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?

It tends to be that truly lovely people don't need to declare they are lovely....

I was more than a bit surprised to visit in the summer and experience almost wall-to-wall surliness and indifference.

That has never been my experience. Italy is a wonderful country

They tried to get us to abandon our table so they 'could all sit together'. I said, 'Yep, that's why we pre-booked this table, so all four of us could sit together.'

Have loved this thread.

I am very proud of being English and extremely proud of raising 4 polite, well mannered, generous adults.

They wouldn't dream of presuming that either they or their children are entitled to have things that don't belong to them, like other people's seats.

They like to help other people not demand that other people make way for them.

I have never found English people cold or unfriendly and have always had lots of help on public transport but then I give out nice waves not entitled ones.

are you on the train there.......

Italy is a wonderful country

Parts are, parts aren't. Just like every other country in the world

Oh and my favourite phrase on mumsnet so far a child's joy well fuck me that's hilarious.

It's a genuine thing that many other cultures think the English are cold and unfriendly. Just like how lots of English people think foreigners are rude when it's cultural difference

I would have said I wanted the seat and for good measure put my flap down for the whole flight!

Suggest the goady one goes off with Audicity baby and Joy and plays with matches.

It's a genuine thing that many other cultures think the English are cold and unfriendly.

OK, I'll bite. Which countries?

'The magic of childhood' is mine, Hi.

So Cats, you've come from another country to live here, but we are all cold, unfriendly and twattish. And even worse if we live in London.

Nice.

Can't imagine moving to let's say Sweden. (been there lots). Going on a swedish forum and insulting everybody from that country. Hey ho.

Ginger I was thinking of that thread earlier!

Should add I am London born and bred, oops!

I wouldn't have moved, especially if it was a long hall flight. I like window seats as I always sleep on flights and don't want to be disturbed by people getting up to go to the loo and develop camel tendencies myself. I hate aisle seats as I can't get comfortable and get jostled by the trolleys and people going up and down.

The only time I voluntarily sit in the middle seat is when I'm travelling with dh and ds (ds likes the window seat as he also sleeps well on flights and dh likes the aisle seat)

I have made people move in the past. In this case, it's not the child you would have been dealing with, it's the mother - and I'd gave had no qualms in saying, "Sorry not really , I booked that seat for a reason".

I like the idea of taking it up with cabin crew. Years ago, when smoking was still allowed on planes, we got "extras" by being nice to the cabin crew, who helped us move further away from the row next to the smoking section

Roussette my family moved here. I was born here and had little choice in that.

Hihohoho1 That's true. I choose to move to GB, not really for work, but because I genuinely like British people. You are overall lovely, well-educated and polite. I would have stayed in France if I had any objection to the way British people behave.
Okay, the way you cook meat is heinous, but that's it really :)
And giving a child a life lesson about not being the centre of the world is an actual kindness, especially with a mum like that.

They tried to get us to abandon our table so they 'could all sit together'. I said, 'Yep, that's why we pre-booked this table, so all four of us could sit together.'

excellent, expat

trying to remember where I read recently about the nun who nicked the reserved seat. was that here?

So, cats, was it "cultural difference" that made you refuse to move so people could get off their train?

Fun

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/736311/Arrogant-unfriendly-and-no-sense-of-humour-what-foreign-tourists-think-of-the-English.html

My experience of Italy was hugely polarised.

On one hand, the friends of friends I met who invited me into their homes were exceptionally warm, hospitable, interested and kind.

On the other hand, every single member of the service industry I dealt with from the man in the cafe to the permanently aghast looking folding staff in Benetton were rude to the point of bordering on physical violence.

In the Diesel store, they grabbed a dark boxy denim jacket* literally from my hands and put it back on the rack. They then ushered me out of the shop using only their sneers.

I won't rush back.

*it was the mid nineties

Jesus you're obsessed aren't you, Cats?
Completely hijacked this thread being a goady fucker

Here are some places I think are nicer places to live than the UK
Italy
Spain
Sweden
The Netherlands
Ibiza

Its strange how al this fabulous parenting and making sure kids don't grow up entitled doesn't seem to have the desired effect since the UK consistently tops the tables for violent crime, teenage pregnancy etc.

Look there are some nice things about the UK - but people ARE getting progressively less friendly I think. And by the way - no sock puppetry - amazingly - 2 people agree that Britain is not top of our list of great places to live. nor anywhere near

I had a burst tyre this afternoon and was trying to change the wheel.
4 cars stopped to help me, in Cornwall in England.
I was very appreciative of the help and all those who stopped said no need to thank us but I did because they were being kind and friendly

You are free to leave, Cats, as we all are. I didn't like how life was going in my home country, which thankfully also allows citizens freedom to leave if they don't like it.