A man has revealed that he refused to switch seats for an elderly couple on a plane because he "paid extra" to sit there.
Long-haul flights are uncomfortable, especially if you can't afford the luxury of business or first-class seats so you have to sit in the economy area where legroom is limited.
One unnamed traveler revealed that he did not want to give up his seat to help an elderly couple as he wanted more space for himself for the grueling journey.
Taking to Reddit, the man shared that he wasn't prepared to sacrifice his spacious position on the 12-hour flight, which he paid additional money for.
The passenger shared the awkward encounter - which occurred a few years ago - and titled the post: "Old couple try to take our seats on a plane."
He explained that he was on a 12-13 hour flight from New Zealand to Los Angeles and had upgraded his seat to "premium economy seats" so that he could have more legroom because he is 6ft 3in tall.
The man also added that the flight in question was with Air New Zealand - an airline that has a screen showing a traveler's "name on it when you get to your seat".
However, when the couple reached their seats, they found an elderly couple in their mid-seventies there and asked them if they "got confused with their seat numbers" and they said 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 was 10 rows back. No leg room."
The man then goes on to describe the brief exchange between the two couples. He said he informed them he had paid extra for the seats, and asked them to move. He also said that he had offered to move their bags before a flight attendant arrived.
However, the flight attendant ended up siding with the man and his partner, before assisting the older couple to their seats. The Reddit user said that afterward, the elderly couple gave them a "Pikachu face," - which is basically an internet meme illustrating an expression that looks the farthest thing from happy.
"I got some stink eyes from other people on the flight. I paid for the extra leg room and I need it," he concluded in his post.
Upon seeing the post, the majority of the users agreed with the man's action and applauded him for standing his ground. One person said: "Honestly it wouldn’t matter if you were 4’0 - they were your seats. These people were ridiculous."
Another user interjected: "Seriously, what kind of person decides to take someone else's seat on a plane? I understand if there's an empty seat once you've taken off, but this kind of thing takes a special kind of entitlement."
A third chimed in to share their similar experience as an airplane worker, penning: "As a flight attendant I'm glad you didn't cave, I see people try this all the time, and often people will cave to the bullies and give up their seats even after I try to intervene."
What do you guys think of the man's choice to not give the elderly his seats? Share your opinions below.
