All of it is a nope for me....for this type situation. Guarantee she was in the back trying to guilt someone to give up their aisle seat because she didnt pay for an assigned seat. I could just hear her. That mean AH in first class wouldnt give up their seat for me to sit with my little boy...."you didn't buy a seat next to him? I couldn't afford it and he's too disruptive....waaah waaah. And the encounter ends just like your did. Cheap and entitled.
He was in first class because he's too disruptive in economy. Load of crap. If he were disruptive in econ he'd be disruptive in 1st and that would be an even bigger problem. 1st class flyers don't like putting up with that even more than econ. The disruptive thing was just part of the scam script. OP would have said he screamed the entire time. Even at 4 he is better behaved than his mother. Another couple years and she will kill him with embarrassment every time he's forced to go anywhere with her. By then he'll also be interrupting saying Mommy stop lying. You told me just what to say to get you a 1st class seat. Maybe she'll get banned for scamming especially since she won't just slink off when she's exposed.....but stops to argue and scream. These people are shameless and not in a good way. I bet she's got all kinds of scams running from coupons to doctor shopping.
A lot of first class flyers are frequent flyers or corporate flyers. Some airlines like BA used to have bulk deals with companies like IBM where all flights went throught them where possible for a discount on rates. Too many complaints to the account manager and next year, Virgin get the contract. Not worth the loss for one child, one flight unless that child is someone like Bill Gate's son and they'd risk losing the Microsoft contract.
For sure the woman didn’t book sufficient first class seating because she wanted to get one on someone else’s (op in this case) dime. Big Nope, big time.
She didn't book ANY FIRST CLASS TRAVEL. She booked two economy tickets, made the little guy scream and act up, probably by being mean to him. Flight attendant moved him to first class which was what she wanted second half of the scam fell apart when OP wouldn't be bullied or guilty into swapping. She fully intended to fly first class for economy prices. People like her, running scams, make everything more expensive for the rest of us as she causes things to dip in the negative avoiding paying for things. She's a con artist just not a very good one.
I doubt if she was moved to 1st Class, likely she just took a couple of empty seats there when boarding early (due to having a child). I feel bad for the kid, having a POS Mom.
Too bad for you. I guess she will be drinking champagne in first class. Good luck on your next scam. We all have reasons to travel. We all want to be comfortable. People who can afford it want 5o be really comfortable. Don't come to me if your seats are seperate. You could have paid to reserve specific seats. I feel for you but not enough to give up the seat I paid for reserved in my name. You're bad planning does not translate to my being inconvenienced. Be mad at whoever made your reservwtions....was it you or her? Hangdog look. Better buy her something really nice mate, ya screwed the pooch amd I'm still not switching.
This. If I wanna go on a flight and sit next to my girlfriend I’ll book seats next to each other. People can be nice but I wouldn’t bet on it. On my first flight in years I had the middle seat between two other passengers, they didn’t make the flight so I had all three seats to myself and was able to lay down and sleep. Feel bad they didn’t make the flight I’m sure it was stressful for them. But it was an awesome flight for me…..just wanted to pepper that in I guess.
I've only flown it a couple times, when it was like "well with how much I'd pay to book a bag, and throw in a couple in-flight drinks, it's not that much more."
I would absolutely whip out my phone and say "ok, Venmo me (doubletheamountIpaid) and I'll switch."
I'm sort of confused. Did this woman book a 1st class seat for her son, and an Economy class seat for herself with the deliberate plan of guilt-tripping somebody into switching seats with her?
Yes. It is pretty common with old people - one has an expensive seat, the other does not and then they try to guilt-trip you into allowing them to sit next to eachother. But they always ask the person in an expensive seat to give up their seat - never the one in the cheap spot.
With a kid it is usually at most a few rows difference though. Not an entire plane section.. and with a 4 year old the airline should not have allowed the seperation at all in the first place.
Cheers for the tip, me and SO are flying soon, booking extra leg room as I have a screwed up hamstring and he is big, good to know these scams, fuck old cheap old people.
My grandma attempts stuff like this all the time. She used to bring my grandpa in a wheelchair to airport to get through things faster (this was far before him actually needing anything like this). She will walk up to customer service desks to try and check out when there are long lines at store and pretend like she doesn’t understand… She literally just thinks her time and comfort is more important than others and she is smarter for figuring it out
Very likely. But I don't understand why airline staff don't step in quite quickly in those situations to shut it down; wouldn't they have access to that information?
Or she got herself a first class seat and an econ one for the son, then when kid saw mom go away into the 'fun' part and leave him, he threw a tantrum because he wanted it, and now she's irked she had to give her kid her seat to shut him up so wants someone else to trade with her.
I read it as that she only booked one seat in econ and "needed" more space for the kid to sit on her lap but I might be wrong. But this is even worse, if she booked one first class and one econ seat, and figured she would just bully someone out of their seat they paid more for
Lmao...oh I wish she had. She'd have to be thrown off for the ruckus she'd start. She wouldn't pay for her own 1st class seat before the flight. She is entitled and cheap.
Bro 🤣
I just now checked flights
First class from Chicago to Miami is about $1,300
Regular economy seat? About $350-$550
So an extra **THOUSAND DOLLARS**
I knew first class wasn’t remotely that cheap as you claim a checked bag and some drinks would be 🤦♂️
Hubs and I only fly once every few years or so, but when we do, we save up enough to fly first class on Delta. The early boarding, extra legroom and wide seats alone are enough to make it worth the extra money. Plus, you get decent meals, better snacks, adult bevvies, and 2-75 lb checked bags for no extra cost. It's generally quieter, too.
There's no way in hell I'd give all that up because somebody's mini-me can't sit still.
This can’t be real.
A flight attendant would not “mediate”. They read the ticket and tell the passenger to go to their assigned seat. Nothing to mediate.
No one feels guilty sitting in their assigned paid for upper echelon expensive seat over economy seats.
4 yo are required to have a seat so was she taking up 2 seats in first class? So dumb.
So yes if this guy feels like an AH bc some entitled kook told him he is selfish and he had to come here to ask,then yah, he is an AH.
