A man claims an airline tried to pressure him into giving up his business class seat so a parent could sit with their child – but he refused to play along and the youngster ended up sitting alone
He refused to swap plane seats (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
A man has sparked a debate after refusing to give up his business class plane seat so a child could sit next to their parent. He explained how he had specifically booked his seat in advance to ensure he was as comfortable as possible during the flight.
But after a flight attendant noticed a child sitting alone in economy while their parent was in business class, they reportedly made it their mission to reunite the pair. Taking to Reddit, he said: “I was asked to move from a row of two so a parent and child could sit together, and I don’t feel guilty for declining, no matter how much the flight attendant and the parent tried to guilt me.
“I wasn’t going to take a downgrade to economy. But even if I was asked to change to a seat in the same class, I would refuse. When I have to fly, I choose the seat that I want. Or, in rare cases when there are no assigned seats, I choose the best seat that’s available.”
He argued that parents should pay the extra cost to ensure they are seated with their children, rather than relying on strangers to swap seats at the last minute.
He added: “I’m not moving just because someone else is a parent. If someone is travelling with a small child, they need to plan better.”
The man also criticised the airline’s handling of the situation, claiming staff tried to pressure him into giving up his seat without offering any compensation.
He said: “While I did complain to the airline about 1) being asked to downgrade to economy without a refund or any compensation – I still wouldn’t have moved, but being told I should help without getting a refund was upsetting – and 2) being guilted by the flight attendants because I refused, I don’t expect a response.
“In Canada, the airline is legally required to give a refund if you are downgraded, so being told I wouldn’t be compensated at all if I changed seats was wrong.
“I don’t know what ended up happening, but the seat next to me was empty during the flight and I got to sit alone.
“Just because I’m not a parent doesn’t mean I should have to move. I don’t care if not moving makes me a bad person.”
Commenting on the post, one user said: “I’m surprised you weren’t offered booze by the flight attendant.”
Another added: “Why didn’t they ask the person next to the child to upgrade so the parent could move to economy instead?”
A third wrote: “So the parent booked business class for themselves and economy for the child, hoping they could guilt someone into upgrading the child for free at their own expense. You did the right thing.”