Flying isn’t fun for everyone. Some folks take steps to make sure they’re comfortable before they travel, but not everyone thinks the same way. One woman knew exactly what she needed for a good trip and made sure to get it. But not everyone around her agreed…
This woman found herself in a really uncomfortable situation. She had to decide between her own comfort and what others expected from her. She could either be generous or stand up for her own space.
She was flying across the country to spend Christmas with her family. Knowing she needed comfort when she flew, she always booked an extra seat because of her size. She paid extra to ensure she had enough space.
Check-in was smooth, and she breezed through security and boarding. But once she sat down, things took a turn. A woman with an 18-month-old child was seated next to her. Seeing the empty seat, the mother asked if she could move over so her toddler could sit there. But since the woman had paid for both seats, she said no.
The situation caught the attention of other passengers, and a flight attendant came over to see what was going on. When the flight attendant heard the story, she asked the woman if she could make room for the child, but she politely declined again, saying she had paid for both seats.
The flight attendant understood and told the mother to hold her child on her lap, which is common for kids that age. However, the mother spent the rest of the flight giving the woman dirty looks and making passive-aggressive comments.
Later, the woman wondered if she had been wrong and if she should have given up the extra seat. She turned to Reddit to ask if she was in the wrong.
One person, a mother who had been in a similar situation, wrote, “I’ve taken 9-hour flights with an infant in my arms and shorter flights with a toddler in my lap, who was capable of sitting in his own seat and very much did not want me to hold him. Did it suck? Yes. But it was my problem alone, and as long as my child was under 24 months and I didn’t have to pay for his seat, I chose to hold him. I swear, not all of us parents are this entitled!”
Another person added, “She’s wrong for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping there’d be extra seats on the flight so she didn’t have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole.”
“I’d go so far as making a complaint to the airline about their employee supporting another passenger harassing you,” another outraged Redditor wrote.
Another annoyed user said, “You should always do what you can to be as healthy as you can, but being fat isn’t a character flaw or a moral failing. We all have our own challenges in life, and you deserve not to be ashamed of your body and yourself, even if you aren’t currently meeting your goals. If the mom wants an extra seat for her kids, she should have purchased one. She’s not entitled to a seat you purchased, and you don’t need to feel bad for her bad behavior.”
While some people could understand the mother wanting a comfortable flight, they also felt she should have made sure to get a seat for her child if it was important.
Who do you think is right in this conversation? Let us know in the comments! Share this with others so they can also give their two cents on the topic.
