WWYD in this situation

[upstairsdownstairscardboardbox]

I am curious about what would be considered normal/appropriate.

On a plane in the bulk overhead of economy. 2 women and a man in the middle. Another man boards and says that he has booked the mans seat, shows cabin crew his ticket. Other man refuses to move, says he needs to sit with wife and daughter. Man who booked seat takes a middle seat at the back. He is recognisably of a minority religious group which is strictly vegan.
Meal service starts and a vegan meal is brought to the seat by cabin crew (before other food as special order)

Would you, as a passenger sat adjacent, point out the meal the had been booked by the original seat booker?

YABU - I would not say anything
YANBU - I would say something

No. I would keep my beak out and let the cabin crew do their job.

I would have hoped the man in the seat would have pointed this out to whoever delivered the meal but if not it’s none of my business

What should have happened is that cabin crew made the cheeky fucker who didn't want to pay to book a seat move to his actual seat.

If the ignoramus sat in the seat didn't say anything, I would.

@Alwaysontherun He didn't say anything and took the meal

id keep out of it

Cf, you can't reason with stupid, poor man who didn't get his meal, maybe the crew should have special meals with the passenger name on.

This

I would say something the seat stealing cf would be unlikely to as he was a seat stealing cf and then the poor man who was made to move would not have anything to eat for the whole flight

@NemesisInferior I agree, but the pre booked man moved with no fuss at all so the crew let him stay put

The man already in the wrong seat was incredibly rude and the cabin crew should have insisted he moved.

But there is a chance that he might have been vegan too and was actually receiving the correct meal (unless you overheard otherwise...?)

@SausageRoll2020 I wasn't there. He ate a chicken curry as well so not vegan.

My dad is the man who moved with no fuss and got no meal. When he got off the plane the woman who had been sat adjacent to his booked seat approached him at baggage collection and told him she was appalled that the man ate both his pre booked and his own meal from the regular meal service.

DF is not British and believes that it is a unique feature of Britishness to observe something like this, do nothing, and later report it all to the person who was effected, as if this is helpful and makes you a good person.

I disagreed and said I thought the average British woman would politely mention it if they noticed.

I’d have said something - because I know they only have those special meals if you’ve booked them and they never have extras so I would have been aware that the man who moved probably wouldn’t be able to eat.

I don’t think everyone realizes that there aren’t spares available.

If the vegan food came out first the woman probably didn't realise the man had ate both his meal and the other man's meal until the vegan one was gone. I think by that point I wouldn't find it worth speaking up. If the second meal was the vegan one, I would.

I’d have said something

I’m so sorry for your DF! And a bit outraged on his behalf! Why did the cf man “need” to sit with his wife and child? Why hadn’t they booked the whole row if they’d gone to the trouble of booking two seats for the family?

If I’d been nearby and seen what was happening m, I’d have said something.

But I think it’s likely the woman nearby didn’t understand the full story until after the cf man had eaten the first meal and been given the second.

I would say something. As I would be fuming at the audacity of it all

@JLou08 she did know, she made a specific point of telling Dad that she KNEW it was his vegan meal and was shocked the man stole his meal and has his own meal and the crew did nothing (they didn't know until the main meal service when he was offered meat and veggie pasta and asked for his meal)

DF was bemused, she seemed to expect praise for noticing or sympathising.
Its all the fault of the greedy entitled man, we all agree, I am just interested in opinions.

I think the first comment sums up why many would say nothing. Fear of being called nosey, being accused of having a "beak" etc is worse than letting something unpleasant happen to someone else. But even so why make a point of telling them? I suppose that, rather than the not saying anything is the oddest bit.

If I knew it was the nice mans meal, i absolutely would have said something. I also would have said something to the horrible entitled seat stealing man as well.
I know plenty of others who would've spoken up as well.

DF is not British and believes that it is a unique feature of Britishness to observe something like this, do nothing, and later report it all to the person who was effected, as if this is helpful and makes you a good person.

No, it's a unique feature of Mumsnetness.

I would have been fuming on behalf of the passenger who had to move and would probably have told the cf who nicked his seat that if he wanted to sit with his family he should have paid the extra like every other person on the plane did.

I wouldn’t have assumed that the rude man hadn’t ordered a special meal. Twats can be fussy about food the same way nice people can have religious preferences. But your DF should have been more self advocating. I would have claimed my seat, or at the very least spoken to the cabin crew to make sure I got the special meal I pre-ordered. I don’t think it’s anyone else’s job to do that for him if he’s unwilling to do that himself. He should have sent that twat to the back of the plane.

Nope I wouldn't insert myself into any situation that didn't involve me, especially on a plane. Did your dad speak up about the food?

I’m sorry that happened to your dad, OP. I’m as cowardly as the next person, and the man who stole the seat was obviously antisocial.

But I think I would have pointed out the meal error to the cabin staff if I realised in time. Or indeed I would insist on taking it to the other man, “no no it’s no trouble I want to do it”, as loudly as possible!

I like to think I would explain loudly what ‘vegan’ means in the hopes of embarrassing the cf and his stupid enablers. But I probably wouldn’t dare.

The main thing would be thinking quickly enough to take action. Others around him may not have realised in time.

I hope your dad had no further problems on his journey.

Same and for all I know the men who took the seat could have informed the cabin crew of the change to seating so it could have been his meal that was pre-booked. I simply wouldn't have enough information to intervene. I also wouldn't have gone up to your dad afterwards to sympathise over a decision that he made!