Man ‘publicly shamed’ after refusing to move plane seats for couple

Travel etiquette on flights has been a contentious topic on social media recently, and now a man has taken to social media to complain about the moment he was 'publicly shamed' for refusing to swap seats.

Seating plans on planes and the correct thing to do when asked to swap continues to divide the internet, with couples and families with children usually being at the centre of the mid-air kerfuffles.

A plane traveler on Reddit shared his own awkward travel experience when a couple asked for a switcheroo.

"A couple asked me to move back in the plane so that they could sit together," the man complained on Reddit.

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"I said, 'Why not ask the person next to you in the back to move forward and open a seat for your spouse back there?'"

He continued: "They said, 'No', then publicly shamed me."

It is unclear what exactly the couple did the publicly shame the embarrassed gentleman.

Alas, he continued: "Buy early, and accept the offer you were looking for at the back of the plane."

Lots of people came out in defence of the man, with one Reddit user commenting: "Good for you!"

Another traveller shared: "I hate when people just assume and sit in your seat. I make them move."

This was a common complaint in the thread, with a Reddit user replying: "I had a family preboard on a flight two weeks ago, ORD to DTW. These f***ers literally just plopped all in the E+ seats (United) with their bags in the under and over head compartments.

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"Spouse and I board, seats at the very front of e+. I see them sitting in our seats and the next row behind like, 'What the f**k. Excuse me, you’re in my seat'.

"They all huff and puff and get their shit then move to the back of the plane.

"I still wonder what the f**k their plan was. Like a bus where you can just sit wherever?"

Meanwhile, someone else replied: "I had someone do that to me and ask me to trade. I was wise enough to ask what seat, they expected me to trade an aisle for a middle. I told them honestly I’d always switch like for like seat but I’m not trading to a middle."

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Someone else surmised in response to the OP: "They played the game and lost. Bought one good seat and hoped they could get someone to give up another good seat for them."

A frequent solo traveler wrote: "I travel solo and have heard that request more than once. My response is, 'No', because 'No' is a sufficient answer to their question."

While one cheeky Reddit user quipped: "I just say it's a condition of my parole to remain in my assigned seat.

They 100% of the time walk away."