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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:
notimagain · 02/08/2024 15:18

Seashor · 02/08/2024 15:05

That’s not how airline seats work. If your son hasn’t checked into the flight by the time check in closes, then he looses the seat and the airline can and will re sell it or put standbys into it.

The son had been checked-in on-line prior to flight closure.

If you look back upthread the OP states she discussed all this with the airline and they seem to have okayed everything that went on.

Genevieva · 02/08/2024 15:19

Wow! The entitlement of some people is off the scale. The spare seat was an occupied seat, an aisle and an occupied seat away from them, yet they had the temerity to be so overbearing and demanding that they called someone sitting 4 seats away from them a ‘fat bitch’. The air stewardess should have threatened to remove them from the flight for being disruptive.

Drigante · 02/08/2024 15:21

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

The sentence you quoted was completely different. "I eat an orange" is fine. That doesn't mean that "The orange eat I" is correct.

Anyhoo all this arguing over the middle seat is by the by. The other couple didn't ask for the middle seat between OP and DH. Whether it had been released or not - and it seems fairly clear to me that it hadn't been - DS's seat was still DS's.

FeelingSoOverwhelmed · 02/08/2024 15:21
  1. Calling you a fat bitch is completely unacceptable obviously - after that I would not have been disposed to give them a seat!
  1. Asking for £30, I find that a bit cringe for some reason. I know you paid it but it just feels a bit weird to ask for a random contribution. I think I'd either just offer it or not.
  1. It's "Between DH and me" because prepositions are generally followed by an objective pronoun rather than a subjective one. Your explanation is wrong because the "I had the seat" is using the subject of the verb.
Noonelikesasloppytrifle · 02/08/2024 15:28

I think in this situation I would have given them the seat but I would have shamed their attitude. Something along the lines:

"This is a seat that I have paid for. You have been rude and entitled and have not asked politely in any way. I will give up this seat for the benefit of your child because I am bigger person but I suggest that next time you find yourself in this situation then you ask nicely in the first place and you won't have an entire plane of people judge you for you attitude".

Temushopper · 02/08/2024 15:28

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

It would be:
There was a spare seat beside me
There was a spare seat beside I
Generally it’s I if you are doing the action so “DH & I went to the cinema” but in this case it’s the seat that was “being” something so you’d use me. I don’t think it sounds that wrong though as people do tend to use them interchangeably now.
Well done sticking to your guns on the seat. That was so rude of them.

AnnieMcFanny · 02/08/2024 15:29

Steward saying her husband was a no-show so it was for the airline to reallocate. We were an hour late taking off as we missed our slot and lots of angry pissed off people

This was the scenario I wondered about and I think the situation could have gone either way for the op.

Yousay55 · 02/08/2024 15:30

Why did you want a seat between you and your dh? Of course it’s your seat, you had paid for it, but what difference would it have made for you to let them have it?
I think the entitlement and rudeness of the couple with the child was wrong, but I’m confused why you needed the seat? Was it for comfort?

lolly792 · 02/08/2024 15:33

@itstoohotnow - grammatically you're incorrect!

I think you've understood part of a rule but applied it to a different sentence construction. Try removing the other person from the sentence:
*
'The seat next to DH and I' *

You would not say 'The seat next to I', you would say 'the seat next to me.' Add DH back in and it's 'the seat next to DH and me.'

(I changed 'between' to 'next to' just because you can't have a seat between one person, but the sentence structure is the same.)

Hoppinggreen · 02/08/2024 15:38

Yousay55 · 02/08/2024 15:30

Why did you want a seat between you and your dh? Of course it’s your seat, you had paid for it, but what difference would it have made for you to let them have it?
I think the entitlement and rudeness of the couple with the child was wrong, but I’m confused why you needed the seat? Was it for comfort?

The difference would be that they wouldn't have the extra space, have you never had an empty seat next to you on a plane?
Its great

Derbee · 02/08/2024 15:41

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

No, OP. You were describing using the seats collectively. So an extra seat for DH, or an extra seat for me. Not an extra seat for I.

You've tried to correct the poster (incorrectly!) If we’re being pedantic, your opening sentence is also incorrect. It should be clear to you, using your rule that you tried to explain to the previous poster. I booked 4 tickets for DH, 2DS and I doesn’t make sense.

I booked tickets for I is incorrect. I booked 4 tickets for DH, 2DS and me. I booked a ticket for me is correct.

Fluffyelephant · 02/08/2024 15:47

Peony15 · 02/08/2024 14:02

Former airline staff here.
If you book a ticket and no show / don't check
in within the airline's deadline you are not entitled to your " seat " as you are no longer flying.
The seat gets released when the flight closes between 60-40 mins before departure generally.
Every airline also overbooks flights to cover for no shows / people missing flights due to traffic, illness, late connecting flights.
Nor do you get guaranteed a specific seat even if you paid for it in case of equipment change/ defect seats / accomodating people who
by law have to sit together or close by ( kids under 12 have to be within reach of parents in adjacent seats/behind/across aisle ) to put on oxgygen masks in emergency.
When DS no
showed you lost the seat and the airline could have reallocated it after check in deadline. You ticket was non refundable, maybe travel insurance covers it depending on circumstance. You were not entitled to the empty seat, any passenger could have been allocated it but sometimes if flights are empty no show seats stay unfilled.
I can see why you think you " owned "
DS seat but you didn't.
Just info, not commenting on scenario of the other passenger.

