After a Ryanair passenger refused to swap seats for a mother and her infant, the internet exploded

Are you the kind who refuses to swap seats?

People were divided in a recent Reddit post after a Ryanair customer refused to swap seats with a lady and her kid.

On the AITA subreddit, which stands for ‘Am I The Asshole,’ the passenger in question sought guidance.

He claimed that he had purchased a middle seat on a Ryanair flight particularly to be near the exit.

When he boarded the plane, however, a mother asked him if he could swap seats with her husband, who was 12 rows behind him.

‘It may seem strange to buy a middle seat, but I wanted to be as close to the exit as possible, and there were no other seats available,’ he explained in the letter.

‘The flight was arriving on a minor secondary airport with limited train connections, so I had to dash outside the plane and go through passport control as soon as possible if I wanted to catch the best train.’

‘My other options if I miss the train are to wait 1:30 hours or take a 70-dollar cab.’ That’s why I paid for that particular seat.’

‘So I board my flight exhausted as hell, furthermore my business trip was dreadful and unproductive, and I had this lady with her child sleeping peacefully in the window seat.’

‘She asks right away if I may change to row 18 so she can sit alongside her husband.’ I just said I paid for the seat and didn’t want to move; I didn’t say anything else.’

He went on to say that everyone on the plane was condemning him, including the mother, whom he saw messaging her husband about him.

‘The worst part is that the aisle seat next to me was empty; no one showed up, making my claim that I had purchased a middle seat even stranger.’ He continued, ‘Eventually, no one was seated next to the husband, so she moved down the plane.’

‘AITA? I mean, despite the fact that I was physically and psychologically fatigued, I paid for my ticket and that specific seat. Everyone was looking down their noses at me, but no one did anything to assist the mother. I’d want to hear your thoughts.’

It’s important to note that this is a Reddit post, so we can’t be certain it’s accurate. After all, we’re just hearing one man’s side of the story… It could also be made up.

However, the incident has sparked a discussion about a tension that many of us are experiencing.

Is it necessary for us to relocate seats in order to assist strangers? Are we bad people for wanting to stay put?

This story received mixed reactions.

‘Why didn’t you just take the aisle seat next to you instead of the middle seat?’ ‘Couldn’t the father have sat next to his wife in your middle seat?’ one individual speculated.

Some people stated why they always relocate when asked.

‘This happened to me when my two tiny children (2 and 3 years old) and I were flying from Boca Raton, FL to Atlanta, GA,’ one person commented. The actual plane was changed, as were all of the seats from the initial reservation.

‘I asked the older lady in my row if she could kindly switch seats with my 3 year old. It was only two rows. She said ‘No’ real loud and was super mean. Rows all around me started switching seats to accommodate my kids and I. Sometimes mothers do their best and changes in travel isn’t always their fault.

‘To this day, I always move to help others.’

Most, on the other hand, were sympathetic to the man and highlighted that he had every right to refuse.

‘You know you bought that seat for a reason. Although it would have been kind of you to comply with the lady’s request, you are not compelled to do so. Why didn’t they buy a seat next to one other? It’s not your fault they didn’t plan this better,’ one individual said.

‘Nope, nope, nope, this nonsense irritates me. ‘PAY FOR THE SEAT IF YOU WANT TO SIT TOGETHER,’ wrote a second supporter.

‘I sympathize with the family, but why didn’t they buy seats together or inquire at the gate?’ wrote a third.

‘They gambled on seating and lost; there was no way of knowing what seats would be available until the door closed.’

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