A man has been applauded after he refused to swap seats with a pregnant woman on a flight.
Writing on Reddit, he asked if he had behaved wrongly when he refused to give up his seat and described how he had been flying to see his family.
He explained that medical issues meant he had to buy an aisle seat that would have given him quick access to the plane’s toilet.
Following the post, the man was inundated with support and praise for how he had behaved during the incident.
The man wrote that the woman asked him to give up his seat because she wanted easy access to the toilet.
He said: “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.
“While I felt for her situation, as someone with a medical condition, 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.”
He added that the flight attendants “refused to help mediate” after the woman “insisted” he had to move.
The user added: “There were also no other aisle or close seats available on the full flight that I or the flight crew could facilitate swapping.
“I tried to recommend she speak to her doctor about needing accommodation if sitting far from the bathroom is not medically advisable for her situation during future flights.
“Still, my family says I should have inconvenienced myself and given up my seat. I disagree though – I think she and the flight crew were unfairly targeting me instead of handling it through proper channels.”
Underneath the post, the man received a wave of support from fellow Reddit users who sympathised with him.
One user wrote: “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.”
A second person added: “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 prebooking the seat? Zero obligation for you to move.”
