Mom Says Fellow Plane Passenger Flipped Out When She and Her Baby Were Offered a Seat with More Space

• A mother claims a passenger in a new row became angry after a flight attendant offered her and her 19-month-old son to move to a row with two empty seats
• In a Reddit post, the mother says another flyer complained about wanting to sleep on the flight and that having a child in line would be a “nightmare.”
• PEOPLE consulted a travel expert, who weighed in on who is right in this situation that has divided readers

A passenger on the plane claims that a flight attendant’s generous gesture towards her and her 19-month-old son angered a fellow flight attendant.

In a May 19 post on the r/AmItheAssh— (AITA) subreddit, the mom wrote that she was about to board a 3-hour flight with her son on her lap in a full row when she was offered the chance to move up a few rows, to one in which there were two empty seats next to each other.

She said a flight attendant told her the unnamed airline was trying to “accommodate people with small children,” and even though both were standard seats, she would have more room in the new seat.

“I was delighted and immediately accepted,” she wrote.

However, she continued, one passenger sitting alone in the new row did not appreciate their arrival “at all”.

“She started complaining to the flight attendant that she was planning to sleep on the flight and that it was now impossible,” the mom wrote. “That she specifically chose this seat while applying online because the line was empty and it’s going to be a nightmare now.”

According to the mother’s testimony, the flight attendant’s explanation of the accessibility policy to parents was met with additional anger from her new neighbor.

“My wife then told me that I should be ashamed to impose all this noise on people who are just trying to enjoy their flight,” she added. “Especially because it wasn’t even my place and I didn’t even pay for it.”

The original poster (OP) claimed that her son “ended up crying only once” and concluded that despite receiving “some stink eyes and some other rude comments,” she didn’t regret changing seats, since the extra room is a flight made it more comfortable.

Stock photo of flight attendant, mom and baby.

Getty Images

In an edit to the post, she noted that her son was on her lap throughout the flight, and the purpose of the extra seat was simply “to make him feel less crowded and not bump his elbows.” Although she said her bag was under her seat during takeoff and landing, she kept it on the floor in a row for the rest of the flight for easy access.

While one Reddit user said it was “reckless” to keep a large bag on the floor, most commenters sided with the OP, arguing that since the solo traveler didn’t pay for the entire row, she shouldn’t have expected the other two seats to remain empty.

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“You paid for a seat, the airline accommodated you and explained to the other passenger,” one Reddit user wrote to the OP. “The second passenger only paid for his seat, not the whole row. It sounds like the other passenger was an unpleasant person, which is not your fault. If another mother with a small child had paid for seats near her, I can almost guarantee she would still be protesting.”

“They asked you if you wanted to move in with THE CREW, so that’s perfectly fine,” wrote another Reddit user, who identified himself as a former flight attendant. “The other woman was cheating because she thought she would get 3 seats and be able to lie on all of them. Ironically, she was complaining about not getting the 2 seats she didn’t pay for. She is AH.”

PEOPLE asked travel expert, writer and consultant Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel to weigh in on this divisive incident.

A photo of a baby sitting in an airplane.

Getty Images

Jackson says the OP was “absolutely” right to accept the new position.

“That mother was sitting in her assigned seat and was approached by a flight attendant who just took good care of their passenger,” she says. “If mom was worried about not having extra space or expecting an unreasonable amount of extra space than what she paid for, I can understand that the passengers around her have a problem. But in this case, she sat down in her seat and someone who works for the airline offered her a better one. No problem here.”

Jackson says she understands “that she doesn’t like the thought of sitting next to a baby,” as well as “the momentary mixture of excitement and relief you feel when your row is empty after the doors close and boarding is done.”

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However, she says that unless another passenger paid for all the seats in her row to ensure they remained empty, “she had no right to expect that seat.”

“Maybe it was bad, but in my opinion … that’s about it,” adds Jackson. “Certainly not a reason for any scene or stress. If she needed a break and was particularly worried about it, she should have simply asked the flight attendant for help to move to another seat in another row or section of the cabin.”

Jackson believes the mother “did the right thing by staying,” especially since it wasn’t even an upgrade in seat type.

“She personally should not have gone to the field any complaints about it for a short drive, a three hour flight and a baby who was mostly quiet. If one of them was particularly invasive in the space or was loud, of course, I can understand that this is a problem. But she states that her bag got under the seat and that the open seat was left open. It’s just more comfortable than sharing an armrest when you have a baby on your lap. ”

Photo of a woman traveling with a child on a plane.

Getty Images

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As for the other passenger’s argument that she intentionally booked an empty row hoping for a quiet flight, Jackson says, “We all deliberately book as empty a row as possible when traveling in economy class.”

“It’s the holy grail of economy, and we check in exactly 24 hours in advance to select seats that might excite our fellow passengers,” Jackson continues, explaining that her own strategy is to look for rows with a window seat and choose an aisle seat, hoping that nobody will choose the middle seat.

“But you can’t expect that row to remain empty nor should you be met when the airline fills those seats with paying passengers,” she adds.

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After all, Jackson says, “We’re all—parents, non-parents, frequent travelers, infrequent travelers—choosing to share a small and unnatural space with each other to get from A to B. None of us has any idea what else is there for.” (work, vacation, family emergency); neither of us has any idea what state the other is in (excited, stressed, exhausted).”

She adds, “Kindness and understanding have to be paramount to make this go smoothly.”

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Source: HIS Education