Sitting on a flight for hours on end is never a comfortable experience, but if you pay good money for a decent seat then you at least have some hope of being a little less achy than other passengers when you reach your destination.
That's what one man on Reddit thought when he and his wife booked seats in the first row for their 10-hour flight from Europe to Asia, as it meant they'd have extra legroom and plenty of space to relax on the long journey.
But when they boarded their flight, the man saw there was a woman with a baby sitting in the seat next to his - who immediately asked him to swap seats with her husband on the row behind them.
The man declined, however, stating that he'd paid more money for the seats with extra legroom, so wouldn't swap for a seat with less space.
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In his post, he explained: "My wife and I were travelling on a 10-hour flight from Europe to Asia last week. We booked our tickets well in advance and also managed to book the specific seats we wanted - two seats in the first row. We paid for these seats as it was going to be a long journey and wanted the extra leg space.
"When we boarded, there was a woman holding a baby sitting in the middle seat. This woman, before I even had a chance to put my bag in the overhead compartment, asked me 'Can I be really cheeky and ask you to switch seats with my husband?'
"She then pointed toward her husband sitting in the second row (only the first row has extra leg space and requires additional payment to book the seat). She then told me that her husband needs to be next to her to help with the baby.
"My wife stayed quiet while I politely but firmly told her that unfortunately as his seat is in a second row, I wouldn’t be moving there as I had specifically paid for the seat with extra legroom."
The mum then called upon a member of the cabin crew to get them to sort out the seating arrangements - but the man still refused to move to accommodate the family.
Eventually, the crew member was able to locate two other seats in the front row that the couple could move to, leaving everyone happy with their seats.
The man added: "A steward came and requested me to switch with the husband, and I had to tell him the same thing, making things quite awkward. The woman then threw daggers at me for some time.
"Thankfully the steward came back and told me that there were two vacant seats in one of the other first rows and offered to move us. We ended up moving there but could hear this lady animatedly make comments about us to her husband from behind for some time after that.
"When I recounted this incident to my in-laws they said that I should have just moved as she had a baby with her and that turned into a different conversation about baby expectations! My wife agrees with me that her poor planning is not our problem and that we should have stayed out if there were no other first row seats."
Commenters on the Reddit post were firmly on the man's side though, as while many were sympathetic to the woman travelling with a baby, they also noted that the man is entitled to sit in the seat he paid for.
One person wrote: "Having a baby doesn’t automatically entitle you to whatever you want, especially because booking is in advance and they had ample time to do the same amount of planning as you."
While another said: "You paid for extra leg room, and paid for that seat. You were under no obligation to switch. If she wanted to sit with her husband, she should have booked side by side seats."
And a third added: "People need to stop asking people to trade seats. If you need special accommodations, talk to the airline. It's their business. It's not your fellow traveller's responsibility to sort out your seating."
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