One woman faced a tough decision between what people expect and sticking to what she felt was right. She was under pressure to be generous, but she also wanted to feel comfortable during a flight. This led to a moral debate. Here’s why she decided not to give up her extra seat to a child.
She shared her story.
I am a larger person.
I’m traveling across the country to visit my brother and his husband for Christmas. Because of my size, I booked an extra seat to make everyone more comfortable. It’s not ideal having to pay for an extra seat, but that’s how it goes.
Everything was going smoothly from check-in to security and boarding, at least at first. Then, a woman approached my row with a young boy who looked about one year old. She insisted that I squeeze into one seat so her son could have the other. She didn’t ask; she told me. I refused and explained that I paid for this seat for extra space.
She caused a scene, getting the flight attendant involved. She accused me of taking the seat meant for her son. I showed my boarding passes to prove I had paid for the extra seat. The flight attendant asked if I could try to fit into one seat, but I refused. I insisted on having the extra space I had paid for.
The mom said her son, who she claimed was 18 months old, should sit on her lap instead. The flight attendant finally told her to hold her son in her lap. Throughout the flight, she glared at me and made snide remarks in a passive-aggressive manner.
And people came in her support.
- “She’s wrong for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping there’d be extra seats on the flight so she didn’t have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole.
- “You paid for that seat. It’s yours. You asked the flight attendant for help, and she told you to ’squeeze into one seat’ for the unticketed child. You might even get some miles or goodies for it.
- “You should always do what you can to be as healthy as you can, but being fat isn’t a character flaw or a moral failing. We all have our own challenges in life, and you deserve not to be ashamed of your body and yourself, even if you aren’t currently meeting your goals. If the mom wants an extra seat for her kids, she should have purchased one. She’s not entitled to a seat you purchased, and you don’t need to feel bad for her bad behavior.
- “Airlines literally demand larger customers purchase two seats, and if you were in one seat and that entitled mom was next to you, the same dirty looks and comments would be the result.
