If you were on a plane and somebody asked you to move to a different seat to accommodate their baby, who they hadn't booked a seat for on a five-hour journey, would you move? One woman was praised for her decision to refuse after a complicated situation ensued on a plane journey, which left her in an uncomfortable position for the duration of the flight.
Michelle, who uses the username @michelleag12 took to TikTok to explain what happened to her a few years ago when a mum approached her on a flight, asking her to make way for her baby.
She explained that she and her husband were on the way to their honeymoon from Las Vegas, to Hawaii.
Michelle said: "We had assigned seats and it was a booked flight and unfortunately we didn't get to sit next to each other.
"I was in the window seat and then he was sitting in the row right in front of me also in the window seat - so we were pretty close.
"So as we're boarding, this couple gets on and they have a baby with them and it's about a one-year-old."
She then explained that the mum asked Michelle for her seat so her baby could sit there so the family could all sit together.
Michelle continued: "Usually for babies that young you don't have to pay for a seat for them, they can just sit in your lap, but she wanted the baby to have my seat so she wouldn't have to carry him for five hours."
She said that she felt bad, despite the fact she didn't want to move away from her husband because they were sat close to each other, but explained that the baby was 'fussy'.
Michelle said that she left her seat to try and find an alternative on the plane, but the only free seats were ones that had been booked and paid for by a man who wanted to sit on his own, meaning she had no choice but to return back to her original seat.
She went on to explain that by the time she'd returned back to her seat, the woman had already placed her son's belongings all over her seat.
Michelle explained there were no seats and then said: "She was mad. She did not want to move her baby and I had to call a flight attendant over and tell her what was going on. The flight attendant told her she had to move her stuff because it was in my seat."
The mother and son then got up so Michelle could sit back down in the window seat, and she was given a frosty reception.
"And for the next five hours, I just had to deal with them sitting right next to me, being so upset at me for not sitting somewhere else, and giving me an attitude for five hours.
"If they had wanted a seat for the baby, they should've paid for it, and I was nice enough to go check for another seat and there wasn't any so at the end of the day I feel like it wasn't my fault."
In the comments of the TikTok video, Michelle added: "Now I would have handled it sooooo differently! This was four years ago and I felt bad for the baby. Never again!"
People defended the woman in the comments saying that she'd done all she could, and the mum should've been more understanding.
One wrote: "You were very nice. Especially because it wasn't your job to go ask. She should have asked to make things easier for you."
"Lack of preparation on her part should not be your problem", another added.
Someone else commented: "You did more than enough! I don't know why some people feel so entitled."
"Not your fault at all. I always paid extra for seats for my kid", one TikToker fumed.
Would you give up your seat for a baby if their parent hadn't paid for their own? Let us know in the comments.