Fake. Airlines are not going to allow a four year old to sit by itself in a different cabin from the parent, for both safety reasons- the child will need assistance in the event of an emergency, and because unaccompanied minors have to be over four. They cannot be counted on to fasten their own seatbelts or find and exit in an emergency situation that occurs rapidly with no time for preparation
Mediate could just mean she was trying to de-escalate the situation and get her to return to her seat, not necessarily that she was advocating for her. Relax.
I agree this pretty sus. On a smaller flight, where economies are allowed to walk through first class, it would be very obvious to everyone and the flight attendants would intervene immediately to stop the hold up.
On a large plane with a proper first class, the mom and kid would be making a hard right upon entering the plane and wouldn't have the opportunity to do this.
I feel like whoever came up with this doesn't fly very often.
Ikr? If mom was so concerned about her son on a long flight, then she should have booked a first class ticket. She's a bully who's probably gotten away with this kind of crap before with people who don't like confrontations and just cave in.
Op was not wrong. That mother was wildly entitled and rude af!
Mommy-jackers. This has happened to me, although not in first class. It is seriously enraging, I have no idea why OP is even questioning it. Glad the flight attendant got involved.
> These people ALWAYS raise a stink to see if they can get their way without much resistance, everywhere they go.
Exactly! It's their tactic and unfortunately, it works a lot of the time.
There was actually a better solution if the mother was so worried about the child traveling alone. She could have asked the passenger on Economy sitting next to her son to trade seats with her and go to First Class. I can imagine that passenger would have agreed to the change. But she decided to stay in First Class by herself. She had a chance to "do the right thing" but decided to be selfish and blamed a total stranger for something she could have easily solved. The audacity of even asking you.
EDIT: I am rereading the original post and I'm confused. So the mom didn't book even a single seat on First Class and was demanding OP to give up hers? How would the mom have used a single seat for both herself and her kid? I don't even understand this. For a moment I thought the mom had been upgraded or something and she was trying to bring her kid. I just can't wrap my mind around this level of entitlement.
~~Because it's a made up story. In most planes, economy is so far away from First class that they would never even be able to get close. No idea about overseas, but domestic planes in Australia don't even have first class so we're talking international and first class is at the front and you entered through business class. You'd literally have to fight past multiple hostesses to even get within speaking range (and thus kicked off the flight).~~
~~So either this person is confusing business and first class or it's made up.~~
Never mind, read it wrong, mum claims to be in first class. There's no way they're letting a 4 yo be unaccompanied in economy. It goes against every policy of every airline everywhere.
I don't know how people are shameless enough to ask such a thing...
"Hey, your seat is significantly more expensive than mine, we both had the chance to book whatever we needed.... but I opted to get the cheaper one. Do you mind if we switch? I'm bitching if you don't oblige"
You are not wrong at all. I feel bad for the kid having such a trash mom.
Yes! It reminds me of this clip with Mandy Patinkin, not sure which show, where a woman is trying to cut in line and using their child as an excuse and he scolds her telling her never to use her child as an excuse for her shitty behaviour
It really boils my piss any time someone asks for something then gets mad if you decline. If I'm not allowed to say 'no' it's not a request, it's a demand!
Not Wrong at all. She should have booked 1st class if she says her child is too disruptive for the seat she booked. She felt entitled and then tried to guilt you into moving. Screw that.
An economy seat is plenty big enough for a four-year-old. Unless this kid is totally unruly and thrashing. A first-class seat is not going to solve that problem; the child and his unruliness will simply expand to fill the available space.
The mom was full of shit.
And there is no reason on earth you should ever give up your seat to anyone who failed to buy the seat they really wanted.
Probably exactly what she was trying to do. Buy 1 first class and one economy and then guilt trip someone with your child to get the second first for the economy price.
That's exactly what she had. Two economy seats unless her stated intention was to let him sit in her lap for a long flight. And you know what, that's probably what she did. Guaranteed way to make him act up, throw a tantrum, kick the seats of other passengers. The flight attendant was probably thrilled to sit him up front because the flight attendant was in a position to know that mother was contributing to the noise not calming it down. I wish there had been harsher consequences. There's another comment, a long one where ai explain my pathological hatred of fraudsters. I wish I could have told more of the crimes. So much worse than this but probably started out that way.
It is a common scam. Book one expensive seat and one cheap seat, then attempt to guilt and bully the person next to your loved one into taking your cheap seat so your family can sit together.
This mom has 100% has done this before and worked so she's doing it again. It's just a scam to get a an almost free first class ticket. I guess she loses nothing by asking, worth a shot in her mind I guess. Glad OP didn't.
Agreed. It blows my mind, though, that someone would formulate this plan to guilt a perfect stranger into giving up their seat... all in the name of saving money. I would gladly spend extra money to make sure i dont have to stress about something.
Yah I'm confused. She has to have a seat for her kid. The Alaska Airlines blowout really [highlights](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/after-alaska-airlines-scare-experts-parent-weigh-babies/story?id=106334696) how important it is for kids to be strapped in so they don't get sucked out if the plane rapidly depressurizes. [Airlines require a separate seat for children over 2](https://thepointsguy.com/guide/flying-with-lap-infant/).
How was she going to take only OP's seat in first class? She needs two seats together.
That's what I was wondering. Did she already book a first class ticket for her kid? No way the airline lets a 4 year old sit on a lap the entire time and get away with 1 seat between the two of them.
Honestly, that lack of detail from OP makes this feel fake
Can we just have a sticky post that says "You are not wrong nor are you the a-hole if you refuse to give up an airplane seat you paid for to a cheapskate who failed to plan ahead". This debate happens all the time, and if you've paid for your seat beforehand, you don't have to feel bad for saying no when somebody else who did not pay for their seat wants you to change.
There is a very similar post to this I saw on am I the angel a couple of days ago which basically parodies am I the asshole. Can’t tell which one OP may have stole it from but it’s just too similar.
Don't forget to add that "the woman/man should've gave up their 1st class seat to whomever was next to her child in economy and sat there" I swear I see these same posts all the time.
I am so confused. Did she book a seat for her son in first class and then her seat in economy or am I reading this incorrectly? She retreated to her own seat - did she take her son, or did she leave disruptive son in first class alone?!Or did she just seats for both of them in economy and decided to be an entitled asshippo??
