Plane seat drama

[itstoohotnow]

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?

I think its weird you were making your son sit next to other passengers and kept a free between you and your husband tbh

So there were two of them plus baby, and they already had their two allocated seats next to one another? Nah, really don't see why you should give up the spare seat, that you'd paid for. They had two seats together and if they needed a third seat for the baby they could/should have booked one themselves, rather than expecting to have one that somebody else had paid for (and being really bloody rude about it). I'm sure they can hold their own baby on their laps for two hours.

Absolutely not! Cheeky sods, they should have been chucked off imo, they were abusive and disruptive from what you have said. They could have paid for a seat themselves entitled twats. There's a certain type who thinks they can get anything they want with aggression glad you stood up to them, might teach them a lesson in dealing effectively with other people, however I doubt it cos they're usually thick as mince.

I don't know what you achieved but not letting them have the spare seat. I'd have given it up.

No. They were rude.

Nah, you paid for the seat, you deserve the extra space it gives.

My aunt is overweight, so she paid for two seats, and someone tried to sit in her spare seat. The man was quite confrontational and sat himself down, and my aunt had to get a flight attendant.

If they had asked nicely, or been polite I probably would have offered. Absolutely not after they were rude.

Why is that weird? I'm sure her son was much more comfortable in an aisle seat than he would have been in a middle seat between his parents.

How did they first ask? Did they just say "move over, we have a baby" or were they more polite, then turned nasty.
Glad you didn't give them the seat, but just curious to know how the conversation started out.

Might have considered it if they were polite, but not if they’re being rude. They could have easily booked their own spare seat if they wanted to.

I would have responed that it was a good job I had an extra seat for my fat arse then wasn't it?
Its fine to politely ask, its fine to politely say no but being rude rarely gets you anywhere.
And maybe DS wanted an aisle seat? DH and DS are both over 6ft so we arrange things so they both get an aisle

I wasn’t aware you could claim the seat if one of the passengers decided not to fly. It would surely be a ‘no show’ and the seat would then go back into the system to be allocated to another passenger.

Hell no.

They achieved a much higher level of comfort.
When my husband and I fly together we always book the window seat and aisle seat. Most of the time there is someone in the middle seat, but occasionally we get lucky and have the seat free.. We can stretch out more, put stuff on the seat, use the middle seat's tray table, etc. It does make a difference.

By the same token isn’t it greedy to expect someone to give you something for free that they have paid for?

“ Nice shoes, what size? Great, give them to me.”

Same here. What arseholes behaving like that!

Going against the grain here, but I would have offered the spare seat once I saw they had a baby. It’s only a two hour flight, so personally the extra space wouldn’t have made that much difference to me.

But your seat, your decision.

No absolutely not.

Especially as they were so rude.

God no they sound vile op well done for saying no. People need to realise they shouldn't be arseholes

Nope. We don't move seats for rude, entitled people.

They should have purchased three seats if they wanted three seats.

So you would be out of pocket for a rude stranger?!

No fucking way. You did the right thing. People need to learn some manners and not that you get what you want by being a c*. I feel all riled up on your behalf!

I wouldn't. Why should OP give up extra comfort she had paid for?

The couple could have purchased a seat for their child but chose not to.

YANBU

Nope. Resorting to insults tells you what kind of people they are and that they know they’re wrong.

As someone who often travels alone I get some form of this on every single trip. I used to try and be accommodating but it was always more trouble than it’s worth. I realised that other people’s inability to plan for their needs was not my problem. Makes travel much easier, well done for saying no.