Edited

I didn't think the overbooking happened on every airline, just the bigger ones.

How would that work at the small airports with the cheap airlines?

Many of the routes only have flights going out a couple of times a week.. if it was overbooked and not enough seats were available it would be absolute carnage.

Edward0thana · 02/08/2024 15:52

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Soontobe60 · 02/08/2024 15:57

I’m very confused. When someone does not check in for a flight on the first leg of a return journey, the return leg is automatically cancelled. So although the OP had originally paid for the ticket, the return seat wasn’t hers to do anything with. The company (easyJet or whomever) could have sold that seat again and there would have been nothing the OP could have done.

Brefugee · 02/08/2024 15:58

Prawncow · 02/08/2024 12:32

They were rude and entitled and I know you paid for the seat but it feels a bit greedy to ask for money for it. Either give it to them or don’t.

rubbish. You don't have to give anyone something you have paid for.

It is rude, greedy and entitled to expect people to give you things they have paid for, and then to be insulting. Tough tits, then, OP gets a nice journey with space, and they get an uncomfortable journey and 2 hours to think about their attitude.

Soontobe60 · 02/08/2024 15:58

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 13:44

Yes you can and it's quite common if the price is low for people to book the extra middle seat for added comfort - you just have to let the airline know at check in

Show quote history

But in order to book it for the return journey you would have had to pay extra to exchange the booking name. It isnt common. Which airline did you fly with?

Plimsoll73 · 02/08/2024 16:02

I might have let them have the seat if they'd asked nicely but naaaah, not in that situation.

I’m very confused. When someone does not check in for a flight on the first leg of a return journey, the return leg is automatically cancelled. So although the OP had originally paid for the ticket, the return seat wasn’t hers to do anything with. The company (easyJet or whomever) could have sold that seat again and there would have been nothing the OP could have done.

And regardless of this @Soontobe60 if there was a spare seat for whatever reason, it's still none of the business of the people in the other seats. The spare seat was next to OP, not them.

Soontobe60 · 02/08/2024 16:03

notimagain · 02/08/2024 15:18

The son had been checked-in on-line prior to flight closure.

If you look back upthread the OP states she discussed all this with the airline and they seem to have okayed everything that went on.

Show quote history

No, this was the return flight so it no longer ‘belonged’ to the named passenger, the OPs son. It would have been taken off the check in page as he didnt show for the outbound flight.

Plimsoll73 · 02/08/2024 16:03

When DS no showed you lost the seat and the airline could have reallocated it after check in deadline. You ticket was non refundable, maybe travel insurance covers it depending on circumstance. You were not entitled to the empty seat, any passenger could have been allocated it but sometimes if flights are empty no show seats stay unfilled. I can see why you think you " owned " DS seat but you didn't.

But neither were the other couple entitled to the spare seat, and as OP was next to it, it's her call.

Soontobe60 · 02/08/2024 16:03

Plimsoll73 · 02/08/2024 16:02

I might have let them have the seat if they'd asked nicely but naaaah, not in that situation.

I’m very confused. When someone does not check in for a flight on the first leg of a return journey, the return leg is automatically cancelled. So although the OP had originally paid for the ticket, the return seat wasn’t hers to do anything with. The company (easyJet or whomever) could have sold that seat again and there would have been nothing the OP could have done.

And regardless of this @Soontobe60 if there was a spare seat for whatever reason, it's still none of the business of the people in the other seats. The spare seat was next to OP, not them.

A spare seat on a flight is fair game to anyone else on that flight.

DPotter · 02/08/2024 16:06

Sorry - daft question.
How did you manage to keep a spare seat within your oldest son checking in ?

Anyway I agree they were rude and certainly very entitled.

ShellSeaSand · 02/08/2024 16:06

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!

This grammatical error is everywhere these days. 😐

Plimsoll73 · 02/08/2024 16:08

I don't really agree @Soontobe60, I travel constantly for work and it's generally etiquette that whoever is next to the spare seat gets the benefit unless the air stewards have need to move someone but in anycase I would have still refused to move DS who is sitting in HIS allocated seat and offered one of them to sit in the spare seat if they wanted it so badly.

Bournetilly · 02/08/2024 16:09

I would absolutely not give up the seat in these circumstances.

Even if you were not entitled to the seat neither were the rude passengers.

DoNotScrapeMyDataBishes · 02/08/2024 16:09

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 13:41

He was across the aisle from my DH and he used to 16 and not bothered by it at all

Show quote history

We had a flight recently where they'd really messed up bookings and had our group scattered all over the cabin. We rearranged it among ourselves to sit the littlest ones with adults, but DD1(12) was in a row in front of DH... couple sat next to DD1 offered to swap seats so she could be next to DH and she ever so politely refused as she "didn't want to sit next to her dad!"

DH's bruised ego took a few days to heal!