A plane passenger has argued it is "classist" to not give your seat up for families in almost all circumstances.
In the long-running debate about when it is and isn't okay to ask someone to swap seats with you on a plane, one Reddit user has thrown a heap of petrol on the fire.
They argued that only those who have mobility issues, the elderly or "some other reason beyond comfort for strongly preferring a seat on a plane" like being very tall have the right to stick in their given seat in all cases.
They added that everyone else should have to move when asked by families hoping to sit together.
"There’s so much undeserved vitriol for families who end having to ask another passenger to move to help them out," the commenter wrote..
"Sure, maybe they didn’t plan well, or maybe the airline messed up their seating. Or they just got bumped off an earlier flight. Or they’re heading to someone’s funeral or had to deal with a last-minute emergency and didn’t have the time to pick seats.
"Or the parents work five jobs between the two of them to make ends meet and they were just too tired with everything going on to get online and pick their spots. Or maybe they don’t possess the digital literacy skills to preselect seats or they don’t have access to stable internet.
"Or maybe they’re trying to game the system to get better seats without paying but you can’t know that."
The brave commenter recognised that those who feel enraged by the idea of having to move may "be tired and don’t want to be inconvenienced", but that they should recognise they're using public transport.
"Not giving up the seat is the equivalent of not giving up a seat for an elderly, differently abled, or pregnant person on a city bus or subway," they continued.
"Yes, your comfort matters too but you don’t have it as rough so you give up the seat gracefully because we live in a society where folks should look out for each other.
“'Why should I deal with extra discomfort to help a stranger out when families can just pay extra to get assigned seats together?'
"Putting aside that even prepaid seats can get messed up, so now only families with extra disposable income get to fly? That’s super classist."
Unsurprisingly, the people of Reddit did not take accept the arguments.
"I paid for the ticket. I am not going to move, especially since I am poor and I saved up for it," one commenter wrote.
Another chimed in: "I refuse to villainise anyone who refuses to switch seats once they are already on the plane. If you've already boarded, knowing your seats are not what you need, then the problem lies with you."
A third wrote: "Families and others all have the same opportunity to book seats ahead, for a fee, as I do. I am not responsible for correcting their decisions."
Whose side are you on? Let us know in the comments below.
