Obesity can be a struggle for some, and often accessibility can be an issue. As pointed out by someone on the subreddit, Am I The A**hole (r/AITA), air travel has its challenges. Being a larger person she knew that she needed more space, but also never wanted to bother others about it. So she bought an extra seat. However, that did not keep the trouble away:
“A week ago I was going to a conference by plane and because I was going alone, I bought two seats. I fit in one but my side is usually touching the person next to me and I feel uncomfortable for them. It happened to me that they gave me nasty looks and I felt extremely uncomfortable the whole flight.” This simply proves that the woman is empathetic to her surroundings. Again, not a crime.
“So I sat down in the plane and put the armrest up so I would be really comfortable. Some couple came and they both sat next to me because they got separate seats and they noticed the seat next to me was empty. Exactly what I was afraid of happened. My side kept touching the guy next to me and he even pushed me a bit when he moved in the seat. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable and asked him if he could go to his seat because I bought this one for my comfort. He told me no, since the seat is empty and he wants to be with his girlfriend. Well, I told him I understand but I feel uncomfortable and I paid for the second seat so exactly this doesn’t happen. He refused again and started to chat with his GF. I called the flight attendant and quietly told her what was happening. She asked the guy to leave my second seat and he and his GF gave me a nasty look. The GF mumbled something like “F*cking fat bitch” under her breath but nothing directly to me.”
-Reddit | u/Tessy23
An “Empty” Seat Does Not Mean It’s Available
Now, how did Reddit react to this use of an extra seat?
u/MolassesFragrant342 was pretty straightforward in their response:
“NTA- Former flight attendant. It’s your seat. You paid for it. If that classless couple wanted to sit together that badly, they should have paid for seats together.”
To this, the the original poster responded:
“I must point out the flight attendant was an absolute sweetheart! Very kind and understanding. She was also giving me the belt extension and when I apologized to her, she told me not to worry about it and it was overall very pleasant to talk to her.”
u/jaelythe4781 stated:
“You paid for two seats. They were being entitled AHs for not even asking permission. For you in the future, there is Nothing wrong with informing people who try to sit in your PAID for the 2nd seat that it IS your seat even if it’s currently empty and they need to sit in their assigned seats or ask someone else to switch. Or they could PAY for assigned seats next to each other in the future. If you don’t pay for a seat assignment, you don’t get to complain about not sitting next to each other or bully someone else for their seat.”
Who Does The Extra Seat Belong To?
u/stefaniki mentioned:
“Those are the type of people who would complain either way. ‘You should have bought 2 seats since you’re taking up two!’ or ‘I can’t believe you won’t let my wife and I sit together in the seat that you’re not using!’ Either way you can’t win in their eyes. Next time, put in your earbuds and completely ignore them. Let them complain to the Flight attendant.”
u/Far-Profit-3430 was also in favor of the OP:
“Your second seat was not ‘free’, you paid for it. Its condition doesn’t change that. If I go to a car lot and buy a car, no one else gets to drive it off the lot unless I say so. You were in the same situation, you bought a seat, no one else gets to sit in it without your permission. There were just some AH that tried to get something they couldn’t otherwise and when they got called on their BS they lashed out.”
With Reddit completely in favor of the obese woman, what do our readers think? Is it justified for someone to buy an extra seat and let no one else sit? Or should one only buy a single seat per their requirement?
Sources
- “AITA for not giving up my second “free” seat next to me in the plane?” Reddit
Attention: While many of these stories are interesting, and we would love to take their word for it, the content in this article was taken from an unverifiable source (i.e., a Reddit forum). As such, we cannot guarantee that these events truly happened in the way that they are described in the original source.