While flying a long-haul trip onboard an airplane can be extremely uncomfortable, a decent seat can make the gruelling journey a lot more bearable.
Economy flyers will also argue that extra legroom is the next best thing for those who can't afford the luxury of business or first-class seating.
Despite it being the respectful thing to do, a male passenger refused to give up his costly seat to accommodate an elderly couple in need.
Taking to popular forum site Reddit, the man admitted that he wasn't prepared to sacrifice his spacious seat on the 12-hour flight, which he paid additional money for.
Detailing the controversial incident from a year years ago, the man says he and his partner were on a 12-13 hour flight from New Zealand to Los Angeles.
He explained: "We booked and paid for our flights and I added the premium economy seats as I'm 6'3 and wanted the extra legroom. Cost an extra $60 (£50).
"This flight was with Air New Zealand, the screen has your name on it when you get to your seat. We get on the plane. Find our seats and there is this older couple sitting there (mid 70s). I ask them if they got confused with their seat numbers. They hadn't.
"I show them my ticket and seat number and point to my name on the screen. They then ask me just sit in their seats which were ten rows back. No leg room."
After the elderly couple refused to move from the seats, the man demanded that they return to their original seats as he 'paid extra'.
In the post, the man detailed his and the couple's interaction: "Me: You want me to sit in your seats?
"OP(old people): Yes, that would be nice thank you.
"Me: I paid extra for these seats and would like to sit in them. Please move to your seats.
"OP: Oh, it's not that bad there's plenty of legroom.
"Me: Yeah, there's plenty of legroom in my seats because I paid for it. I'll help move your bag if you need."
During their conversation, a flight attendant approached the passengers to question what all the fuss was about.
The conversation continued: "OP: This man wants us to move seats!
"Flight attendant: Sir, please go to your allocated seats.
"Me: Here is my ticket, these people are sitting in my seats. I paid extra because I need the legroom.
"Flight attendant to old people: Excuse me, you will have to move to your own seats as you have not paid for these seats.
"Old people: Well, can we please have an upgrade?
"Flight attendant: Sorry, this is a full flight so that's not possible."
The man added: "I got some stink eyes from other people on the flight. I paid for the extra legroom and I need it."
Since sharing the thread online, the man's post has raked in 2,000 comments to date - where people were torn over the interaction.
Defending the man's decision, one person wrote: "It's not being selfish to keep what you have."
Meanwhile, a different user said: "You're definitely not the a**hole - those people are. Their entitlement and lack of self-reflection is truly astounding in the worst ways."
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