to ask someone to move their child out of my plane seat

[kipperssippers]

more of a WWYD then AIBU but...
i booked the seat by the window as i always do and when i got to my seat a child around 8 was in my seat with her mum beside her.
When i got there i told the mother that the window seat is my seat and she said her child wanted the window seat to look out, i then replied then you should of booked one.
I didnt want to cause a scene but the women made out i'm an arsehole for asking her kid to move as she had never been on a flight and wanted to look outside.
I did give in and stayed pissed off for 7 hours in my non window seat.

what would you of done in this situation?

I'm not being obtuse I just don't deliberately read ulterior motives into everything because I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt

Cats It might well be very important that a person chose and paid for that seat. I love window seats as I sleep on long haul.

I am on longhaul soon and my DH and I have made a particular point of choosing exactly the seats we want as it is 15 hours flight. Would I give this up? No. I want to be comfortable, I want to rest, I want to sleep. Why should I? I planned - something I know you don't like.

If it was a short, domestic flight, I wouldn't be that bothered if the child wanted to look out of the window for the entire flight (I know every single bloody field between Edinburgh and London). Certainly circling over the centre of London is a brilliant view which I have on a couple of occasions made more special for a child sitting on row behind me by pointing out well known land marks.

But say London - New York? If the mother asked nicely, I'd let the child have window seat for takeoff but I'd want my seat back once seat belt light went off.

I would have insisted she moved the child and if she didn't, I would have gone to the stewardess and got her to sort it out.

if the mother is so desperate for a window seat so her brat little darling can look out, then she should choose one - simple solution.

Would and have asked people to move from ,y pre booked window seat - that includes children. I pay for it I want it. Don't care if that makes me selfish. They have the same chance to book seats, that they don't isn't my problem.

Roussette because it's not a big deal but in the instance of a child's first holiday it is a big deal.

I don't sweat the small stuff and can't fathom people getting worked up over "their" seat. If it makes someone happy, why not

If they had been sitting in their own seats and we got chatting, and I liked the child, then I would have swapped, but if they had taken my seat in the first place and expected me to swap then I would have insisted on my seat.

If she had waited until I arrived and asked me nicely, I would have swapped.
In the situation described, I would not.
I def would have asked for my train table seat if I had booked it though - those seats are like gold dust ;)
Everyone is able to book a seat, if you choose not to that's your gamble and your responsibility, nobody else's, children or not.
FWIW DH and I refused to swap seats for a couple on honeymoon sat across the aisle from each other. We booked our seats so we could sit together and are both nervous fliers. They had as much opportunity to book as we did so should have done so. If travelling alone I would have swapped...

I bet the mother rolls that excuse out every time she flies! 7 hours this is... it might be different with an hour or two flight, but 7 hours? A cheek.

"Their" seat. Yep. Chosen. Booked. Paid for. My comfort on a longhaul means a lot.

Oh! Can I have the pilot's seat please?

Or my other option would be to swap if she reimbursed my booking money ( the money that she had chosen not to pay)

FWIW DH and I refused to swap seats for a couple on honeymoon sat across the aisle from each other.

And you're proud of that?

This kind of thread really upsets me. I regularly get upset because I think society is callous and uncaring and these things just confirm it.

Oh well. All I can do is make sure I'm not like that

Christ, this again. I don't Cats spends a lot of time on public transport.

No problem the kid sitting in the seat while unoccupied. As soon as OP came along, I would have told my child to move. That's the decent thing to do.

Roussette

I can't really fathom what kinds of people have so little going on they can get angry about a seat tbh.

It's petty.

I think you're deluding yourself Cats quite honestly.

Maybe the child could have had the pilot's seat. Seeing as the child's joy is paramount and mom expects others to shove up.

Cats you just don't get it. If people choose to pay extra to sit in a specific seat, they want/need to sit in it. Those that choose not to, for whatever reason, have to suck it up. End of!

Cats

Again

Your circus, your monkeys.

It is not for others to sort out peoples poor decisions.
If it is so important for the child to have a window seat, then book it.
If it is important to have a seat on a train reserve it.

by your reckoning, if you went on holiday and your child wanted a room overlooking the beach you could just take it, even if its booked by someone who hasn't turned up yet.

The child didn't choose did they

It is not for others to sort out peoples poor decisions.

No but it's nice to be helpful where possible

You get the chance when check in online to change seats so they'd known they hadn't got a window seat.Yeah it's not fair on the child but why should someone else pay for no reason.If the mum knew they should've made sure they had one.or asked in a different way can't just sit their child there and that be it.

Children have to live with their parents decisions. However there seems to be some very entitled 'bratlings' out there, but I'm guessing it's been enabled by poor parenting.

I got on a train once and someone was in my pre booked seat. I'd booked a table. The person in it had 2 kids with them.
I didn't say anything and sat in a regular seat because they needed it more than I did and I'm not petty enough to inconvenience children out of bloody mindedness

Person plus 2 kids in one seat? there are 4 seats at a table, no?

But bully for you for you, not being "petty" like the rest of us who prefer to make their public transport journeys ever-so-slightly less tedious than they otherwise might be by booking ahead.

DH & I once ended up in a 1st class carriage, when there was massive disruption of trains N out of London due to a fire along the line, many trains were cancelled, & Virgin at least were letting everybody sit anywhere they could. There was a lot of pointed sighing from the proper 1st class passengers at having their space invaded by the hoi polloi. I don't think this example is the same

anyway train seats a bit different from plane seats. many people pay to pre-book the plane seat they choose to sit in. that option was available to the parent in this instance, wasn't it? why didn't she take it?

& There was no one in it she she sat there??? How far should we extend that attitude according to you?

Yeah it's not fair on the child but why should someone else pay for no reason.

Again because it's nice.

Maybe I go out of my way more than others. If everyone did the world would be better