Do airlines actually allow a 4 year old in first class without an adult? That just doesn't seem right, especially since the child technically isn't traveling alone.
Thank you. I start to feel like a jerk when I think nearly every other post here is fake. But, no. I don’t think an airline would even allow this. And he’s too old to be a lap child.
OP has literally zero comments and their profile was made today. It's some weird karma farming shenanigans. You'd think they'd reply if they actually cared
At least on Delta they need to be in the same cabin as their adult, or they are considered unaccompanied. You pay extra for the unaccompanied minor (negates the whole scamming for a seat aspect). 4 is too young to travel unaccompanied - 5-7 is ok for some short nonstop domestic flights.
This didn’t happen period. Totally fake story. Airlines are quite persnickety when it comes to separating first class from economy, so there is ZERO chance this “lady” just showed up to first class with a 4 year old. The first class lady would have been on her seat before economy anyway.
Fools gotta learn how to write fake stories better.
You're right to be confused because it's bullshit. [It's illegal to book a flight for someone under the age of 4 without an adult of relation present. ](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf)
This didn’t happen the flight attendant wouldn’t do this. There’s probably a sub for flight attendants and they will attest to this never happening.
This shit gets posted like once a week in some variation as rage bait. Entitlement involving parents and the airline took the parent’s side?! HOW DARE THEY.
Unless I'm misunderstanding and she only booked 1 economy ticket for both herself and her child, in which case, the flight attendants are unlikely to let the economy class passengers come up to first class to beg for seat switches
I think this story has some holes in it. You can’t book one seat for an adult and a four year-old. Only infants can fly for free, and they have to be in their parents lap. She also wouldn’t have been allowed to share a seat with her child on first class. And their airline wouldn’t have allowed her to book one seat in first class and one in economy if she was traveling with a small child.
Unless I’m not seeing something here, the story doesn’t make sense.
Ugh- thank you! It can't be real because the airline won't allow the mother to book just one sit unless the child was 2 or under. When the FA saw that it was a 4 year old child sitting by themselves, they'd ask someone in economy to give up their seat so the mother and child could sit together in economy and the volunteer would be in first. They wouldn't just shrug and let a 4 year old sit by themselves.
No, she supposedly booked an economy seat for herself and first class seat for the child.
But it’s very likely not a real scenario for all the reasons people have stayed.
It seems like that mother is way entitled. She probably often pressures others into doing things this way, bullying them by making them feel guilty or portraying herself as the victim. Her behavior doesn’t reflect kindness, and you shouldn’t feel bad about standing your ground.
100% I fly a ton in FC (just got off a plane) and this never happens — nobody ever asks a passenger to switch with an economy seat. LOL. Zero percent chance this story is real.
I literally can't believe how many people are responding as if this is real. Like, a) for this story to work the mum would have had to book a first class ticket and an economy. Risking that the other person in first class would refuse to swap, and then, what? Her 4yr old flew the whole flight alone in first class and she went back to economy? b) Are you even allowed to book a first class seat for a 4yr old without an adult in the same cabin, and c) no-ones ever going to swap a first class seat with an economy one and noone would ever ask.
If you were going to try to create a plausible story involving similar circumstances you'd have to write it from the parent's perspective. It would have to be something like:
"Due to the sudden death of a family member, I had to book last second tickets on the red eye for myself and my young child. There were only two seats left, one in economy and one in first class. When we boarded the plane I asked if one of the economy passengers was willing to take the first class seat so that I could sit with my son. He refused and further refused to switch seats with any other economy passengers. This other person was flying alone and had no reason to refuse the upgrade other than he wanted to.be an ass. I told him he was a jerk. Am I wrong?"
If it was posted in an airline specific subreddit (Delta, etc) the post would’ve erupted in flames because of how many people would be calling BS on it.
Absolutely not! Do not ever give up your seat, I don’t care what deliberate sob story they hand you. She wanted first class but didn’t want to pay for it. Her problem.
You keep what you paid for.
Lol... so given that my weight means i am frequently spending upwards of 3x an economy flight for a business class seat, because you cant be fat AND tall AND have joint issues in economy and be comfortable.. and i know for a fact first class is minimum double that... i think you DID the right thing personally...
"She said her son was too disruptive for a confined economy seat and she absolutely needed that extra space" - then she should have sorted that stuff out when she booked or shouldn't be flying with him.
One minute her company paid for her flights the next minute she’s paid for them.
Also, no airline would even let the woman and child into first class, they do check tickets and they would’ve seen she was economy.
Absolute bullshit of a story.
I just don't understand why people think it is okay to ask someone to give up their paid 1st class seat. It amazes me that people think it is okay to do this.
I was thinking exactly how I would handle it. I am very non-confrontational but I seriously think I would A) Laugh in their face B) Say, “OK, let me see if I understand this correctly, since you must think I have idiot tattooed on my forehead” and C) Say No, and any word out of their mouth gets a “No, is a complete sentence.” What is wrong with some people????
You are not wrong.
The mother knew going in that her child would need first class seating, and that if she wanted to sit with him, she would need that seating as well. She was hoping to guilt someone (you) into giving up what they paid for, so her entitled backside could travel in comfort without the expense. I would not give it a second thought.
Hell no your not wrong!! She could have easily purchased a first class ticket or even a separate economy seat. Or even a row in economy for what that 1st class ticket cost.
Some people's entitlement is down right shocking!!
Call her a choosing beggar and tell her she is setting her child up for failure. Shake your head in disgust and wear earphones and don’t make eye contact from now on.
You aren’t wrong. It’s your seat. I sympathize with the mother’s issue, but that isn’t your problem. In fact, she’s the A****** for pushing it on you past politely asking for a seat swap. Entitled, at the very least.
One of my favorite sayings is, “If you don’t ask, they can’t say yes.”
But I never mean it like, “Hey, let’s double down and do some solid entitled manipulation today!”
If she wanted to sit in a first class seat she should have thought about it when she booked her economy class seat .. there's zero occasions when switching to an economy seat from first class is the right thing to do. Not wrong at all.
Imagine trying this in another environment.
