I Refused to Give Up My Plane Seat for a Child and Faced Backlash

A long flight can be uncomfortable. Especially when it happens during the night and passengers have to sleep seated. The solution is to buy a business class ticket or pay extra for a seat with more legroom.

The protagonist of our article chose the second option, but when she entered the plane, she discovered that a teenager had taken her seat, and his mother insisted that the woman give up her seat for her son.

I have planned a long-awaited vacation.

Hi! My name is Emily. I work as a marketer in a large company and, unfortunately, I rarely take time off. I haven’t had a break in three years, but I managed to set aside two weeks for a well-deserved vacation. I chose Hawaii to enjoy a quiet stay on the beach, as well as to venture out hiking in its national parks.

There was just one problem: I could only get tickets for a flight from New York to Honolulu, which takes almost 12 hours and leaves early in the morning. Anticipating arriving at the airport feeling sleepy, I paid for a seat with extra legroom. This way I could sleep comfortably on the plane for as long as necessary and, when I woke up, enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean from above.

Once the tickets were purchased, I plunged into planning the trip and began to dream of my longed-for vacation. But, to my surprise, I faced a setback the moment I boarded the plane.

I discovered that other passengers were occupying my seat.

Getting up early in the morning to be on time for the flight, it was predictable that I had not had enough sleep. Besides, I had been tossing and turning in bed all night, unable to sleep, which is typical before a trip. So, already in the taxi to the airport, I was looking forward to a comfortable nap on board.

But when I boarded, to my surprise, a 12-year-old sitting in my seat, playing on his phone. His mother was next to him. I asked them if they had the wrong seats. I showed them my ticket and seat number, and also checked it myself, just in case I had made a mistake while half asleep.

But no, I was in the right seat. His mom asked me to let him stay because he wanted the window, saying, “It’s uncomfortable in the middle of the plane, and my little boy wants to sit by the window to look at the clouds.”

However, from his behavior, this did not seem to matter to him. During our conversation, the child kept looking at his phone, occasionally frantically tapping the screen with his fingers. I said no and told the mother that I understood her perfectly well, which is why I had booked and paid extra for a comfortable seat beforehand. However, the woman insisted.

I tried to calmly explain my point of view.

The last thing I wanted was to argue in the middle of the plane. Passengers were entering and taking their seats, and I was trying, for the third time, to calmly explain to the woman that this was my seat and I didn’t want to give it up because I had plans to sleep and also to enjoy the view of the ocean and the clouds.

But her tone became more hostile with every comment she made. The other passengers began to watch us. Over the next 20 minutes, I was subjected to a series of reproaches and insults. She then asked, “Do you have children?” I responded that this was not relevant to the situation, to which she countered by saying that I didn’t have children and therefore didn’t understand what it means to be a mother.

She then criticized my supposed immaturity for wanting to enjoy the view instead of simply traveling from point A to point B. She also questioned my manners, insinuating that I should have given up my seat for the child and questioned my generosity.

Flight attendants intervened in the conflict.

The plane was almost full, the flight attendants began to check the cabin before take-off, and the discussion continued. In addition, practically all the passengers around us were watching us intently. My arguments had no effect, the woman refused to vacate the seat, and the boy continued to stare distantly at his phone. A flight attendant passed by, and I asked him for help, showing him my ticket and explaining the situation.

The flight attendant explained to the woman that the seat by the window was taken and asked her and her son to go to their assigned seats according to their tickets. She continued arguing for a while, but then another flight attendant arrived and also asked the mother and child to leave.

Finally, in great dissatisfaction, they got up and headed toward the middle seats. At that moment, a passenger arrived who had been assigned the seat next to mine (precisely where the woman had been sitting). I wondered how the situation would have developed if he had arrived earlier.

I’m glad I have finally learned to defend my limits.

I couldn’t sleep on that flight. The whole way I was anxious, going over the conflict in my head, but I was glad that I had defended my boundaries. Especially because I had problems with that before.

Once in a park, a group made me leave a bench, claiming there were no other benches available. Another time, while waiting in line, a man jumped in and took the last piece of pizza I wanted. And the times I’ve had a taxi taken away from me are countless!

In such situations, I used to avoid conflict, feared fights, and simply gave in. But here, exhausted and after such a long time without a holiday, I did not give in and held my ground. Finally, I rested in the hotel and then spent two wonderful weeks in Hawaii. I still tell that story to my friends.