Woman accused of 'stealing' child's plane seat - but the flight attendant has last word
A woman has shared her experience of being accused of stealing a child's plane seat by the youngster's mother and grandmother - but a flight attendant was on hand to settle the matter
A flight attendant came to the rescue of a passenger after she was falsely accused of swiping a child's seat.
Few locations are more perfectly designed to spike stress levels than an airplane cabin. The seating is cramped, legroom is minimal, and surprise delays happen frequently. In such conditions, it's no wonder tensions can boil over between travelers. Particularly when claims of seat snatching start getting thrown around.
"I was flying from Hawaii to NY and had a layover in Chicago. The flight from Hawaii to Chicago was about 10 hours long, and I had booked my flight well in advance so I could have my choice of seats. I chose the window seat on the exit row and as I was waiting in the airport, I was excited knowing my seat was going to be perfect," a woman shared on Reddit's Entitled People, reports the Mirror.
"We start boarding and I'm one of the first groups to board so I make sure I have everything I need from my bag, put my headphones on, and start my Netflix binge.
"About 10 minutes in the woman next to me taps me on the shoulder."
What the woman requested didn't exactly thrill her fellow traveler.
"Hi sweetie, I'm flying with my family and my granddaughter would like to be in the window seat," the elderly woman said.
Sadly for the grandmother and her granddaughter, the appeal for a seat exchange was swiftly rejected. "I'm sorry, I chose this seat because I know how long the flight is going to be.
"I would offer to let her sit here during takeoff and then switch, but she looks really young and I don't think they allow children to sit in the exit row," she recounted on Reddit.
The young girl's mother then intervened.
"So you're just going to be heartless and deny my daughter her window seat?" she accused. The daughter added fuel to the fire: "Mom you told me I could have it! ! Tell her it's mine! !"
According to the man's post, the young passenger began throwing a tantrum, screaming in the aisle and blocking other passengers from getting to their seats.
The grandmother chimed in, accusing the woman of breaking "that little girl's heart!"
A flight attendant, drawn by the commotion, approached the group to understand the issue. The mother was quick to give her side of the story.
"This girl stole my daughter's seat! ! She shoved her way in as I was helping my daughter with her bag, and now she refuses to give us the seat back!" she claimed. The grandmother backed up her claim: "She stole the ticket from my grandbaby! I saw her do it!"
However, the accused seat thief had evidence to prove her innocence. She showed the flight attendant her ticket and her driving license.
The flight attendant stepped in and made a decision. "This is her seat. Also, your daughter is way too young to be in an exit row. Please don't disturb this young lady again," she stated.
The Reddit user was permitted to remain in her seat, but not without receiving some glares from the disgruntled family.
"The rest of the flight I endured dirty looks from the family, and at one point the grandma tried to spill a drink on me as the flight attendant was handing it to me. Hopefully, on the next flight I can just sit in silence," she finished.