A mother has shared her rage after finding an elderly couple had taken her seats on the train and refused to move from them when she arrived.
Traveling can be stressful at the best of times, from lugging heavy suitcases on and off multiple forms of transport, to making sure you've left enough time to not miss your train or plane.
Many people opt to pay a little more to have a few extra comforts such a extra legroom or a pre-booked seat, assuming that everything afterward will go without a hitch.
However, one woman was left irate after she boarded a train with her three children, only to find two of their four seats were occupied by other people.
The mom, Amanda Mancino-Williams, shared the experience with her followers on Twitter, writing: "If a mum with 3 kids and bags has 4 reserved seats for a long train journey, and you're sitting in their seats on a full carriage, don't tell them that their tickets don't matter in a posh voice and then say you're not moving and refuse to make eye contact. Don't be these people."
She shared a photo of the elderly couple who were sat in her seats, before sharing another photo of her daughter glaring directly at them, adding: "My 12yo is just staring this woman down."
Mancino-Williams added that a man had offered her a seat, before she spoke to a conductor who was "calm, lovely, and apologetic," adding that he told her that "instead of engaging with them that he was going to move us to an empty table in first class. I grabbed our bags and turned to the couple and said, with a smile, 'enjoy your seats!'"
She added: "I would always give up a seat, reserved or not, for someone who needed it more. But for her to tell me that my tickets meant nothing and then refuse to acknowledge me? Do people just expect you to slink away?"
The mom praised the "lovely" staff member that had helped them, but asked: "I'd like to know what happens to those who remain in a spot that isn't there's. Are there no penalties?" (sic)
After the post went viral, Mancino-Williams added: "This situation is not about my children not having manners enough to stand for the elderly. This is about a culture of bullying and entitlement.
"My kids and I were being fair and following rules and these two were not. They immediately switched into bully mode as they saw us approach, clearly aware that those seats were ours."
She clarified: "Given how easy it was for the conductor to move us to another carriage to diffuse the situation, had they been in real need, I'm sure they would have gotten moved as well. Instead they broke the rules and tried to make my children and I feel powerless. I don't have time for that."
Mancino-Williams added that she was also six and a half months pregnant at the time of the incident, which she says the pair were "well aware of when they decided to not allow me my seats".
A spokesman for CrossCountry trains, which the group had been traveling on at the time of the incident, told The Sun in a statement that it was a shame the family was "let down by others who ignore the labels" marking out reserved seats, but hoped they enjoyed the "extra space in First Class".
