Traveller refuses to swap plane seat with disabled couple - and people are on his side

A man has been shamed by a flight attendant for refusing to swap seats with a disabled passenger on a flight, but other people are siding with him

The topic of seat swapping on planes is always a hot potato. If you're a seasoned traveller, it's likely you've been asked to change seats at some point. The reasons can vary from families who couldn't secure seats together, to passengers hoping for a better view from the window seat.

Most would agree that if you've reserved your seat on a flight, there's no obligation to relinquish it. Of course, nothing prevents you from being generous and agreeing to swap if you wish, but it's not mandatory and you're completely within your rights to decline if the proposal doesn't appeal to you.

But what if the person requesting the swap had a compelling reason, like not wanting their children to fly alone or having a disability? For some, this would tip the balance as we might perceive the other party as more "in need". However, one chap has revealed how he declined to swap seats with a couple on a recent flight, even after discovering one of them was disabled - and he was even reprimanded by the cabin crew for his decision.

In a Reddit post, the man described his experience on a four-hour flight with his girlfriend, who suffers from aviophobia and requires medication before boarding a plane to manage the journey. He explained how the plane's seating arrangement was in blocks of three with an aisle in the middle. They had booked seats B and C on their row, which was the middle seat and the aisle seat.

However, upon boarding, they discovered a woman occupying one of their seats next to her husband who was in seat A, the window seat. The couple had actually booked seats A and D - the aisle seat in the next row - but hoped the man and his girlfriend would swap. He shared: "When we boarded, an older couple were sat in seats 1A and 1B. They were given 1A and 1D, and offered us 1C and 1D. We politely refused this offer and explained that we'd booked 1B and 1C as we wished to sit together."

To his surprise, a flight attendant sided with the older couple, arguing that one of them was disabled so the younger couple should surrender their seat so they could sit together. Despite this, the man stood his ground and declined the offer again, leading the flight attendant to "roll her eyes" before the woman in 1B finally moved to let them sit down.

Commenters on the post defended the man's actions, stating that if the couple required "special accommodations", they should have communicated that with the airline when booking their flight. One individual weighed in on the issue, remarking: "You and your partner booked those seats in advance; they are yours. If the elderly couple needed special accommodations they should've figured that out in advance while booking."

Joining the debate, another commented: "You booked specific seats and you were 100% entitled to use them. I wish flight attendants would quit asking people directly if they are willing to switch seats and instead ask if anyone would be willing to switch seats so others can sit together. When asked directly and you decline, it just gets awkward."