'I refused to switch plane seats to help out mum - if she was polite I would have done it'

While jetting off abroad on holiday can be exciting, not every plane journey is for fun reasons. And even for those full of anticipation for a foreign trip, the actual flight itself can cause issues.

As well as the potential for limited legroom and cramped conditions, passengers are stuck in the aircraft with dozens - or hundreds - of people they don't know - and this can sometimes cause friction.

That was the issue for one young couple who, having paid extra for specific seats on their four-hour flight, were shocked to find a mum and young daughter in their aisle. But rather than try to resolve the situation politely, the mother "lied" and "manipulated" to try and get her way, The Mirror reports.

The story was shared on Reddit by the man at the centre of the row, who stood his ground in the face of the "guilt tripping" tactics of the mum and her foul-mouthed partner, who eventually waded into the argument.

Telling his tale, the 26-year-old said: "Me and my girlfriend were boarding a plane and going to our seats - centre and window - that we paid extra for. After getting to our three seat aisle, there was a mother and an eight-year-old girl, with one of them sitting in our seats.

"We asked about the seating assignment and the mother stated that the airline crew told her that she and her daughter must sit next to each other and the centre seat belongs to her daughter.

"We called a crew member over to help sort things. The mother emphasised that her daughter is only eight years old and it’s a long flight so they needed to sit next to each other."

But despite the mother changing her story slightly to try and sweet talk the flight attendant, she was told that they should stay in their assigned seats as the aircraft was at capacity. When told she could ask the young couple if they would swap, the mum started lying again.

The man continued: "The mother argued that she asked us but we said no. In reality the mother never asked us, only proclaimed the seat is theirs before the crew member came by.

"While I am perfectly fine with switching seats so a mother and young daughter can sit with each other on a flight, I don't appreciate being lied to, potentially manipulated, and guilt tripped so they can get their way."

The man revealed that he would have been fine swapping seats if the mum had been polite about it, instead she was underhanded and caused a scene in front of the other passengers.

He said: "At this point, the mother never asked us to switch and probably assumed we would say no. While the daughter started to move back to her seat, the father in the next aisle tried to guilt trip me stating, 'She's an eight-year-old girl, c'mon man'.

"I told him that if the mother was more professional about the situation instead of lying to us, there wouldn’t be an issue. He then yelled 'F*** you', that I am the reason the world is f***ed up and to wait till I have a daughter to understand."

The young couple refused to move in the face of the threatening behaviour from the girl's father - and soon found out that the mother and daughter were seated just one row apart.

Reddit users were quick to praise the man for being steadfast throughout the row. One said: "I really dislike this 'I have a child, therefore I'm entitled' mindset some parents have. If you have a child you plan better, or make a request not demand or try to manipulate."

Another added: "If they wanted seats beside each other they should have booked them. You should look at getting refunded the extra you paid - and the airline is at fault for allowing an eight-year-old to be booked into a seat not beside a parent."

A third Redditor replied: "I hate it when people don't plan and then expect others will just accommodate them. The mother could have bought seats next to each other or talked with the gate agent.

"It's also really rude not even to ask for people to switch and just assume they will. Both mom and dad were just wanting to control the situation."

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