I was flying from LA to Sydney. When I got to the gate check, I asked if I could have a window seat and the gate check guy switched my seat to a window. When I get on the plane, I see the people sitting next to me are a woman, her toddler son, and her husband. The woman is in the middle seat, her husband on the aisle, and her son is sitting in the seat I was supposed to sit in. As I approached, the mom looked panicked and I realized that she had not booked a separate seat for her son (and he seemed just under the age in which he would need a separate seat). She then asked me if I could move to a different seat so that she wouldn’t have to have the son on her lap the whole time. I then asked the flight attendant if she had any open seats available and she had one, one in the very last row of the plane. I told the mom no I’m sorry I really don’t want to move a middle seat in the last row of the plane. She was really upset but I just couldn’t do it – I had a short connection in Sydney and I couldn’t be that far back. I suggested that the dad could move and I could take his aisle seat so that the child could have his own seat, but he refused. A few hours later, I get woken up by the husband basically telling me I need to move and that I’m being really inconsiderate. Finally, after tears from the mother and dirty looks and sighs from the dad, I got so uncomfortable I moved with about 5 hours left in the flight (the middle seat between two big dudes).
Refusing to Move for a Toddler on a 13-Hour Flight Sparks Debate
A passenger on a 13-hour flight faced backlash after refusing to move seats for a mother who hadn’t purchased one for her toddler.
A long-haul flight turned tense when one passenger refused to give up a window seat for a mother who hadn’t booked one for her toddler.
Let’s Break It Down
The Backstory and Early Dynamics
The flight was a brutal 13-hour journey from Los Angeles to Sydney. At the gate, the passenger asked for — and received — a window seat, hoping to make the long flight more bearable.
Once onboard, things felt off immediately. A couple and their toddler were already seated — mom in the middle, dad on the aisle, and the toddler in the window seat that technically wasn’t paid for.
It quickly became clear: the parents hadn’t booked a separate seat for their child, likely assuming they could manage with a lap seat.
The Moment Things Shifted
The mother, clearly stressed, asked if the passenger would move so she wouldn’t have to hold her toddler for the entire flight.
Trying to be reasonable, the passenger asked a flight attendant if there were any open seats. There was — but it was a middle seat in the very last row of the plane.
That’s where the line was drawn.
The passenger declined, citing a short connection in Sydney and not wanting to be stuck in the worst seat on the plane for 13 hours.
The Final Confrontation
An alternative was offered: the dad could switch seats, letting the passenger take the aisle while the toddler used the window.
The dad refused.
Hours later, things escalated. The passenger was woken up mid-flight by the husband, who accused them of being inconsiderate. The mother cried. The dad sighed loudly and shot dirty looks. The tension was impossible to ignore.
With five hours still left, the pressure finally worked.
The Fallout
Feeling cornered and uncomfortable, the passenger gave in — moving to a middle seat between two large strangers.
Friends later weighed in, saying it was rude not to move sooner. But the passenger couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t their responsibility.
“If you want your child to have a seat,” they thought, “pay for one.”
What Reddit Thinks
Reddit would likely lean NTA (Not the A-hole) — with a loud minority arguing it was still the “kind” thing to do.
Sample reactions:
- NTA: “You didn’t create the problem. They did by not buying their kid a seat.”
- NTA: “Why is it always someone else’s responsibility when parents try to save money?”
- Mixed: “You weren’t wrong, but sometimes kindness matters more than fairness.”
A Final Thought
Where’s the line between kindness and obligation — especially when someone else’s poor planning puts you in a tough spot?
Should strangers be expected to sacrifice comfort to fix decisions they didn’t make?