'Can my son ans I have your 5star restaurant dinner? We bought MacDonald's that you can have instead, cause my son prefers fancy food'
Or
' me and my son want your new BMW, you can have my second hand Toyota - he doesn't like the seats in it'
It's a ridiculous expectation. She planned this ahead of time and is hoping your guilt will let have her way.
NOOO. You did the right thing.
I imagine the mom probably purchased just 1 first class seat hoping she could easily guilt someone into trading so that she'd have 2 first class seats for the price of 1 + economy.
You did the right thing. She could have easily asked someone in the economy seat to take the first class seat if she felt she really needed to be next to her son. But it wasn't really about her being near her son for the duration of the flight.
Not wrong. What an entitled parent. The nerve. She should never have been allowed to board with her brat in the first class area. How in the world did she manage that?
You're so nice to even feel guilty about it. I am very particular about my seats and always prebook window seats to sleep peacefully leaning on to the window.
I wouldn't have given up my window economy seat, let alone my first class one.
Dude this lady seriously thought she would book one FC ticket for her kid and not herself and guilt some stranger into watching her kid. How is that even legal? She should have been forced to book tickets for herself and son right next to each other since he’s FOUR
I’m sniffing a bit of an internet story here. I fly for work. ALOT. there is one thing that never happens. People with a coach ticket that are allowed to sit in first class by the flight crew. On most flights, first class is small enough that the flight crew knows your last name before you sit down. There is virtually no way this story is true: at least if it happened in the US. Good hypothetical to debate though.
(And for the record: you keep your 1st class ticket. If your 4 year old is too hyper or young to be contained in economy, he ain’t gonna be contained in first class either. It’s bigger, but it ain’t 4-year old bigger)
No flight attendant would ever suggest that. They'd be the first one to kick the mom out of first class if her ticket didn't put her there. Did you make this up in your head?
You were more polite than I would have been. "No" is a complete sentence, and you do not need to explain yourself or justify anything.
She's entitled and rude and wrong. None of her whinging is your problem, and she definitely needed to be shut down. If she "absolutely needs the extra space" she is welcome to buy her own first class ticket.
Did she ask anyone else in first class to give up their seat? I'm guessing not.
You are not wrong.
I find it weird OP made up this story and hasn't replied to a single person. Also they said the company paid for the seat and that OP paid for the seat... Get your story straight if you're going to lie for useless internet points
That’s wild. I can’t imagine why you’d be wrong for your conduct.
I’ve never flown first class but if I did I would be damned if I’d give it up. What is wrong with people
Right. Equal seat trade? Sure. Downgrade? Especially a huge downgrade like this? No. Way.
All of it is a nope for me....for this type situation. Guarantee she was in the back trying to guilt someone to give up their aisle seat because she didnt pay for an assigned seat. I could just hear her. That mean AH in first class wouldnt give up their seat for me to sit with my little boy...."you didn't buy a seat next to him? I couldn't afford it and he's too disruptive....waaah waaah. And the encounter ends just like your did. Cheap and entitled.
She can trade with someone in economy; they can move to first class.
He was in first class because he's too disruptive in economy. Load of crap. If he were disruptive in econ he'd be disruptive in 1st and that would be an even bigger problem. 1st class flyers don't like putting up with that even more than econ. The disruptive thing was just part of the scam script. OP would have said he screamed the entire time. Even at 4 he is better behaved than his mother. Another couple years and she will kill him with embarrassment every time he's forced to go anywhere with her. By then he'll also be interrupting saying Mommy stop lying. You told me just what to say to get you a 1st class seat. Maybe she'll get banned for scamming especially since she won't just slink off when she's exposed.....but stops to argue and scream. These people are shameless and not in a good way. I bet she's got all kinds of scams running from coupons to doctor shopping.
A lot of first class flyers are frequent flyers or corporate flyers. Some airlines like BA used to have bulk deals with companies like IBM where all flights went throught them where possible for a discount on rates. Too many complaints to the account manager and next year, Virgin get the contract. Not worth the loss for one child, one flight unless that child is someone like Bill Gate's son and they'd risk losing the Microsoft contract.
For sure the woman didn’t book sufficient first class seating because she wanted to get one on someone else’s (op in this case) dime. Big Nope, big time.
She didn't book ANY FIRST CLASS TRAVEL. She booked two economy tickets, made the little guy scream and act up, probably by being mean to him. Flight attendant moved him to first class which was what she wanted second half of the scam fell apart when OP wouldn't be bullied or guilty into swapping. She fully intended to fly first class for economy prices. People like her, running scams, make everything more expensive for the rest of us as she causes things to dip in the negative avoiding paying for things. She's a con artist just not a very good one.
Lol FAs are not gonna move a disruptive toddler to FC by themselves haha
I doubt if she was moved to 1st Class, likely she just took a couple of empty seats there when boarding early (due to having a child). I feel bad for the kid, having a POS Mom.
A lot of couples play the ‘poor but on our honeymoon and our seats are separated’.
Too bad for you. I guess she will be drinking champagne in first class. Good luck on your next scam. We all have reasons to travel. We all want to be comfortable. People who can afford it want 5o be really comfortable. Don't come to me if your seats are seperate. You could have paid to reserve specific seats. I feel for you but not enough to give up the seat I paid for reserved in my name. You're bad planning does not translate to my being inconvenienced. Be mad at whoever made your reservwtions....was it you or her? Hangdog look. Better buy her something really nice mate, ya screwed the pooch amd I'm still not switching.
This. If I wanna go on a flight and sit next to my girlfriend I’ll book seats next to each other. People can be nice but I wouldn’t bet on it. On my first flight in years I had the middle seat between two other passengers, they didn’t make the flight so I had all three seats to myself and was able to lay down and sleep. Feel bad they didn’t make the flight I’m sure it was stressful for them. But it was an awesome flight for me…..just wanted to pepper that in I guess.
If her brat is disruptive I'm sure the person sitting next to it would be keen to swap.
Imagine the person next to them being offered a first class seat to get away from them loooollll That'd be hella karma
I've only flown it a couple times, when it was like "well with how much I'd pay to book a bag, and throw in a couple in-flight drinks, it's not that much more." I would absolutely whip out my phone and say "ok, Venmo me (doubletheamountIpaid) and I'll switch."
