Air travel, especially in economy class, can at times bring out the worst in people. Entitled travelers, parents who let their kids run wild, and drunk passengers all add up to less-than-ideal conditions on flights that pack people in like sardines in a tin can.  

One woman recently went online to rant about how her boyfriend basically had his seat hijacked by a supposedly “handicapped” grandma on a recent Delta flight. She shared her story in detail with netizens.   

More info: Reddit

Economy air travel leaves a lot to be desired, as this woman recently shared with netizens

Image credits: Jeffry S.S. / Pexels (not the actual photo)

She was traveling with her boyfriend and her kids on a Delta flight when things took a turn for the worse

Image credits: dmytro_sidelnikov / Freepik (not the actual photo)

When her tall boyfriend got to his aisle seat, he found an old lady claiming she needed it for her disability, but he refused to take the window seat

Image credits: suuuuuuuuuuue

The woman claims she later saw the grandma walking around the airport terminal without any issues, forcing her to ask netizens why people act so entitled

Air travel can be stressful, but some passengers take entitlement to a whole new level and make it worse for everyone. OP and her kids were flying economy while her boyfriend, who is over six feet tall, paid extra for an aisle seat. When he got to his row, however, an older woman was sitting in his seat with her granddaughter beside her.

When he politely pointed out that it was his seat, they asked if he wouldn’t mind taking the window instead. Their reasoning? The grandmother was “handicapped” and needed the aisle. Despite their guilt-tripping, he stood his ground—he had paid extra for legroom, and he wasn’t about to give it up. That’s when the theatrics started.

The woman dramatically pulled out a cane and made a show of struggling to switch seats. But later in the flight, she walked 15 rows to the bathroom without any help whatsoever. To top it off, she used a wheelchair to deplane, only to be spotted by OP walking around with no issues once inside the terminal. 

This whole situation raises an interesting question—why do some travelers think they’re entitled to what isn’t theirs? Accessibility is important but using it as an excuse to guilt someone out of their paid seat is just plain wrong.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

In a recent blog post for Cranky Boss, the author reveals that “seat squatting” and “seat poaching” are the latest trends in travel entitlement. 

While both involve taking a seat that isn’t theirs, there’s a key difference: while seat squatters will take an unoccupied seat and hope they get away with it, seat poachers will knowingly take someone else’s assigned seat before they arrive, often refusing to move or creating a scene when confronted.

Seat squatters are often discovered taking a seat they haven’t booked so they can sneak an extra legroom seat, claim an empty business class seat without upgrading, or simply snag a spot that’s better than their own. The trend has become a social media phenomenon, with several travel influencers bragging about what they get away with. 

In her post for her blog, The World In My Pocket, veteran world traveler Joanna writes that, psychologically, seat squatting represents a complex social interaction. It’s a gamble that relies on several factors: the squatter’s confidence, other passengers’ reluctance to create a scene, and the inconsistent responses from flight attendants.

We don’t think OP’s boyfriend couldn’t have handled his seat squatter encounter any better. Proof that sometimes even old ladies get what’s coming to them. 

What would you have done if you’d been in OP’s boyfriend’s shoes? Do you think he should have let the seat thievery slide, or was he right to stick to his guns? Let us know your opinion in the comments! 

In the comments, readers applauded the woman’s boyfriend for not backing down and slammed the old woman for faking a disability

Image credits: jannoon028 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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