In this situation would you offer to switch seats on a flight?

[Flightquandry]

Me and my husband took a flight today that was 10 hours long.

The cabin formation was
2 seats together / aisle / 3 seats together / aisle / 2 seats together.

Unfortunately, by the time we booked we couldn’t sit together. My DH was in a set of 2 seats with another woman and I was on the end of a row of three.

As soon as we took our seats the woman next to my DH went into full on chatty mode. When they were talking he mentioned he was travelling with his wife and she questioned why we weren’t seated together. He explained that we’d only been able to book what was available. She shrugged this off and then chatted to him incessantly for about 2 hours. I was seated across and behind so could see this and it stung (my problem entirely!)

I fully appreciate that she was in the seat that she booked! But in all honesty in her shoes I would have offered to swap seats with me. All seats were of the same value monetary wise. She even waved at me and then poured herself more drinks and chatted to my husband.

what would you do in her shoes? I would have offered to swap? Weirdly as well as we left the plane she followed by husband off and didn’t let me get in behind him to exit.

Ah yes, chatting - the eighth deadly sin.

Seriously though, you never even ASKED her to swap seats. OP is angry some total stranger didn’t offer, out of the blue, to give up her non-equivalent seat. And you know, it’s really funny, because if OP had said even a SINGLE word asking for the seat, this might have all gone so differently.

Also, the de-boarding is not “hard to explain.” We’ve almost all de-boarded a plane and the system is that one row goes, one side then the other, THEN the next row goes. OP was separated from her DH for about an extra 30 seconds during this process, I’d imagine.

But I mean, I know, right?!? Not standing next to your husband for 30 seconds is disgraceful, as we all know you are required to stand next to your DH at all times so evil plane floozies don’t “chat” to him.

You sound weirdly jealous and I don’t know why your husband wouldn’t have smiled politely and put his headphones on rather than entertain an annoying stranger

If I don't want to talk to someone for hours I snooze instead. Clearly your DH diamond as much as you did.

Wow you have a jealousy problem.

Also she was on the window and had a better seat. Tough shit that you booked late.

I’ll cut through the obvious subtext here to save time:

She didn’t want to fuck your husband.

That’s basically all you need to know.

The fact that her seat wasn’t available for you to book means she had already paid to book it. She doesn’t then have to offer it to someone else, regardless of the reason.

Tbh she was probably happy that she could have a chat to a man that she knew wasn’t going to take it the wrong way and start hitting on her because she knew you were right there.

Exactly, he must have been happy talking to her.

Would you?

Your dh could have switched with you if he wanted. Generally popping in ear pods does the trick.
She sounds like a nervous traveler; alcohol and chatty.
You should have paid for seat selection or checked in immediately on the 24hour mark. Everyone is someone’s; partner/spouse, son/daughter, mother/father your jealousy is uncalled for even if your dh is untrustworthy.

YABU. As a single woman, on the rare occasions I’m able to travel, one of the perks is choosing the seat that I want when I book my flight. No way would I be giving it up!

I would be happy to chat to my neighbour, but only if they were happy to chat to me.

I really wouldn’t worry about 10 hours out of your life not sat with your DH. At least you knew where he was!

Some of my married friends would probably have welcomed the break for a bit of peace and quiet or to watch a film.

you sound entitled and nuts!

get over it

She's just the chatty type - it wouldn't occur to her that you might mind. If
i was your husband i'd be asking YOU to switch with me to escape her. But she wasn't in any way obliged to give you her seat, so YABU.

Is this a generational thing? I can’t get my head around it being an issue at all?

I would have changed personally but don’t take it to heart

There seem to be an awful lot of - presumably - women on here who seem to be very possessive over their husbands at the moment.

It’s almost like the tradwives are trying to take over.

If I was your husband I’d have swapped with you and you can put up with Mrs Gobshite McDougal.

No I would not have switched. It's not a like for like seat and if she booked before you and wanted an aisle seat, she would have booked an aisle seat.

If you really wanted to sit next to DH, the person next to you (in the middle seat) was a much more likely option.

Are you always so possessive, or just when you’re in a tin can in the sky?

Why did your DH reciprocate the chat? It’s my worst nightmare on a plane if flying solo. I always have an aisle seat, so if I had a window I’d have gladly swapped!

Alternatively you could have gone over sat on his knee, stuck your tongue down his throat and then given her a full on hard Paddington stare. But in all seriousness I’d have said let’s swap seats mate so you can sit together. Bit like those twats with a trolley full and you’re behind with two things and they don’t say you go first mate.

If you wanted to control your husband from speaking to this woman don’t project onto her.

He could have switched seats with you. He could have let you off first.

You have issues I don’t understand but you basically didn’t like that YOUR HUSBAND was talking to her for 10 hours or whatever or didn’t let you off the plane first.

She’s some random - he’s your husband. He may concern himself with keeping you happy. (Not that I think he should).

I would be delighted if another woman chatted to my husband for 2 hours, he, on the other hand would hate it 😃

Yabvu. I book and pay for a window seat cos that's the seat I prefer. So no, I wouldn't have moved. Like others have said, you could have swapped with your husband if you were bothered about who he was talking to. Sounds like you have trust issues tbh