An exhausted flyer has been praised after refusing to give up his plane seat for a couple on their honeymoon.
Passengers on public transport are often asked if they'd be willing to move from their pre-booked placements so others can sit beside loved ones. Some people see it as a simple favour, while others view it as an unfair burden.
One man told of his experience in which he refused to budge, after a husband asked to sit in his seat beside his new wife. While the newlyweds were taking off to a sunnier spot, the man in question was on his second of three flights and "wanted to sleep and relax".
The long haul traveller was also sitting in a popular window seat, which he booked ahead of time to accommodate his larger size. These factors caused him to "politely refuse" their request - but onlookers weren't impressed.
Seeking online advice, he recounted the story on the Reddit sub page R/AmItheA****le, to see if others thought he was in the wrong, reports the Mirror.
Writing on the discussion forum, he said: "They asked me if they can change seats with me to which I politely refused and gave them my reasons. One of the reasons was my size and aisle traffic."
"I always get bumped by someone when I am on the aisle seat. One time, my elbow was badly hurt because the trolley hit me. I [have] avoided the aisle seat ever since."
"The other guy who is seated with the husband tried to persuade me to change seats to making a scene as if I was the scrooge in the couple's honeymoon.
"I didn't budge and all the people around me, including the crew, looked like they hate me. Am I wrong to refuse changing my seat?"
While passengers didn't approve, the vast majority of those in the comments applauded the man for taking a stand and sticking to his guns. "If they wanted to be seated together so badly, they should have paid extra to reserve seats together," one person wrote.
Another added: "Every time this story comes up the person is not the a**hole for refusing to move. You booked your seat specially." A third said: "Newlywed entitlement is a thing. The proper bottom line has been stated here many times.
"You booked and paid for that seat you should in no way feel bad or guilty for not giving it to someone else who couldn't be bothered to plan ahead or pay extra."
If you've made a virtual trip to Reddit in recent times, you'll know that the politics of plane seating is a burning one. One woman explained on the site how she became furious when a man sat beside her on a flight which wasn't 'even half full'.
Taking it upon herself to make an excuse on why she wanted the seat vacant, the anonymous Reddit user claims flight attendants threatened her for her white lie.
Taking to the popular forum, the woman questioned: "Am I the a**hole for not wanting someone to sit next to me on a plane?" She explained: "I (25F) had a flight. As we board, the gate agent says the flight is not even half full and they need us to spread out for even weight distribution.
"I was sitting in the middle seat and they kept repeating the flight was only half full, only 75 people on the flight. Almost literally the last second a man (50ish) walks on and states 'I'll sit next to you' not even asking so that gave me a red flag about him and I say 'actually my husband is going to sit here'.
"The truth is I am traveling alone but as a young woman I avoid telling people that."
Despite having several empty seats throughout the plane and claiming her husband was sitting beside her, the man still insisted that he was keen to sit beside the woman. Ultimately she moved to an aisle seat to "avoid a problem" but the man then repeatedly asked her where her husband was, and accused her of being a liar.
She said she told him to "shut the truck up", and as the argument became heated, cabin crew got involved. She claimed a flight attendant then said that one of them would need to move or both would be kicked off the flight, so she ultimately conceded.
She added: "I look at her dumbfounded because I was there first and I didn't cause the problem he did. So she says one of you needs to move or you're both off the flight. So I just grab my bag and move."
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