Man Refusing to Swap Seats With Pregnant Woman on Plane Praised

A man has been praised for refusing to swap seats with a pregnant woman on an airplane.

Reddit u/michaeldonelly recently explained that he was flying solo to visit family over the holidays and carefully selected an aisle seat that was next 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," he wrote.

Donelly explained that he paid extra because he has a medical issue that sometimes requires "quick access to the bathroom." Because of this, he wasn't willing to change his seating arrangements.

He wrote: "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."

Donelly claims flight attendants didn't try to help resolve the issue and there weren't any empty aisle seats that could facilitate the pregnant woman's request.

He concludes the post by stating his family has backed the woman, as they felt that he should have "inconvenienced" himself.

However, Reddit users and an aviation expert disagree, and the post shared on December 15 has amassed 14,900 upvotes.

"Flying while pregnant generally isn't harmful to you or your baby, so with sufficient travel insurance and a sign-off from your doctor, you can think of it as a normal trip. Just remember to stay well hydrated and move about regularly!" said Katy Maclure, a flight expert at Jack's Flight Club, an email newsletter and mobile app focusing on helping subscribers find cheap flights.

"That said, nausea and vomiting in the first three months may put you off, and travelling in the final months can be tiring and uncomfortable. With that in mind, you may want to book a seat with extra legroom to make sure you can stretch out, or nearer the loo so you don't have to fight your way up and down the aisle.

"The cabin crew and other passengers will usually go out of their way to make pregnant people comfortable, but we suggest planning ahead for those 'just in case' situations. It's worth remembering that somebody might have paid for their seat for a certain reason, and they're well within their rights to refuse to move."

The popular post has received 3,600 comments and the top comment alone has 5,000 likes.

It said: "NTA. [Not the a******] 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 (and all of this is regardless of your medical issues. You paid for the seat. She didn't.)."

"Because she felt entitled to it because she was pregnant. She thought she could use that to her advantage. But, she found out she couldn't. And rightfully so OP!!! You booked and paid for that seat. NTA," said another comment.

"NTA- 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 pre-booking the seat? Zero obligation for you to move," said another person.

Newsweek reached out to @michaeldonelly for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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