spent extra money to buy a roomier window seat so that my bad shoulder would be against the window and not in danger of being bumped by anyone. It was a 2-4-2 configuration across the plane, so I only had the aisle seat next to me. The woman who sat next to me demanded, not asked, demanded that I trade my premium economy seat with her boyfriend’s regular economy middle seat a few rows back. I said no and I first thought she was joking because who would ask this if someone? She became irate, berating me, telling me I was selfish, all kinds of nasty things. She wanted the flight attendant to make me move.

The flight attendant actually had the nerve to ask me if I would move to appease her and I said that I would not be moving from my specifically-selected premium seat, that this woman was obviously aggressive and I wanted her moved because I had no idea what she’d do once we were in flight, and, if she desperately needed to sit next to her boyfriend, she should have paid extra to book 2 seats together, or ask one of her boyfriend’s neighbors in regular economy if they would be willing to move to an aisle seat in premium economy. The gentleman sitting next to the boyfriend piped up and said that he would be happy to switch so they could sit together. She started throwing a tantrum because she wanted to sit with her boyfriend in the premium seats and the flight attendant finally had to tell her that, based on her behavior, she needed to switch, otherwise she’d be escorted off the plane because they weren’t going to let her sit next to me.

I do not understand these people who ask for a favor, and refuse to take no for an answer, especially when they’re expecting you to take the lesser option.

Sounds like they had a wheeze going to upgrade the boyfriend to a better seat. Glad you stuck to your guns, and glad the staff supported you.

Nettie1964 · 07/08/2024 17:06

lolly792 · 02/08/2024 12:51

Absolutely would not have given up my seat, so you're totally in the right there.

BUT ... 'a spare seat between DH and I' ?????!!!

It's 'between DH and me'

Im honestly not normally pedantic about grammar but this just sounds so awful that I can't let it go!

You are wrong.

BlueMongoose · 07/08/2024 17:00

No. They want a seat, they pay for one.
They could have asked nicely if the seat was free, and then you might have offered it. But they didn't, so no. You were under no obligation to let them use it.

6gallonsaday · 07/08/2024 16:44

No, you paid for the seat, they didn't. Your seat unless they pay you for it.

Them being rude just the icing on the cake.

LuluBlakey1 · 07/08/2024 16:40

No. They should have been removed from the plane because of their rudeness.

PaperbackWrighter · 07/08/2024 16:38

Herculesthescot · 07/08/2024 16:32

The grammar posts are utterly boring!

Oh God, absolutely agree. Why come on a public forum and correct people's grammar? Unless it was a writers' forum and even then!!

PaperbackWrighter · 07/08/2024 16:37

Despair1 · 07/08/2024 16:32

You should have given them the seat; in their view, it was unoccupied and they had a child. As a parent, you will appreciate the challenges of travelling on planes with young children. The couple assumed that the seat was spare and asked if your son could move over to accommodate their young child. I am unsure of your response other than charging them £30 for it's use. That makes me think that your communication was less than perfect. You shouldn't have been called what you were called but the couple were perfectly reasonable to ask for your son to move. Had you considered offering your son to move and allow them the adjoining seat to accommodate their child? That would have been the best option. I have just got off a plane this afternoon and offered to help with the luggage of a couple with a young child, pushchair etc etc

You are a hero.

PaperbackWrighter · 07/08/2024 16:34

TheMerryTiger · 03/08/2024 21:04

Why wouldn't the three of you want to sit together? I think that's odd. There's very little to be gained from having an empty space between you - it's more the leg room that's the problem. (Unless of course you are a fat b**ch). I would always be kind to parents with infants.

But not to people who post on mumsnet it would seem!

The benefit of having a middle seat free (which OP paid for after all) is most people don't like to sit in the middle as it's the worst seat. OP got a window seat, DS and DH got aisle seats. No mystery there. People with young child assumed they were entitled to one of the aisle seats but without troubling to be polite about it. Were denied. No mystery there either!

Despair1 · 07/08/2024 16:32

coldcallerbaiter · 03/08/2024 20:07

I would not have given the seat even if they asked nicely.

Wow, very selfish

Herculesthescot · 07/08/2024 16:32

The grammar posts are utterly boring!

Despair1 · 07/08/2024 16:32

You should have given them the seat; in their view, it was unoccupied and they had a child. As a parent, you will appreciate the challenges of travelling on planes with young children. The couple assumed that the seat was spare and asked if your son could move over to accommodate their young child. I am unsure of your response other than charging them £30 for it's use. That makes me think that your communication was less than perfect. You shouldn't have been called what you were called but the couple were perfectly reasonable to ask for your son to move. Had you considered offering your son to move and allow them the adjoining seat to accommodate their child? That would have been the best option. I have just got off a plane this afternoon and offered to help with the luggage of a couple with a young child, pushchair etc etc

DodoTired · 07/08/2024 16:28

I agree that asking for money is a bit much Imho, but you were under no obligation to give them a seat

PaperbackWrighter · 07/08/2024 16:25

lolly792 · 02/08/2024 12:51

Absolutely would not have given up my seat, so you're totally in the right there.

