A passenger has been praised for refusing to give up their pre-booked plane seat so a pregnant woman could sit closer to the bathroom onboard their five-hour flight
A passenger has been applauded for refusing to give up their plane seat for a pregnant woman on their flight. They explained how they boarded a five-hour flight to visit their family – and rebooked a specific seat near the bathroom for medical reasons.
However, shortly after sitting down, they were approached by a pregnant woman who asked whether they’d consider a seat swap as her growing baby was pushing on her bladder. On Reddit, they said: “I specifically booked and paid extra for an aisle seat in the second-to-last row because I have medical issues that sometimes require quick access to the bathroom.
“Right before boarding, a woman asked me to give up my seat so she could sit closer to the bathroom. She was pregnant but did not seem distressed. While I felt for her situation, as someone with a medical condition, I did not feel it was fair to demand I move from the seat I planned for and paid for, especially since she apparently had not booked an aisle seat herself in advance.”
They said the flight attendants didn’t help to mediate the situation when the pregnant woman refused to take no for an answer, causing tension in the cabin. The passenger added: “There were also no other aisle or close seats available on the full flight that I or the flight crew could facilitate swapping.
“I tried to recommend she speak to her doctor about needing accommodation if sitting far from the bathroom is not medically advisable for her situation during future flights.” However, after speaking to their family about it, the passenger is now second-guessing how they handled the situation.
Wanting to gauge other peoples’ opinions, they asked: “My family says I should have inconvenienced myself and given up my seat. I disagree though – I think she and the flight crew were unfairly targeting me instead of handling it through proper channels. Am I in the wrong?”
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In response, one user said: “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. The flight attendants are at fault for not mediating. At some point they should have told her to go back to her seat.”
Another user added: “I say this as someone who has been pregnant and has flown solo with a toddler… every passenger has equal opportunity to pre-book seats based on their needs and preferences. It’s no one’s business why you booked that seat. Was the passenger or airline going to reimburse you for the cost of prebooking the seat? Zero obligation for you to move.”
A third user said: ” As a frequent flier I see this a lot. Entitled people thinking they can have whatever seat they want. Nope. If you paid to select your seat. That’s your seat. End of story. Your lack of planning or decision to be cheap is not my fault nor my obligation to remedy.”
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