Woman Refusing to Swap Plane Seats So Child Can Sit With His Parents Backed

A woman was cheered online for refusing to switch her first-class seat with a 10-year-old on a flight despite being shamed by a fellow passenger.

Reddit user u/C_Readerholic_001 explained in a post on the "Two Hot Takes" subreddit that she had booked her tickets a year in advance for her 13-hour flight to San Francisco, and around a month earlier had received a call from the airline to upgrade her seat.

"I had never flown first class before so to say I was so excited was an understatement," the 23-year-old Redditor said. But before long, her happy experience was interrupted.

"About an hour into the flight, a flight attendant comes up to me and asks me if I'd be willing to swap seats with a 10-year-old boy who was in economy so he could sit with his family in first class," the woman wrote.

"From what I was told the two parents were both members and had also received upgrades also not realizing that their son wasn't able to be upgraded with them. So they got their first-class tickets but he was stuck back at economy."

This is far from the first time this issue has come up, from a woman earlier this year who refused to swap her seat for a family to sit together, and another woman who declined a similar request on a flight from Cincinnati, Ohio, to San Jose, California.

The flight attendant offered the woman options for if she swapped seats, including a free upgrade on another flight or even a full refund for the current flight—but she refused.

"The flight attendant was very polite and respectful during the entire ordeal. She accepted my decision and was very nice and said that everything was ok and they were going to figure it out," the Redditor wrote. "[I] never saw the parents, they were sitting far away from me. I did get shamed by an old woman in the seat next to me who told me that I made a child sit on their own for 13 hours."

Children on transport is often a contentious issue, with a recent Newsweek poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies revealing that 59 percent said child-free zones on planes and trains would be a positive thing, while 27 percent disagreed and 14 percent were unsure.

Elizabeth Wyse, editorial director of Debrett's etiquette coaching company, told Newsweek: "I would think that, if [the parents] were traveling with their 10-year-old and only two of them were upgraded, then it would be more reasonable to 'rotate' the economy class seat and take it in turns. If they were worried about leaving their child alone in economy, then one of the grown-ups should have made the sacrifice. In either case, they were not within their rights to ask someone else to downgrade."

Wyse said that there are scenarios where it is appropriate to move seats, particularly if a flight attendant politely asks.

"In most cases, it would not be a major inconvenience, especially on short-haul flights. If, however, there is a good reason for you remaining in your allocated seat—for example, you're very tall and have secured an aisle seat which gives you extra legroom—you should politely point out your reasons for refusing," said Wyse. "Whatever the circumstances, you are not under an obligation to move seats to accommodate these requests. You are being asked to do the parents a favor."

On the Reddit post with over 14,000 upvotes, over 6,000 Redditors shared their thoughts in the comments and almost all backed the woman for refusing to switch seats.

Reddit user SmartFX2001 said: "I'm sure two people in economy would've been glad to swap with the parents," while NatashOverWorld agreed: "This. Parents should prioritize their kids, not expect someone else to prioritize their kids."

"The parents never should have accepted seats away from their kid to begin with, especially not both of them," said Redditor RoscosRocket. "If they were so concerned, they would have gone back to coach and given up their seats to two other people."

Newsweek reached out to u/C_Readerholic_001 via Reddit for comment. We were not able to verify the details of this case.