Flying by plane isn’t the most pleasant journey, especially if you have to fly with cheaper airlines. There is usually not much space and if you want to be able to get some shots through the window, you have to pay extra for reserving a seat or pray that you get it when they’re assigning them for free.
Some airlines, like Southwest, don’t even have assigned seats, which can definitely lead to conflicts, as this Redditor experienced firsthand. An 18-year-old girl who goes by evvelfond on the platform wants to know if she was wrong to not give up a window seat to a woman who asked for it as she was called “a little b****” for it.
More info: Reddit
A teen is perplexed if she was actually so rude for not giving a woman her seat because she called her a "little b****"
Image credits: Cha già José (not the actual photo)
The original poster (OP) was flying back to campus after Thanksgiving and she always flies with Southwest Airlines, which doesn’t have assigned seats. If you want a specific seat, you should check in as soon as possible so that you will be among the first ones to get boarded, so you will have more available seats to choose from.
The 18-year-old did just that and got in the boarding group A, which is the first to be boarded, and she was lucky enough to get a window seat.
It was not a regular window seat as it was a seat in the exit row that had more room in front because there was no other seat there. The OP said she is tall, so being able to stretch her legs was very comfortable.
The OP flies with Southwest Airlines, which don't assign seats
But if you check in as soon as they open the system, you will be boarded sooner than others and can choose from more available seats
Image credits: evvelfond
The Redditor always makes sure she checks in immediately after it is allowed. She always wants to get this seat because of the extra room and she actually has been successful in doing so since she was 15, the age when it is legally permitted to sit in the exit row because the passenger sitting there must be able and willing to assist the crew in case of an emergency.
Image credits: evvelfond
The OP was comfortably sitting in her seat when a woman she described as “larger-bodied” and “middle-aged” came to take that spot from her. The woman said that the OP wasn’t old enough to sit there and that she needed it more herself because she needed extra room.
The 18-year-old didn’t think that was a serious enough reason to make her give up her seat and explained that she is legally allowed to sit there.
The Redditor chose a exit row seat with more room for her legs as she is tall
Image credits: evvelfond
However, the woman didn’t give up and started to explain how she is entitled to the seat because she paid for a ticket and had the right to fly comfortably, which is a weird motivation as everyone who flies has a ticket that has been paid for and everyone would like to have a comfortable journey.
On top of that, she added that the OP wouldn’t be able to carry out the exit row duties properly because she didn’t have that much flying experience.
However, an older woman thought she deserved that seat more and wanted the teen to move to another spot
Image credits: evvelfond
This conversation started to irritate evvelfond and she remarked that she probably had been on more flights than the woman. She didn’t say it out loud, but a thought came to her mind that because of the woman’s stature, she didn’t look like she would have been able to perform the exit row duty efficiently.
Thankfully, a flight attendant came to see what was causing the holdup and after the two women explained the situation, the flight attendant suggested the older woman find another seat.
The teen wasn't willing to go elsewhere and the conflict drew the attention of a flight attendant
Image credits: evvelfond
While the OP was glad that even a crew member was on her side and she didn’t have to move to another seat, the woman called her “a little b****” as she was walking away and that made the 18-year-old feel like she was an evil person.
This was the first time that a situation like this has happened to her and she doesn’t know what to think. But other redditors came to help and reassured her that she wasn’t in the wrong. Open seating means first come, first serve, so the older woman didn’t have any grounds to kick the teen from her seat.
The flight attendant sided with the OP and as the older woman was walking away, the teen could hear how she called her a "little b*****"
Image credits: evvelfond
If you were the judge in this situation, who would be guilty in your eyes? Do you think the OP should have given her seat to the woman as she was older and needed extra room more than a younger person? Or do you think that the woman was being audacious by making such a request and accusing the Redditor of breaking the rules of the airline?
People in the comments unanimously decided that the woman had no right to demand the seat as they were not assigned
