Drunk plane passenger 'demands seat swap' and 'screams when he is refused'

A man has expressed his frustration after a fellow plane passenger demanded they swap seats – and became furious when the request was refused.

Flying can be a draining experience, prompting many travellers to secure their preferred seats in advance. However, when people start asking for a switch you didn't sign up for, things can get complicated.

This was the quandary faced by a Reddit user when an "entitled drunk passenger" demanded he vacate his aisle seat for a middle one so the passenger could sit with his mates.

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The 30-year-old man explained he had chosen an aisle seat as, being a taller man, it makes flying more comfortable. However, shortly after boarding, a man from the opposite row asked to swap seats.

The poster refused, citing his preference for the aisle seat over a middle one. But this did not sit well with the other traveller, who became "apoplectic" and started "screaming" in frustration.

The man wrote: "After I get into my seat two guys who are friends and have had some drinks sit next to me. A little later another friend of theirs who is clearly wasted shows up and is assigned to the middle seat across the aisle."

"He approaches me and asks if we can switch. I tell him that I don't mind switching seats but only if it's for another aisle seat as there is no way I'm sitting in the middle seat. The guy loses his s**t and becomes apoplectic, screaming at me that I'm a f***ing a**hole and telling me to go f**k myself. I just ignore him and he finally sits down."

The man's two friends quickly apologised for their friend's outburst, but this didn't stop him from shooting the man "dirty looks" for the first 30 minutes of their flight.

Despite describing the incident as "pretty childish", the man was relieved when a few hours into the flight the passenger "sobered up" and came over to apologise for his earlier behaviour.

Commenters on the post were firmly on the man's side. Many even commended him for being polite enough not to call the flight attendants over and have him removed from the plane for being too intoxicated to fly.

One person commented: "He should have thanked you, considering he could have been banned from using that airline," while another posted: "The guy should have never been let on the plane. I would have alerted a flight attendant."