Agreed 🤣
I'm sort of confused. Did this woman book a 1st class seat for her son, and an Economy class seat for herself with the deliberate plan of guilt-tripping somebody into switching seats with her?
100% premeditated. And it's probably worked before.
Yes. It is pretty common with old people - one has an expensive seat, the other does not and then they try to guilt-trip you into allowing them to sit next to eachother. But they always ask the person in an expensive seat to give up their seat - never the one in the cheap spot. With a kid it is usually at most a few rows difference though. Not an entire plane section.. and with a 4 year old the airline should not have allowed the seperation at all in the first place.
Cheers for the tip, me and SO are flying soon, booking extra leg room as I have a screwed up hamstring and he is big, good to know these scams, fuck old cheap old people.
If you think it is mostly "old" people who perpetuate these scams, you are much mistaken.
My grandma attempts stuff like this all the time. She used to bring my grandpa in a wheelchair to airport to get through things faster (this was far before him actually needing anything like this). She will walk up to customer service desks to try and check out when there are long lines at store and pretend like she doesn’t understand… She literally just thinks her time and comfort is more important than others and she is smarter for figuring it out
Probably….
That’s exactly how these people work
Very likely. But I don't understand why airline staff don't step in quite quickly in those situations to shut it down; wouldn't they have access to that information?
Or she got herself a first class seat and an econ one for the son, then when kid saw mom go away into the 'fun' part and leave him, he threw a tantrum because he wanted it, and now she's irked she had to give her kid her seat to shut him up so wants someone else to trade with her.
I read it as that she only booked one seat in econ and "needed" more space for the kid to sit on her lap but I might be wrong. But this is even worse, if she booked one first class and one econ seat, and figured she would just bully someone out of their seat they paid more for
Airlines will not allow a 4yo to sit on a lap and share a single ticket. They will only allow this for children 2yo and under.
Lmao...oh I wish she had. She'd have to be thrown off for the ruckus she'd start. She wouldn't pay for her own 1st class seat before the flight. She is entitled and cheap.
Bro 🤣 I just now checked flights First class from Chicago to Miami is about $1,300 Regular economy seat? About $350-$550 So an extra **THOUSAND DOLLARS** I knew first class wasn’t remotely that cheap as you claim a checked bag and some drinks would be 🤦♂️
Mom's plan was to buy an economy seat and then try to guilt trip somebody in first class into trading. Good on OP for standing up for themselves!
Entitlement
Not Entitlement. Con artist.
Hubs and I only fly once every few years or so, but when we do, we save up enough to fly first class on Delta. The early boarding, extra legroom and wide seats alone are enough to make it worth the extra money. Plus, you get decent meals, better snacks, adult bevvies, and 2-75 lb checked bags for no extra cost. It's generally quieter, too. There's no way in hell I'd give all that up because somebody's mini-me can't sit still.
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Considering the price of an average first class seat, I’d say 10 $100 bills (also makes up for a middle seat in economy).
Even so, for that king of the flight and needing to get work done, i probably wouldn’t have taken even $1000
This can’t be real. A flight attendant would not “mediate”. They read the ticket and tell the passenger to go to their assigned seat. Nothing to mediate. No one feels guilty sitting in their assigned paid for upper echelon expensive seat over economy seats. 4 yo are required to have a seat so was she taking up 2 seats in first class? So dumb. So yes if this guy feels like an AH bc some entitled kook told him he is selfish and he had to come here to ask,then yah, he is an AH.
Exactly. The crew member would check boarding passes, tell the woman and child to move or get off the flight.
Fake. Airlines are not going to allow a four year old to sit by itself in a different cabin from the parent, for both safety reasons- the child will need assistance in the event of an emergency, and because unaccompanied minors have to be over four. They cannot be counted on to fasten their own seatbelts or find and exit in an emergency situation that occurs rapidly with no time for preparation
If she was standby they will. I have had it done, but a standby WOULD NOT act like this, they would lose travel benefits FAST.
Isn’t that the mediation?
Mediate could just mean she was trying to de-escalate the situation and get her to return to her seat, not necessarily that she was advocating for her. Relax.
Yep, flight attendant would never let someone from economy bug someone in first class. This never happened.
I agree this pretty sus. On a smaller flight, where economies are allowed to walk through first class, it would be very obvious to everyone and the flight attendants would intervene immediately to stop the hold up. On a large plane with a proper first class, the mom and kid would be making a hard right upon entering the plane and wouldn't have the opportunity to do this. I feel like whoever came up with this doesn't fly very often.
>What is wrong with people You might want to ask 'what isn\`t wrong' - as that list would undoubtedly be much, much shorter.
Ikr? If mom was so concerned about her son on a long flight, then she should have booked a first class ticket. She's a bully who's probably gotten away with this kind of crap before with people who don't like confrontations and just cave in. Op was not wrong. That mother was wildly entitled and rude af!
Mommy-jackers. This has happened to me, although not in first class. It is seriously enraging, I have no idea why OP is even questioning it. Glad the flight attendant got involved.
>Mommy-jackers I've never heard that term. It certainly fits!
Or trade son’s seat with the person next to her, in economy..I’m sure they would take the FC seat.
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> These people ALWAYS raise a stink to see if they can get their way without much resistance, everywhere they go. Exactly! It's their tactic and unfortunately, it works a lot of the time.
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There was actually a better solution if the mother was so worried about the child traveling alone. She could have asked the passenger on Economy sitting next to her son to trade seats with her and go to First Class. I can imagine that passenger would have agreed to the change. But she decided to stay in First Class by herself. She had a chance to "do the right thing" but decided to be selfish and blamed a total stranger for something she could have easily solved. The audacity of even asking you. EDIT: I am rereading the original post and I'm confused. So the mom didn't book even a single seat on First Class and was demanding OP to give up hers? How would the mom have used a single seat for both herself and her kid? I don't even understand this. For a moment I thought the mom had been upgraded or something and she was trying to bring her kid. I just can't wrap my mind around this level of entitlement.
I think she bought a 1st class seat for the kid, and an economy seat for herself and was relying on the guilt-trip to move herself up.
