Alright, let’s dive into the topic. Would you relinquish your seat so a parent can sit next to their young child?
In my opinion, it’s an obvious choice – regardless of the seat you have, you shouldn’t let a child, especially a toddler, fly alone.
Don’t be inconsiderate, just move.
However, it appears that not everyone shares this perspective – in fact, many people don’t. This became evident when someone voiced their complaint about such a situation on Reddit.
They wrote: “Had a woman ask me to change on a TPAC [trans-Pacific] flight from Japan. I was bulkhead window and her toddler was in the middle next to me while she was in the middle seat in the row behind me.
“She asked me – and just me – to switch with her so she could have my window seat (next to her daughter) and I’d take her middle seat a row back.
“Hell to the f*** no. Not my problem they didn’t book together.”
Alright, that’s a bit harsh.
They continued: “Worse is we were surrounded by others from her tour group that she could’ve asked for a three-way trader instead. Or the tour operator.
“The audacity to just ask me and expect an inferior trade on my side.”
I can somewhat understand their point now. It would be frustrating to switch to a middle row seat between two strangers, especially if the person next to you was encroaching on your space.
But still, imagine refusing to swap your seat with a mom wanting to sit next to her kid – really?
The post went viral on social media, prompting users to share their opinions.
One person criticized the original poster’s views, calling them unreasonable.
They commented: “As a parent of a toddler, I’m surprised that you preferred to sit next to someone else’s unaccompanied toddler, vs just moving. Sure, someone else could move, but either someone has to move or someone has to sit next to a flying toddler.
“I honestly don’t know which is more annoying for the other passengers.
“It’s not always possible for families to book seats together for some reason, and go figure, sometimes they need to fly places. Idk what the answer is here but being infuriated about a mom trying to watch their own kid is dumb.”
Surprisingly, some people actually sided with the original poster.
One person added: “I just started refusing altogether. Unless it’s for an upgrade. I’m sick of entitlement from people, and it seems elevated on planes and even more so of late.
“I don’t know you. I don’t generally care about you beyond reasonable human compassion. And I am certainly not responsible for your poor planning. Don’t talk to me again and go away.”
Which side of the debate are you on?