Airplane passenger uproar as woman with baby on her lap should be 'ashamed' for bothering others

A woman has shared her recent airplane drama with others on social media after another woman tried to shame her for traveling with an infant who made some noise — and for switching seats.

Describing herself as 31 years old and traveling alone with a 19-month-old son on a three-hour flight, the woman said her child, since he was "under age two," had to sit on her lap.

"I also had a big backpack with all the necessities that I keep on the floor and easily accessible," wrote the woman on the Reddit page known as "AITA" ("Am I the a--hole"). 

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"It can get crowded fast, but it's just how it is when you travel alone with a young child."

The woman continued in her post, "I got assigned a random seat (12C) at checkup, and ended up being in a row with no other empty seat. Although I appreciate it when there is an empty seat next to me as it greatly improves our flight experience, it's not an expectation I have and I never ask for it."

A woman on Reddit has shared a recent airline drama, noting, "A flight attendant came to me and offered to move us three rows up … because there were two seats available, and they usually try to accommodate people with young infants." (iStock)

She said that once the passenger had boarded "but before takeoff, a flight attendant came to me and offered to move us three rows up … because there were two seats available, and that they usually try to accommodate people with young infants."

The mother, calling herself "Aggravating-Worth643" on Reddit, added, "I was delighted and accepted right away. The flight attendant helped me move my things and explained the situation to the other passenger" in that row, she said.

"She started complaining to the flight attendant that she was planning to sleep on the flight, and that it would be impossible now."

This did not go over well, apparently. 

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"The passenger did not appreciate it at all," wrote the mother. "She started complaining to the flight attendant that she was planning to sleep on the flight, and that it would be impossible now. That she specifically chose this seat while checking [in] online because the row was empty," but now, it was going "to be a nightmare."

The woman said the flight attendant "simply explained that both my seats (old and new) were standard, that the woman only paid for her own seat and that [the airline's] policy is to try to accommodate young parents if possible."

"I just ignored her all the way, as if she didn't speak at all," wrote the mother on Reddit about her recent airplane situation. "That got her even more angry, but she finally stopped complaining after a while." (iStock)

The mother wrote about what happened next: "The woman told me that I should be ashamed to impose all this noise on people that are just trying to enjoy their flight. Especially since it wasn't even my seat and I didn't even pay for it."

The mother added, "Honestly, I'm really not good with confrontation. I usually end up either crying or apologizing, so I just ignored her all the way, as if she didn't speak at all. That got her even more angry, but she finally stopped complaining after a while."

"It's true that I didn't pay for that seat, and that it wasn't my originally assigned seat."

"My son ended up crying only once, I got some stinky eye and some other rude comments — but all in all, the flight was way more comfortable for us this way, so I don't really regret switching seats."

She continued, "But I do wonder if I'm the [a--hole]. It's true that I didn't pay for that seat, and that it wasn't my originally assigned seat."

In an edit to her post, she clarified that her bag did "fit under the seat. It was there during takeoff and landing. It was on the floor the rest of the time for easy access."

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She also noted, "My son was on my lap the whole flight (as per the flight attendant's demand). The extra seat was just extra space to feel less crowded and not bump elbows."

She also wrote as a point of clarification, "I'm overweight, yes, but not extremely so. I haven't lost all my pregnancy weight yet."

She noted, too, that she's from Europe. 

Her son, she said, had to be in her lap — "the flight attendant insisted on it when she offered me [the switched] seats. We aren't allowed to bring car seats with us. They go with luggage."

"The other woman was never guaranteed those 2 seats would stay empty — they were just empty at the time of her booking."

The woman also told others, "I can't afford to buy an extra seat just to have more space, as my son isn't allowed to sit there yet."

Fox News Digital reached out to a psychologist for insight into the matter. Dr. Kathy Nickerson, a licensed clinical psychologist based in California, noted, "Oh, this poor woman. Just trying to have a nice flight with her child and she endures this!"

Nickerson added, "The other passenger (the one seated in the row she was moved to) has no special right to the extra seat because she did not pay for those seats, so all seats are at the discretion of the airline staff. It seems reasonable that an airline would want to give extra room to parents traveling alone with young children because we all know that kids need extra care and supplies."

"Sounds like [the] other passenger was an unpleasant person, which isn't your fault," wrote one commenter on social media about the drama. "If another mother with a young child did pay for the seats near her, I'd almost guarantee she would have complained still." (iStock)

She also pointed out, "Is it reasonable that the woman was disappointed that she could not sleep? Yes, of course. But an emotionally mature person thinks, ‘This lady has just as much right to an extra seat as I do, and she does need it more than I do because she has a child. I am allowed to be disappointed — I am not allowed to shame her or have a tantrum.’"

Plenty of people on Reddit, meanwhile, weighed in with a bevy of reaction. In less than 24 hours, some 6,000 people reacted with over 1,000 posting comments about the issue.

The other with the baby did nothing wrong, wrote one of the top commenters on the post — garnering 11,000 "upvotes" for this reaction.

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"You paid for a seat, the airline accommodated you and explained to the other passenger," wrote this top commenter. "The other passenger paid for her seat only, not the entire row."

The same person continued, "Sounds like [the] other passenger was an unpleasant person, which isn't your fault. If another mother with a young child did pay for the seats near her, I'd almost guarantee she would have complained still."

"It was a 3-hour flight. Not a trip to New Zealand from New York. She'll get over it."

Another commenter agreed that the mother on Reddit did nothing wrong.

"The other woman was never guaranteed those 2 seats would stay empty — they were just empty at the time of her booking."

Another person said about the complaining passenger, "It was a 3-hour flight. Not a trip to New Zealand from New York. She'll get over it."

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However, some others took issue with the mother's apparent size, attitude and behavior.

"You're a plus-size woman with a toddler and a big bag in front of you," one writer commented. "That impedes access for other people in your row. You're very inconsiderate of others and blocking the exit is not only a nuisance, but can be dangerous in [an] emergency."

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The same writer added, "You can purchase a seat for your toddler, but you won't because it's too expensive. It does feel like you're hoping to get [an] extra seat for free. You should at least travel with luggage that fits under the seat or in the space above you."

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