Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #615

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Flyer Slams ‘Entitled’ Seat-swapping Airline Passengers: ‘I Don’t Give A Damn Who You Are’
By Ashley J. DiMella , Fox News
A social media post has sparked a heat- ed debate over air- plane etiquette after a passenger called out fellow flyers for seat swapping, telling them to put their money where their mouths are.
In the “r/delta” forum on Reddit, the user captioned the post, “Stop being entitled and sit in the seat you purchased.”
“I’m so sick of these entitled people nowa-
days sitting in seats they didn’t pay for and the GA [gate agent] having to come onboard and tell them to move or the FA [flight atten- dant] tell them the same,” the user wrote.
“Or the people ask- ing you to swap because they didn’t purchase seats together. STOP,” the post continued.
“I don’t give a damn who you are, I’m not moving and if you want to sit together or want a better seat,
PAY FOR IT,” it con- cluded.
Reddit users took to the comments sec- tion to discuss seat swapping and their own experiences with the practice.
“It’s kinda crazy how people do it with no regard,” commented one user.
“I don’t mind being asked to change pro- vided they’re willing to accept a ‘no,’ and the switch doesn’t leave me worse off (i.e., aisle to window or middle or back of
the plane),” another Redditor said.
Another person said some travelers will expect a seat swap if they have
children with them on a flight.
“And the idiots just taking your seat with- out asking and then look at you stupid with a lame excuse once you show up,” the same person added.
“Another airline, but similar thing hap- pened to me,” a user commented.
“This sort of behavior is a problem every- where, across all industries and walks of life. People don’t even say ‘excuse me’ anymore,” said one user.
“I’ve been on last- minute flights with my husband and had to travel across the US with a long flight and sit in a different row from my hus- band. Not once did it occur to either one of us to take someone else’s seat or ask someone to switch or ask airline personnel to put us together,” another person wrote.
“I’m sick of it too. I was super stressed one day and showed the person my ticket and I saw theirs. They were sitting in MY aisle seat,” added another.
California-based eti- quette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital that “no one has the obligation to switch their seat.”
“The person making the request has no right to expect [this], or make a scene when they don’t get their way,” said Randall.
Randall said making a polite request to switch seats is OK, though it may frus- trate other passen- gers.
She suggested some thoughtful approach- es when posing the request.
“Consider this: You may have more luck if a flight attendant makes the announcement or can offer to buy them a beverage or two, pay for airline extras, pay them cash/trans- fer funds,” Randall said.
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