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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About my flight neighbour?

203 replies

ReasonablyIntelligent · 04/08/2019 21:24

Just boarded an 8 hour, overnight flight.
I'm flying solo and on the aisle seat.

I get to my row and find a strange man in my seat, the seat next to him (middle seat) is empty.
He initially tries (quite aggressively) to deny that the aisle seat is mine, but eventually relents and moves over to his spot.
He takes both blankets and both pillows with him.

I get seated and then ask if he could kindly pass my pillow and blanket (both stashed about his person). He denies having either and demands that I check my seat because I'm "clearly not looking properly".
Whilst I perform a polite seat sweep (God knows why, I can see the fucking pillow) he slides my pillow behind his back and then drops the blanket to the floor and kicks it under his seat Confused.

Having no idea why I've offended Strange Man, I decide to juts play dumb and ask an air steward for a new set. No bother, though they're super busy so I'll imagine they'll forget for better things to do.

Strange Man has now proceeded to man spread in such a way that my shoulder is at an odd angle from my seat and my legs are skew whiff.

I am not a ballsy person. In fact, I have a fairly strong social anxiety.

There are no other seats on the plane.

AIBU to silently seeth, or am I being a right wet blanket?

OP posts:
Oliversmumsarmy · 04/08/2019 21:41

I would accidentally (when he has shifted on his seat) spill my drink all over his blanket

I would also sing

I know a song that will get on your nerves

Under my breath for the whole 8 hour flight

But I don’t sleep on flights and can keep things going for hours.

Scruffalicious · 04/08/2019 21:41

boringlyboring good shout!

toffeeapple123 · 04/08/2019 21:42

Love these suggestions Grin

Failing that op just get the sick bag out and retch in his direction- that’ll shift the prat!

Speak into your wrist and say ‘target acquired’ then loosely describe him.

Tensixtysix · 04/08/2019 21:43

So who is in the window seat? Swap with them?

Oliversmumsarmy · 04/08/2019 21:44

Or you could introduce yourself then start talking to him about your cat, knitting patterns, gardening, the state of your bathroom.

Just talk and talk and talk.

I once managed to do this on a 4 hour journey because this guy had annoyed me in the queue to get on the coach.

SirJamesTalbot · 04/08/2019 21:45

Have you got your blanket and pillow yet?

IWantMyHatBack · 04/08/2019 21:45

Oh my god. Sort this out now or you'll have to put up with this and worse for the rest of the flight. What a dick!

Call cabin crew, tell them he's being intimidating and aggressive and request that they make HIM move.

Either that, or sharply elbow him. Now

usernamepinched · 04/08/2019 21:48

Start farting, loudly. Or talking to yourself and giggling inanely.

Justaboy · 04/08/2019 21:49

Real gent him eh;!

Don't suppose the OP will be in touch now i expect shes taken off!

Iloveacurry · 04/08/2019 21:49

Can you fart on demand? 😂 So sorry I have such bad wind!

He sounds like a real knob. Speak to one of the cabin crew.

missbattenburg · 04/08/2019 21:49

You know what you should do, OP? Switch your mobile phone to flight mode before you bring down the plane!

Oh, and 'fall asleep' elbowing him in the side Grin

INeedAFlerken · 04/08/2019 21:51

Pick up the 'sick bag' and announce you feel really unwell. Fake heave a couple of times ... he should shift over.

cookieoclock · 04/08/2019 21:52

Boring that actually made me laugh out loud.

Bigbopboo · 04/08/2019 21:52

Can remember being on a flight where a bloke in the row behind me was completely obnoxious to the passenger next to him. He even had the cheek to ask him to move to an empty seat in another row. Pleased to report cabin crew got involved and escorted the victim behind the curtain to business class.

Boysey45 · 04/08/2019 21:52

I'd tell him to move his leg very loudly and if he didn't then I'd knock it back towards him. If he started then I'd just get help.

colourlessgreenidea · 04/08/2019 21:56

So who is in the window seat? Swap with them?

But she’d still be sitting next to him as he’s in the middle seat. Confused

AngelasAshes · 04/08/2019 21:57

I think strange man is hilarious!
Honestly, let us know if you get moved as I have put up with much worse but was always afraid to ask for new seat because the irritants were minor. I mean one flight a pensioner spent farting the most toxic fumes I was gagging...but I put perfume under my nose and persevered.

katewhinesalot · 04/08/2019 21:57

A quiet request to the crew will hopefully mean that they will keep an eye on him and pull him up on his behaviour.

Funghi · 04/08/2019 21:58

Similar happened to me recently with a very aggressive man as my seat neighbour. After attempting to endure it for several hours I gave up when he shouted in my face telling me to stop touching him (he was manspreading and took up about a third of my seat, couldn’t get the arm rest down).

I went to find a flight attendant and asked to be moved but was told that there were no other seats free. When I returned to my seat, he had put his feet up on it and pretended to be asleep when I tried to get him to move.

I completely gave up and just strolled around the plane for a while until a different flight attendant eventually asked some other passengers to shuffle about a bit to get me a seat away from him.

When I asked why they didn’t just deal with him directly they said it wouldn’t be worth it as he’d kick off and probably end up diverting the flight for an emergency landing due to his aggression.

These people are the worst.

Idontwanttotalk · 04/08/2019 21:59

If you ask to be moved then, assuming there's a spare seat you can move to, he'll have the result he wants as he'll be able to move into your aisle seat. Don't give him that satisfaction.

Just politely ask him to stop manspreading in a VERY LOUD voice. Tell him if he needs that much room he should have paid for two seats. Stand up for yourself.

PippiDeLena · 04/08/2019 22:02

Fart in his general direction.

chocolateworshipper · 04/08/2019 22:03

Is there a very large, muscly guy on the flight who would like to swap seats with you and demand that this twat gives HIM the pillow and blanket?

SaxxedtotheMax · 04/08/2019 22:03

Kick his balls

MzHz · 04/08/2019 22:05

He sounds like the twat flight neighbour my oh had on a recent flight- determined to take the entire arm rest.

My oh battled for 20 mins, never gave up and the prick eventually conceded.

Go and speak to a flight attendant and tell them discreetly what he’s doing and how he’s forcing himself on you. Ask to move away if there is a better seat?

Cherrysherbet · 04/08/2019 22:05

What a dick. Just take comfort in knowing that there are loads of mumsnetters that know about his twatish behaviour, and all agree that he is a complete and utter arsehole 😁