We all have certain seats we prefer to sit in whilst travelling by plane, particularly when it comes to long-haul flights.
But it often costs extra to book specific seats, so we may be reluctant to move if asked.
And one traveller, a self-proclaimed"geography geek" who flew from San Francisco to New York, decided to take the plunge and book a window seat in first class so he could enjoy the view. However, he found himself in an awkward situation with a mother and her children who were sitting alongside him.
The Mirror reports that he was asked by the child's mother to swap his seat so that the youngster could enjoy the view instead.
Posting on Reddit, he said: "I realised I accumulated enough points over the years to purchase a first class seat for free.
"I had the option to pick my seat and I always choose the window. I am a geography nerd and enjoy looking out the window.
"Even when I am flying economy, I always pay the extra fee to select seats in advance to ensure I’m not kicked off if it’s overbooked later and simply because I like the window seat."
As he sat down, he met his "seat neighbours" for the flight - a woman and her children.
But the mum was quick to ask the man if he could move away from his own window seat so that her child could enjoy the view instead.
"The lady asked me if I could switch seats so her kid could have the window," he then added.
"If this was economy, I would probably switch so the kid could have the window. Even though I would be miffed since I selected it in advance and the mother didn’t.
"However, I don’t get to fly first class very often and was looking forward to this flight. So, I simply said 'No sorry'.
"The kid threw a fit. The mother gave me a glare and pretty much tried to guilt trip me into switching but I just ignored her."
Trying to justify his refusal to move, he added that the option to pre-book seats is always there, and passengers should do this if they want a specific location.
He said: "If she wanted the window seat for her kid, she should have reserved it in advance. Plus, her kids are flying first class! Some people never get to fly first class in their lifetime."
Most people in the thread's comments seemed to be on his side, with one user commenting: "You paid for your ticket and selected your seat based on your preferences.
"I have no problem with the mother asking for you to make the switch, but once you said no it should have been the end of it.
"Frankly the fact her child threw a tantrum because they couldn't get your seat tells me you can teach her a thing or two about saying no."
In agreement, another user said: "You paid for and selected your seat. She didn't plan ahead. I'd have the same answer whether it's a kid, teen, adult, senior, dog, whatever. Not your problem."
And a third quipped: "People like her really irritate me. She didn’t book the seat and just expected someone to cave to her kids temper tantrum."
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