Airline refuses to give woman plane seat she paid $600 for

There’s nothing more enjoyable than having a smooth journey through airport security and arriving at the gate on time!

However, for one Redditor who was traveling long-haul from Athens, Greece to Atlanta, Georgia, the journey took an unexpected turn…

Despite arriving at her gate before the closing time, this passenger endured a pretty perplexing experience. Keep reading to find out what happened.

It never pays to be late

The woman (OP) took to Reddit‘s ‘Am I The A*****e‘ thread to post about her experience, seeking advice and insights into their unique situation.

She began her post by explaining that she’d paid “around $600” extra to upgrade from economy to comfort plus for her 10+ hour flight from Athens to Atlanta.

Admittedly, the 36-year-old woman said that she “miscalculated” her timing at the airport, meaning that she ended up being the last one to arrive for her flight.

“The gate attendant told me I couldn’t board the plane as boarding was finished. The flight wasn’t due to leave for another 27 minutes, and as a frequent traveler, I know boarding closes 20 mins before the flight, so I pointed this out,” the OP wrote.

After some more back and forth, the gate attendant then reluctantly told the Redditor that she would be able to board the flight, but that she would have to sit in economy as the flight staff had given her seat away.

“Again I argued that I am at the gate within the allotted time and I would like my seat I’ve paid for. They relented, and I boarded the flight,” the woman said in her post.

A tricky situation

When she eventually managed to step foot on the plane and began trying to find her seat, the OP was then approached by a flight attendant who revealed that they’d upgraded a woman with a broken leg to the OP’s seat, as they had “assumed” she would not be present on the flight.

“So when I showed up, they had to move the woman back to her economy seat. I got a fair few filthy looks from other passengers, but I genuinely didn’t care because I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong,” the woman further explained in her post.

“I just wanted to sit in the seat I had pre-booked and paid extra for. I had no idea they’d put someone with a broken leg in my seat, so therefore had no idea they’d had to move her when I arrived to board the flight. I really can’t see how I’ve done anything wrong,” the post concluded.

The internet’s response

The Redditor’s predicament definitely raised questions about the airline’s handling of seat assignments and upgrades. Naturally, other users took to the comments section to give their opinions on the matter, with one person writing: “In this situation, that lady’s comfort and yours are both the responsibility of the airline, as their customers. The way they handled it was poor.”

Another person added that the flight staff were clearly reluctant about allowing the woman on the plane “because they knew they already gave the seat away.”

A further user chimed in with: “If that woman wanted (needed) the seat so badly, she could hand over $600 to OP for the seat. She also knew she had a broken leg. Instead of forking over the money for a seat she would be comfortable in, she banked on eliciting sympathy on the plane and taking someone else’s seat.”

Their comment continued: “Any of those people giving OP dirty looks for wanting their own seat should have offered up theirs instead.”

Ultimately, fellow Redditors deemed the woman to be ‘Not The A*****e’, as she had paid hundreds of dollars for the seat.

What did you think of this situation? Would you have done the same thing? Let us know in the comments!