The middle seat on a plane
I was flying to the east coast. I got up very early for a 7AM flight.
I had booked the flight at least a month before and received an aisle seat.
I like aisle seats because it’s more open and less claustrophobic.
When I got to my seat there was someone already in the window seat.
As the plane was about to depart a mother and son came on. She was panicked. There weren’t seats for both of them to sit together.
There were two middle seats. One in the row in front of me and one next to me.
This panicked mother sat next to me and was complaining about having to be separated from her son.
She was, in my opinion, being pretty indignant, trying to demand from the flight attendant seats get switched.
She asked the woman sitting in the window seat if she would switch with her son. The woman said no.
For some reason she didn’t ask me.
Maybe she knew what I’d say.
First of all, it appeared her son, who was about 8 years old and already playing with his video games, was not panicked.
She was.
And who’s going to want to switch a window or aisle seat for a middle seat?
I think, to me, what was most disturbing and annoying was this woman blaming everyone around her for the situation.
She didn’t take responsibility – maybe if she tried explaining in a less panicked and abrasive manner someone would have switched with her.
Maybe I would have switched seats.
No, who am I kidding; I wouldn’t have given up my aisle seat for a middle seat!
Eventually the young woman sitting next to her son gave the mother her seat. I think she realized she wouldn’t get any rest and figured the middle seat was the lesser of two evils.
The mother thanked her although it seemed a little insincere since it seems she thought she should have had the seat all along.
It’s difficult enough when a friend or family member tries to lay guilt on you. It’s difficult and awkward in a different way when it’s done by a stranger.
I’m not against parents and children sitting together. I can empathize and understand why the mother would want to switch seats.
But coming from an entitled expectation rubs me the wrong way.
When we can come from ownership and responsibility when requesting something from others:
• We may not get what we want but if we do it’ll be from a desire to help, not guilt
• We might see other alternatives to our requests
• Someone else might come up with an idea which satisfies everyone
The flight attendants did offer free drinks and food to the woman who moved next to me.
This is probably not the first time they have had to deal with this kind of difficult situation.