BUT ... 'a spare seat between DH and I' ?????!!!

It's 'between DH and me'

Im honestly not normally pedantic about grammar but this just sounds so awful that I can't let it go!

I'm a copywriter for a living but seriously??!!

samarrange · 07/08/2024 16:18

TeenagersAngst · 07/08/2024 16:08

Love how this thread has gone into two totally different directions. I'm here for the grammar.

@Lavenderblue11 the only reason it sounds ok is that you've been led to believe that 'me' is ruder than 'I'. It really isn't. One is the subject of a sentence i.e. the person doing the thing, and one is the object of the sentence i.e. the person that the thing is being done to . I is always the subject and me is always the object.

And don't get me started on 'myself' and 'yourself' - it's totally taken over.

I also heard a BBC journalist say 'hence why' the other day. I despair...

the only reason it sounds ok is that you've been led to believe that 'me' is ruder than 'I'

I remember being told this by a very incompetent primary school teacher in the late 1960s. I was sure she was wrong and checked with my Mum, who confirmed I was right. It was the start of my faith in the infallibility of my teachers being shaken (and to be fair, I mostly had brilliant ones).

Another fun thing they teach you wrong in primary school is that "rectangle" is a better word than "oblong". In fact an oblong is a rectangle that is not a square, and this is a very useful concept in mathematics (and basic set theory).

Oh, and "get/got" is not as bad in all cases as they make out either. I once wrote "When I got home, I ..." in a story and the teacher circled it and put "Got? A very poor word for you, Samarrange". She suggested "When I arrived home", which I think sounds horrible.

(Sorry, as you were, back to the seat drama!)

Maelil01 · 07/08/2024 16:17

lolly792 · 02/08/2024 19:03

@ifIwerenotanandroid Yeap, this is what I said, the OP has remembered part of a grammar rule and is applying it completely incorrectly. Then tries to tell us either is correct!

I don't often comment on incorrect grammar but this just sounded so wrong! No one would say 'a seat next to I' so why would they write it? It's similar to when people write 'reply to John and myself' instead of 'reply to John and me'. I've never in real life heard anyone say 'reply to myself' or 'give that box to myself' or 'would you hand that to myself' so it's baffling that so many people write it. It sounds so weird to read.

Please don’t make me tho k of the “self” epidemic !

Is it now impossible for anyone to say to you/us instead of to yourself/yourselves/ourselves?

Maelil01 · 07/08/2024 16:10

Temushopper · 02/08/2024 15:28

It would be:
There was a spare seat beside me
There was a spare seat beside I
Generally it’s I if you are doing the action so “DH & I went to the cinema” but in this case it’s the seat that was “being” something so you’d use me. I don’t think it sounds that wrong though as people do tend to use them interchangeably now.
Well done sticking to your guns on the seat. That was so rude of them.

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Not “generally”, always “I” if I is the subject of the verb.

As for not sounding wrong, it does, like nails scraping down a blackboard!

More importantly 💯 re the seat.

TeenagersAngst · 07/08/2024 16:08

Love how this thread has gone into two totally different directions. I'm here for the grammar.

@Lavenderblue11 the only reason it sounds ok is that you've been led to believe that 'me' is ruder than 'I'. It really isn't. One is the subject of a sentence i.e. the person doing the thing, and one is the object of the sentence i.e. the person that the thing is being done to . I is always the subject and me is always the object.

And don't get me started on 'myself' and 'yourself' - it's totally taken over.

I also heard a BBC journalist say 'hence why' the other day. I despair...

PerfectTravelTote · 07/08/2024 16:07

Mountain out of a mole hill.

There's no advantage to a spare seat on a 2 hr flight.

notimagain · 07/08/2024 16:04

Maelil01 · 07/08/2024 15:55

”… a spare seat between DH and me”

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Err…..you talking to me?🤔

Maelil01 · 07/08/2024 16:04

Nope, it’s always “me” after between, never I.

Ezekiela · 07/08/2024 15:59

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 14:48

Grammatically either can be used but it depends on the situation.

The easiest way to decide is to put in into a sentence without DH or DS as follows,

Me had seat A
I had seat A

Obviously you would say I had seat A so using I would be grammatically correct

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Your example is not appropriate. "between DH and I" can be rephrased as "between us". You wouldn't say "between we", therefore it should be "me", not "I".

The spare seat is the subject and you are the object.