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19th Apr 2024

Flight attendant shares the ‘warning’ she gives if people won’t swap seats for a child

Her

The debate of swapping seats on a flight continues

Many flyers will go out of their way to ensure that they have a seat that ensures their comfort or to be seated next to their travel partner on the flight.

Whether you’re a window seat lover or an aisle queen, there’s one thing all passengers can agree on and that’s that no one wants the middle seat.

When it comes to giving up your seat, whether randomly assigned or paid for, someone is always left less than satisfied with the seat transaction.

One flight attendant from Orlando says that around 80 per cent of her trips carry seat-swappers on board.

Unsurprisingly, Mitra Amirzadeh says it’s usually couples who are not seated together who are the main culprits.

While she doesn’t believe that anyone who has paid for their seat should have to swap, she stands firm on the opinion that if a passenger has been allocated a seat without paying, they should move without complaint.

“The next time you feel yourself getting angry or getting frustrated that you’re not getting the seat you want,” she told Wall Street Journal.

“You need to remind yourself that you didn’t pay to pick your seat. Otherwise, you’d be in it.”

This is especially the case if the seat-swapping involves a child.

Amirzadeh says she’ll ‘read the room’ to see if any passengers volunteer to swap so a child can sit with their travel guardian.

She explained to the publication that she’ll ask the passenger unwilling to swap: ‘OK, so you’re going to watch the toddler?’

As a punishment, she’ll subtly remind them of how sitting with a child can come with additional work.

“You’ll want their snacks and their colouring books then, because they’re going to need that,” she’ll say to the passenger.

Basically, she’s forewarning them that they may live to regret their stubbornness.

The seat-swapping debate has angered passengers many a time on board flights.

While many believe they are justified to stay where they are seated, others believe that swapping as a kindness to other flyers should be a common courtesy.

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