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Original poster

Plane seat drama

387 replies

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 12:29

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?

OP posts:
Melonjuice · 07/08/2024 14:17

If you don’t take the seat you have paid for then it goes back to the airline and buy they could have seated somebody in it. However the couple with a baby are not the airline and you are within your rights to say no you don’t want to move across. I am very specific with the seat I want on a plane. I like aisle or window , not middle
They could have bought an extra seat, but didn’t so not your fault
can’t stand people like that. You should have just told them. I bought it as an extra seat so nobody will sit there.

Lavenderblue11 · 07/08/2024 14:14

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 would say that 'DH and I' sounds correct in this case...

Griff1963 · 07/08/2024 13:46

Absolutely not!!

Poddledoddle · 07/08/2024 13:25

How did they demand it?

Bennetty · 07/08/2024 13:21

Hell no. If they'd been polite and implored your mercy, then maaaayyybe.

Nannyrose17 · 05/08/2024 08:29

MimosaCardamom · 02/08/2024 12:33

Why is it greedy?

OP paid for the seat, its HER seat

Show quote history

This

VTown · 05/08/2024 01:01

cordelia16 · 03/08/2024 21:36

But in this case, "between" is a preposition and always take the objective form of the pronoun, which in this case is "me".

So it will always be "between DH and me".

The example you gave is using the pronoun in the subjective case, which is not what the PP was correcting.

Show quote history

Exactly!

mathanxiety · 04/08/2024 21:32

NOPE! Copy editor here. When using a pronoun after a preposition (in this case "between"), the pronoun is the object of the preposition, which calls for the objective pronoun "me," so "a spare seat between DH and me" is the correct grammar, NOT "between DH and I." Your example is of subjective pronouns, which is completely different from the sentence to which the other commenter was referring. People incorrectly use "X and I," with "I" as an objective pronoun all the time these days as a hyper-correction response to being told that "me" as a subjective pronoun (as in "Fred and me went to the store").

YES! Thank you!

A quick way to remember it is to isolate yourself in the sentence and use a very common preposition - would you say
"On me" or On I"?
"Between I and DH?"
"Between DH and I" is just as wrong.

VTown · 04/08/2024 19:24

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

Show quote history

NOPE! Copy editor here. When using a pronoun after a preposition (in this case "between"), the pronoun is the object of the preposition, which calls for the objective pronoun "me," so "a spare seat between DH and me" is the correct grammar, NOT "between DH and I." Your example is of subjective pronouns, which is completely different from the sentence to which the other commenter was referring. People incorrectly use "X and I," with "I" as an objective pronoun all the time these days as a hyper-correction response to being told that "me" as a subjective pronoun (as in "Fred and me went to the store").

Mt61 · 04/08/2024 16:32

Nope

SerafinasGoose · 04/08/2024 11:52

Would it come as a surprise to the namby pamby, 'it's nice to be nice' brigade that they are not being quite so nice as they imagine?

People book seats for a reason. I don't owe CFs who are total strangers to me an explanation of the medical circumstances meaning I need an aisle seat, nor do I appreciate a constant beeline made for me when I travel as a solo female flyer. It doesn't happen so frequently when I travel with family.

The folk who declaim it's nice to be nice and hand over the service they bought and paid for for free, just because someone's seen fit to demand it, are making a rod for everyone's backs. Not everyone is as robust as I am in telling CFs where to go and what to do with themselves when they get there.

If 'no' was the default response, the CFs would stop asking.

Takoneko · 04/08/2024 09:29

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.

What an unpleasant post.

On short haul routes BA business class is in the same seats as economy but with the middle seat blocked out so that people have a free seat between them. Having the middle seat free is definitely an advantage regardless of whether you are a “fat bitch” or not. I’d always take a bit of extra space if I could, especially if I’d paid for it like the OP.

Helen483 · 04/08/2024 09:18

RareFatball · 04/08/2024 06:28

To be honest, I feel sorry for your 16yr old son who had to sit next to the couple with the baby whilst you and your husband had extra space between you.
I would have put the comfort of my own child before my own or the couple with the baby and asked son to come and sit in empty seat between us.
I bet the drama caused between you and the couple added to the discomfort for your 16yr old.

Whaatt???
This is a 16 yo boy. Given the a choice:

  • the aisle seat where he can stretch his legs out, plug his earphones in and focus 100% on whatever video game or downloaded content OR
  • squashed into the middle seat between his parents No contest!
HollyKnight · 04/08/2024 08:40

RareFatball · 04/08/2024 06:28

To be honest, I feel sorry for your 16yr old son who had to sit next to the couple with the baby whilst you and your husband had extra space between you.
I would have put the comfort of my own child before my own or the couple with the baby and asked son to come and sit in empty seat between us.
I bet the drama caused between you and the couple added to the discomfort for your 16yr old.

The 16yo had an aisle seat. How would he be more comfortable sitting between his parents?

sassyclassyandsmartassy · 04/08/2024 08:20

You were right. Rudeness gets you nowhere!

There are a lot of people in this world these days that need to learn you get more flies with honey than vinegar!

notimagain · 04/08/2024 07:42

I can see some really impressive efforts still being made here by some to try and make the OP feel that in someway they were at fault and were in some way unreasonable.

They weren’t.

RareFatball · 04/08/2024 06:28

To be honest, I feel sorry for your 16yr old son who had to sit next to the couple with the baby whilst you and your husband had extra space between you.
I would have put the comfort of my own child before my own or the couple with the baby and asked son to come and sit in empty seat between us.
I bet the drama caused between you and the couple added to the discomfort for your 16yr old.

Carouselfish · 03/08/2024 23:47

No. You were lucky to have the seat though! I had a middle seat suddenly spare after my eldest was ill and though it would give me and 3 year old dd room to spread out. But no! They sold it that same morning to a random grumpy old man! 8 hour flight! I then had to fight and fight for a refund!

Yougetmoreofwhatyoufocuson · 03/08/2024 23:21

Gimmy gimmy doesn’t get. Even my little grandchildren know that.

helpplease01 · 03/08/2024 23:13

No. Cheeky rude entitled.

ARichtGoodDram · 03/08/2024 23:00

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.

Window, aisle and aisle is sitting together. Nothing odd about wanting to keep some elbow room for everyone rather than squishing together.

ButterCrackers · 03/08/2024 22:46

@TheMerryTiger Give an example of you being kind to the parents of kids that’s equal to the price of a plane ticket. Have you bought a family a whole weeks shopping or paid their weekly bills? Always good to see people following their own advice.

Pussycat22 · 03/08/2024 22:44

You ought to have replied well maybe i am a fat bitch but I can diet However you will be ugly until you die !!! Hindsight is a wonderful thing,

Noseybookworm · 03/08/2024 22:40

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.

I would always be kind to parents with infants?

Even if they're rude entitled arseholes? More fool you then!

Noseybookworm · 03/08/2024 22:38

Absolutely not.