A viral post on social media has sparked a heated debate over airplane etiquette and personal boundaries after a passenger admitted to refusing to give up an aisle seat when another traveler requested it.
Posted in the “r/ AITAH” forum on Reddit, the note was titled, “Not giving up my aisle seat on a 15hr flight for an older lady with mobility issues.”
The user said he or she was “seated in the aisle seat of the bulkhead row in the middle section. Next to me was an older lady, probably in her 60s” — and the woman got up from the seat.
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“A couple of minutes later, she returned with a flight attendant and asked if I could swap seats with her because she had ‘mobility issues.’”
The Reddit user said that in the seat right next to the woman’s original seat was a heavy passenger who was spilling into the space.
Assuming the older woman would have had a pre-assigned seat if she did have mobility issues, the user refused to swap seats, as it seemed the woman wanted to switch merely so that she wouldn’t need to sit next to a larger passenger.
Fox News Digital reached out to the original Reddit poster for comments.
The “seat switch” refusal had people divided online, with some defending the passenger’s decision and others showing concern for the older woman.
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“She knew she [had] mobility issues and CHOSE not to book a seat that was comfortable for her and thought she would just force someone else out of their assigned seating,” commented one user.
Another added, “She just didn’t want to sit beside her seatmate in a middle [seat]. Especially if she was offered another aisle and declined.”
“I have to book two seats or fly first class because I have a large frame … Old lady can do the same, she was just being cheap and trying to take your seat,” commented a user.
One person suggested, “Just look the flight attendant in the eye. Smile politely. And say, ‘I’ll swap seats if my alternative is business class or higher.’”
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“Former cabin crew here: People with reduced mobility are usually supposed to be seated [at] a window seat for safety reasons,” claimed one user.
“Just look the flight attendant in the eye. Smile politely.”
The same user added, “In case of an emergency, they are the last to get out of the plane to make sure the vast majority of the passengers get evacuated safely.”
Another person wrote, “Making her climb around you to get out … It may have looked like [there was] plenty of room, but as we get older our balance and reflexes diminish.”
“Airlines need to have a policy where they don’t ask people to switch seats for others,” stated a user.
The flight passenger updated the post, sharing that the woman in question was given an alternative by the flight attendant.
“The flight attendant offered her an aisle seat after I declined to move, but she wanted the extra leg room in the bulkhead row and refused the alternative aisle seat offer,” said the poster.
California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital that “no one has the obligation to switch their seat.”
“The person making the request has no right to expect [this], or make a scene when they don’t get their way,” said Randall.
Randall said making a polite request to switch seats is OK, though it may frustrate other passengers.
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She suggested some nicer ways to pose the request.
“Consider this: You may have more luck if a flight attendant makes the announcement or can offer to buy them a beverage or two, pay for airline extras, pay them cash/transfer funds,” suggested Randall.
Randall said there may be some circumstances in which it would be a minor inconvenience to switch.
“It’s a short flight, you can find a similar seat in another row, or anyone would be an improvement from the passenger [you’re currently] sitting next to,” said Randall.
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