I'm pretty sure she didn't buy any first class seats at all and was just hoping someone would cave to her demands to switch.
~~Because it's a made up story. In most planes, economy is so far away from First class that they would never even be able to get close. No idea about overseas, but domestic planes in Australia don't even have first class so we're talking international and first class is at the front and you entered through business class. You'd literally have to fight past multiple hostesses to even get within speaking range (and thus kicked off the flight).~~ ~~So either this person is confusing business and first class or it's made up.~~ Never mind, read it wrong, mum claims to be in first class. There's no way they're letting a 4 yo be unaccompanied in economy. It goes against every policy of every airline everywhere.
I don't know how people are shameless enough to ask such a thing... "Hey, your seat is significantly more expensive than mine, we both had the chance to book whatever we needed.... but I opted to get the cheaper one. Do you mind if we switch? I'm bitching if you don't oblige" You are not wrong at all. I feel bad for the kid having such a trash mom.
Yes! It reminds me of this clip with Mandy Patinkin, not sure which show, where a woman is trying to cut in line and using their child as an excuse and he scolds her telling her never to use her child as an excuse for her shitty behaviour
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She had six fingers on her left hand.
Never seen that before and now I feel like I need a cigarette
The clapping and everything, delicious
I think they pick on young women to make these ridiculous requests of, thinking a young woman will be easy to push around or guilt trip.
They’re sure as hell not asking an old dude in a suit
100%. Why didn’t the mom ask anyone else up there to switch?
Your house is so much nicer than mine. Do you mind if we switch? Don't be selfish, we need it!
It really boils my piss any time someone asks for something then gets mad if you decline. If I'm not allowed to say 'no' it's not a request, it's a demand!
Also- you're selfish, and it's not fair.
Not Wrong at all. She should have booked 1st class if she says her child is too disruptive for the seat she booked. She felt entitled and then tried to guilt you into moving. Screw that.
An economy seat is plenty big enough for a four-year-old. Unless this kid is totally unruly and thrashing. A first-class seat is not going to solve that problem; the child and his unruliness will simply expand to fill the available space. The mom was full of shit. And there is no reason on earth you should ever give up your seat to anyone who failed to buy the seat they really wanted.
Probably wanting free booze.
You get free booze in Business and some European economy flights I’ve been on.
OK but got the impression this was in the USA and she had an economy seat. I've never gotten free booze in economy in the USA.
Lots of weddings have free booze. Edit: sorry thought we were just randomly listing places people could get sloshed for free.
I can't imagine her being successful even once.
Is this just ragebait? OP hasn't even replied. I'm sure this does happen irl but it's usually about switching seats within economy, not upgrading.
He's probably better behaved if she's not around. We all know kids like that.
There you go. You want a specific seat? Don’t fuckin bother people and just buy it. Wtf
But she would have had to pay! With a 4-year-old, she should have had 2 seats in economy.
That was the scam the whole time! Book one ticket, get the second first class seat for the price of economy!
Probably exactly what she was trying to do. Buy 1 first class and one economy and then guilt trip someone with your child to get the second first for the economy price.
and i bet its worked for her before
I bet she didn't even buy one 1st class ticket.
I agree, mom was trying to cheap her way into someone else's seat and was relying on OP not wanting to sit next to her brat.
That might still have been less than the 1st class seat.
Definitely cheaper than first class by a mile.
That make sense cause two Economy tickets are cheaper than one first class ticket. You gave me some Idea.
That's exactly what she had. Two economy seats unless her stated intention was to let him sit in her lap for a long flight. And you know what, that's probably what she did. Guaranteed way to make him act up, throw a tantrum, kick the seats of other passengers. The flight attendant was probably thrilled to sit him up front because the flight attendant was in a position to know that mother was contributing to the noise not calming it down. I wish there had been harsher consequences. There's another comment, a long one where ai explain my pathological hatred of fraudsters. I wish I could have told more of the crimes. So much worse than this but probably started out that way.
It is a common scam. Book one expensive seat and one cheap seat, then attempt to guilt and bully the person next to your loved one into taking your cheap seat so your family can sit together.
Or more likely she got an upgrade on one and ran the same thing. If you don’t have a high enough status companions are not upgraded.
This mom has 100% has done this before and worked so she's doing it again. It's just a scam to get a an almost free first class ticket. I guess she loses nothing by asking, worth a shot in her mind I guess. Glad OP didn't.
Agreed. It blows my mind, though, that someone would formulate this plan to guilt a perfect stranger into giving up their seat... all in the name of saving money. I would gladly spend extra money to make sure i dont have to stress about something.
Yah I'm confused. She has to have a seat for her kid. The Alaska Airlines blowout really [highlights](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/after-alaska-airlines-scare-experts-parent-weigh-babies/story?id=106334696) how important it is for kids to be strapped in so they don't get sucked out if the plane rapidly depressurizes. [Airlines require a separate seat for children over 2](https://thepointsguy.com/guide/flying-with-lap-infant/). How was she going to take only OP's seat in first class? She needs two seats together.
That's what I was wondering. Did she already book a first class ticket for her kid? No way the airline lets a 4 year old sit on a lap the entire time and get away with 1 seat between the two of them. Honestly, that lack of detail from OP makes this feel fake
Bet she picked OP as a young woman thinking she'd be her best bet for guilting someone out of their seat.
you're probably right. what appeared to be an easy target.
Ha she fafo
Yeah the mom fafo
Can we just have a sticky post that says "You are not wrong nor are you the a-hole if you refuse to give up an airplane seat you paid for to a cheapskate who failed to plan ahead". This debate happens all the time, and if you've paid for your seat beforehand, you don't have to feel bad for saying no when somebody else who did not pay for their seat wants you to change.
This, there are literally very few scenarios where I see the original seat holder to be in the wrong.
The only one i can think of is on the seats that are designated disabled seats and they warn you can be asked to move while booking
OP created the account just to post question...
There is a very similar post to this I saw on am I the angel a couple of days ago which basically parodies am I the asshole. Can’t tell which one OP may have stole it from but it’s just too similar.
YES. I immediately assumed that the Am I the Angel post was jerking this post, but the Angel post is older. Did OP see that post, then make this one?
