A plane passenger who refused to give up his pre-booked seat for a pregnant woman has been praised by fellow travellers who blasted her ‘entitled’ attitude.
Taking to Reddit, Michael, from the US, revealed he was taking a five-hour flight to visit family over Christmas and had pre-booked an aisle seat at the back of the plane because of ‘medical issues that sometimes require quick access to the bathroom’.
He was then approached by a pregnant woman who asked him to swap seats so that she could also be close to the bathroom, and he politely declined.
‘The flight attendants refused to help mediate when she insisted I should have to move,’ he explained.
He said that his family have since told him he should have given up his seat, but Reddit commenters unanimously agreed that he was right to stay put.
Siding with Michael, one commenter wrote: ‘She should have booked another seat she wanted herself or not gone on the flight.
‘Seems she just assumed she wouldn’t have to pay for it, since some sucker was going to move.’
They also blamed the crew for not intervening, saying: ‘The flight attendants are at fault for not mediating. At some point they should have told her to go back to her seat.
‘And all of this is regardless of your medical issues. You paid for the seat. She didn’t.’
A second echoed the same sentiment, writing: ‘Yeah the flight attendants should understand you don’t just pick, you have to pay. No swapping should be a policy. They should always favor who have the ticketed seat, simple as that.’
And a fellow commenter agreed that the flight crew should have stepped in to settle the argument.
‘It’s literally their job,’ the wrote. ‘It doesn’t matter if your or the pregnant woman was being an a*****e. The flight crew has specific training on how to handle this exact situation (I know, because I know several flight attendants and they dish).’
Another blasted women think they deserve special treatment during pregnancy and don’t plan ahead.
‘Because she felt entitled to it because she was pregnant, she thought she could use that to her advantage,’ one wrote. ‘But, she found out she couldn’t. And rightfully so. You booked and paid for that seat.’
‘Poor planning on the pregnant lady’s part does not facilitate an emergency on your part,’ a second added.
‘She doesn’t get to pay for a cheap seat and then inconvenience others who had the foresight and manners to plan ahead.
A pregnant woman with Crohn’s disease chimed in to side with Michael, saying: ‘It’s fine if people offer me pregnancy privilege but I sure as hell am not going to demand it! And knowing my constraints, I book the seats I need.’
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
