“As if i had no choice but to move”: Woman refused to switch plane seats

“As if i had no choice but to move”: Woman refused to switch plane seats


Given the circumstances, modern airlines frequently try to overcharge. After all, are you really going to drive across the ocean? They try to set up the most bizarre seating arrangements, overbook, and charge for average-sized luggage.

A concerned woman questioned if it was wise to keep her first-class upgrade after seeing it posted online. Because she had accumulated travel points, the airline offered her a free upgrade to first class on a lengthy flight that she had scheduled far in advance. However, a flight attendant approached her a few minutes into the journey to ask if she would mind having her seat reduced.

There are challenges unique to flying even in first class.

**AITA for not replacing my first class seat with a 10y boy’s economy seat so he could sit with his family?** a woman asked, wondering whether she was the bad guy for refusing to give up her seat so a family could sit together.

Background data, I (23F) had reserved my tickets a year in advance and had been arranging a vacation to San Francisco for over a year at this point.

The airline called me a month or two before the trip, informing me that they would like to upgrade me to first class because of my points and membership.

It would be an understatement to say that I was thrilled with my first-class flight.

I made care to use the lounge as much as possible before my departure, and I was greeted with a wonderfully cozy environment for the 13-hour journey.


An hour or so into the journey, a flight attendant approaches me and asks if I would be prepared to switch seats with a 10-year-old child from economy to first class so he may sit with his family.

According to what I’ve been told, the two parents were members who had also gotten upgrades without recognizing that their son was not eligible for one with them. They were given first-class tickets, but he was forced to board an economy seat.

The flight attendant started offering me alternatives, acting as though I had to change, with possibilities including receiving a complete refund for the ticket or receiving another complimentary upgrade on a different aircraft. Since the two parents and I were the only upgraded passengers on the flight and there were no other first-class seats available, I asked her if there was any chance I could stay in my seat because I honestly thought I was being kicked out. She replied that if there was any chance the boy would be able to sit with his family, it would only make sense for him to take my seat.


I received this upgrade because of how frequently I fly with the airline, but it would have been a different scenario if there had been an overbooking in first class and the youngster had bought a ticket. If the parents had purchased their tickets, too, I might have given it some thought, but they hadn’t. I had nothing but respect and courtesy for the flight attendant—she handled the whole situation with grace. She was quite kind and graciously accepted my decision, assuring me that everything will work out.

I’ve never seen the parents before; they were seated far away. An elderly woman sitting next to me did make fun of me for forcing a youngster to sit alone for thirteen hours. The frightening thing is that I have to take a child on a 13-hour flight by myself, but it wasn’t like he was alone because I watched him stroll up and down the islands almost every hour to see his parents.

Thus, AITA, since this is allegedly what a loser would do?
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