When I boarded the plane, I noticed that our seats were already occupied.
My wife and I were planning to visit some relatives in London. We purchased two flight tickets, ensuring that one of the seats was by the window.
The aircraft we were flying in was arranged with three seats per row. Knowing this, I reserved our seats so we could sit together, with a window seat included.
As we entered the plane, I saw that a woman and her young son were sitting in our seats. I checked my ticket, and everything was in order. The woman was in my seat, and her son, who looked about five, was in my wifes. I assumed she must have simply mixed up the seat numbers.
Excuse me, youre sitting in our seats, I told her.
She ignored me. When my wife repeated the request, the woman turned around and said, My son wanted to sit by the window. Its first come, first served. Were not moving. There are empty seats in the middle row, you can take those.
I replied, I specifically booked these seats for us. Id appreciate it if you took your assigned places so we dont cause a scene.
She responded, Cant you see my childs excited? If I move him now, hell throw a tantrum. Dont you have children? Youre adults, surely you can sit somewhere else.
My wife and I decided not to argue further and called over the flight attendant. Only after the attendants involvement did the woman finally move to her assigned seats.
If she wanted her son to have a window seat, why didnt she book those seats beforehand? It seemed rather selfish.
Thankfully, the flight attendant sorted things out quickly, otherwise the dispute could have dragged on. Other passengers around us supported my approachI didnt cause a fuss, but tried to resolve matters politely.
What I dont understand is why some parents believe they deserve special treatment simply because they have children. We have children too, but wed never dream of taking someone elses seat or pushing through a queue as if we were more important.
Im relieved the rest of our journey was uneventful, and hopefully that woman will learn to consider others by booking tickets well in advance. In the end, its always better to act with courtesy and respect toward othersgentle manners go a long way when travelling together.