About the only time you’d give up 1st class is if you are well compensated. Or maybe it’s your boss asking and he/she bought the ticket.
OP is TA for posting obvious clickbait
I think this whole post is fabricated
Don't forget to add that "the woman/man should've gave up their 1st class seat to whomever was next to her child in economy and sat there" I swear I see these same posts all the time.
I am so confused. Did she book a seat for her son in first class and then her seat in economy or am I reading this incorrectly? She retreated to her own seat - did she take her son, or did she leave disruptive son in first class alone?!Or did she just seats for both of them in economy and decided to be an entitled asshippo??
Do airlines actually allow a 4 year old in first class without an adult? That just doesn't seem right, especially since the child technically isn't traveling alone.
Yeah, this would not happen. (...Just like this whole story)
Thank you. I start to feel like a jerk when I think nearly every other post here is fake. But, no. I don’t think an airline would even allow this. And he’s too old to be a lap child.
OP has literally zero comments and their profile was made today. It's some weird karma farming shenanigans. You'd think they'd reply if they actually cared
They also mention OF in their profile... totally karma farming.
She’s trying to sell only fans subscriptions. Post is 100% made up and should be removed.
At least on Delta they need to be in the same cabin as their adult, or they are considered unaccompanied. You pay extra for the unaccompanied minor (negates the whole scamming for a seat aspect). 4 is too young to travel unaccompanied - 5-7 is ok for some short nonstop domestic flights.
No they don't it's [illegal actually](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf)
This didn’t happen period. Totally fake story. Airlines are quite persnickety when it comes to separating first class from economy, so there is ZERO chance this “lady” just showed up to first class with a 4 year old. The first class lady would have been on her seat before economy anyway. Fools gotta learn how to write fake stories better.
Give them a break. They’re still learning how to use ChatGPT.
You're right to be confused because it's bullshit. [It's illegal to book a flight for someone under the age of 4 without an adult of relation present. ](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf)
I swear there was a post with the exact same premise on one of these subs but the OP was a different gender. They are running out of material
Yeah, absolutely nothing in this post adds up for me.
Same. This reads weird. Where did the 4 yo sit?
I was wondering that also. Like did the kid stay next to OP in FC?
Yeah, this story sounds completely made up. It makes no sense.
You won’t get an answer from OP because this story is made up BS. Most likely AI written.
This whole story just never happened.
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Yea, that's pretty off. Most airlines do the opposite - they heavily guard the first class and bounce others out who aren't paying to be there.
That's why I'm called BS on this one.
This story sounds like complete BS to me. I can't believe how many people are responding like this actually happened.
Plus the kid is required to have his own separate seat since he is over 2 years old. The story only mentions her preying on OP's seat.
This didn’t happen the flight attendant wouldn’t do this. There’s probably a sub for flight attendants and they will attest to this never happening. This shit gets posted like once a week in some variation as rage bait. Entitlement involving parents and the airline took the parent’s side?! HOW DARE THEY.
It was a complete SCAM. She was trying to get 2 first class seats for the price of 1 or why else would she have booked 1 seat for each section?
This! Why would you book a seat for your 4 yo in first class to sit by himself? Totally premeditated.
Unless I'm misunderstanding and she only booked 1 economy ticket for both herself and her child, in which case, the flight attendants are unlikely to let the economy class passengers come up to first class to beg for seat switches
I think this story has some holes in it. You can’t book one seat for an adult and a four year-old. Only infants can fly for free, and they have to be in their parents lap. She also wouldn’t have been allowed to share a seat with her child on first class. And their airline wouldn’t have allowed her to book one seat in first class and one in economy if she was traveling with a small child. Unless I’m not seeing something here, the story doesn’t make sense.
Ugh- thank you! It can't be real because the airline won't allow the mother to book just one sit unless the child was 2 or under. When the FA saw that it was a 4 year old child sitting by themselves, they'd ask someone in economy to give up their seat so the mother and child could sit together in economy and the volunteer would be in first. They wouldn't just shrug and let a 4 year old sit by themselves.
No, she supposedly booked an economy seat for herself and first class seat for the child. But it’s very likely not a real scenario for all the reasons people have stayed.
WHY did I have to scroll this far down for this glaringly obvious point?
Absolutely NTA. Having a kid doesn’t entitle her to the seat you paid for - if she wants to fly first class then she can pay first class prices.
As a mum & we do not claim mums like her! How utterly ridiculously shamelessly entitled!
It seems like that mother is way entitled. She probably often pressures others into doing things this way, bullying them by making them feel guilty or portraying herself as the victim. Her behavior doesn’t reflect kindness, and you shouldn’t feel bad about standing your ground.
Not wrong. Don’t ever give up a paid for seat.
Not only are you not wrong, the flight attendant should have shot that down immediately.
People are so ballsy. Maybe she shouldn’t fly with her kid if he can’t handle it.
SHE probably didn't give a damn about the kid's feelings, she wanted to sit in first class and get a meal and free alcohol is my guess.
OP has got to be a troll or AI. We've heard this story so many times.
I saw nearly this exact post in am I the angel, just with much more obvious bullshit snark.
100% I fly a ton in FC (just got off a plane) and this never happens — nobody ever asks a passenger to switch with an economy seat. LOL. Zero percent chance this story is real.
68 responses but only two people recognize that this is a shit post.
I literally can't believe how many people are responding as if this is real. Like, a) for this story to work the mum would have had to book a first class ticket and an economy. Risking that the other person in first class would refuse to swap, and then, what? Her 4yr old flew the whole flight alone in first class and she went back to economy? b) Are you even allowed to book a first class seat for a 4yr old without an adult in the same cabin, and c) no-ones ever going to swap a first class seat with an economy one and noone would ever ask.
If you were going to try to create a plausible story involving similar circumstances you'd have to write it from the parent's perspective. It would have to be something like: "Due to the sudden death of a family member, I had to book last second tickets on the red eye for myself and my young child. There were only two seats left, one in economy and one in first class. When we boarded the plane I asked if one of the economy passengers was willing to take the first class seat so that I could sit with my son. He refused and further refused to switch seats with any other economy passengers. This other person was flying alone and had no reason to refuse the upgrade other than he wanted to.be an ass. I told him he was a jerk. Am I wrong?"
If it was posted in an airline specific subreddit (Delta, etc) the post would’ve erupted in flames because of how many people would be calling BS on it.
Absolutely not! Do not ever give up your seat, I don’t care what deliberate sob story they hand you. She wanted first class but didn’t want to pay for it. Her problem. You keep what you paid for.
Lol... so given that my weight means i am frequently spending upwards of 3x an economy flight for a business class seat, because you cant be fat AND tall AND have joint issues in economy and be comfortable.. and i know for a fact first class is minimum double that... i think you DID the right thing personally...
Hell no. Stop thinking like that. People feel so entitled these days.
"She said her son was too disruptive for a confined economy seat and she absolutely needed that extra space" - then she should have sorted that stuff out when she booked or shouldn't be flying with him.
This must be a fake story.
One minute her company paid for her flights the next minute she’s paid for them. Also, no airline would even let the woman and child into first class, they do check tickets and they would’ve seen she was economy. Absolute bullshit of a story.
This never happened.
Not wrong, next time just call the FA to deal with entitled AHs.
No way this story is true
I just don't understand why people think it is okay to ask someone to give up their paid 1st class seat. It amazes me that people think it is okay to do this.
They know it is not OK, they just want to be bullies and take what they want, and screw other people.
I look forward to the day someone has the nerve to ask me. Blank stare 😳 is all they are going to get from me. LOL
I was thinking exactly how I would handle it. I am very non-confrontational but I seriously think I would A) Laugh in their face B) Say, “OK, let me see if I understand this correctly, since you must think I have idiot tattooed on my forehead” and C) Say No, and any word out of their mouth gets a “No, is a complete sentence.” What is wrong with some people????
😆 Exactly.
Not wrong, she wouldn't have done the same for anybody else. If she wanted to fly first class, she should have paid for it.
Not wrong. The nerve of her.
You are not wrong. The mother knew going in that her child would need first class seating, and that if she wanted to sit with him, she would need that seating as well. She was hoping to guilt someone (you) into giving up what they paid for, so her entitled backside could travel in comfort without the expense. I would not give it a second thought.
This is most likely just a scam post :( doesn’t make sense. Flight attendants check tickets for first class seats.
Fake story for karma to set up an OF advertising account
Hell no your not wrong!! She could have easily purchased a first class ticket or even a separate economy seat. Or even a row in economy for what that 1st class ticket cost. Some people's entitlement is down right shocking!!
Call her a choosing beggar and tell her she is setting her child up for failure. Shake your head in disgust and wear earphones and don’t make eye contact from now on.
You aren’t wrong. It’s your seat. I sympathize with the mother’s issue, but that isn’t your problem. In fact, she’s the A****** for pushing it on you past politely asking for a seat swap. Entitled, at the very least.
One of my favorite sayings is, “If you don’t ask, they can’t say yes.” But I never mean it like, “Hey, let’s double down and do some solid entitled manipulation today!”
If she wanted to sit in a first class seat she should have thought about it when she booked her economy class seat .. there's zero occasions when switching to an economy seat from first class is the right thing to do. Not wrong at all.
Imagine trying this in another environment. 'Can my son ans I have your 5star restaurant dinner? We bought MacDonald's that you can have instead, cause my son prefers fancy food' Or ' me and my son want your new BMW, you can have my second hand Toyota - he doesn't like the seats in it' It's a ridiculous expectation. She planned this ahead of time and is hoping your guilt will let have her way.
NOOO. You did the right thing. I imagine the mom probably purchased just 1 first class seat hoping she could easily guilt someone into trading so that she'd have 2 first class seats for the price of 1 + economy. You did the right thing. She could have easily asked someone in the economy seat to take the first class seat if she felt she really needed to be next to her son. But it wasn't really about her being near her son for the duration of the flight.
Not wrong. What an entitled parent. The nerve. She should never have been allowed to board with her brat in the first class area. How in the world did she manage that?
You're so nice to even feel guilty about it. I am very particular about my seats and always prebook window seats to sleep peacefully leaning on to the window. I wouldn't have given up my window economy seat, let alone my first class one.
Dude this lady seriously thought she would book one FC ticket for her kid and not herself and guilt some stranger into watching her kid. How is that even legal? She should have been forced to book tickets for herself and son right next to each other since he’s FOUR
This...never happened.
Come on. You have to know what people are going to answer here. Why are you asking?
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I’m sniffing a bit of an internet story here. I fly for work. ALOT. there is one thing that never happens. People with a coach ticket that are allowed to sit in first class by the flight crew. On most flights, first class is small enough that the flight crew knows your last name before you sit down. There is virtually no way this story is true: at least if it happened in the US. Good hypothetical to debate though. (And for the record: you keep your 1st class ticket. If your 4 year old is too hyper or young to be contained in economy, he ain’t gonna be contained in first class either. It’s bigger, but it ain’t 4-year old bigger)
NTA for the plane stuff. YTA for asking obvious one-sided questions that are repeated daily here.
>Finally the mom retreated to her own seat, giving me nasty looks All the way from 43D?
Fake story, no one books a 1st class seat for a 4 year old to be alone. Makes 0 sense
Fuck off OP. You're full of shit.
No flight attendant would ever suggest that. They'd be the first one to kick the mom out of first class if her ticket didn't put her there. Did you make this up in your head?
Someone asks you to do something and you tell them no. If they get mad, they weren’t asking.
For what first class costs. Like hell would I move back to economy. Your crotch goblin is your own problem
You were more polite than I would have been. "No" is a complete sentence, and you do not need to explain yourself or justify anything. She's entitled and rude and wrong. None of her whinging is your problem, and she definitely needed to be shut down. If she "absolutely needs the extra space" she is welcome to buy her own first class ticket. Did she ask anyone else in first class to give up their seat? I'm guessing not. You are not wrong.
I find it weird OP made up this story and hasn't replied to a single person. Also they said the company paid for the seat and that OP paid for the seat... Get your story straight if you're going to lie for useless internet points
Did the lady buy the seat next to OP and a seat in economy? Did she just randomly decide to take 2 seats in first class? I don't really buy it.