Entitled Couple Took My Premium Seat on the Plane – I Taught Them a Lesson and Turned It into a Profit
I didn’t anticipate being duped by a cunning pair out of the finest seat on my flight, even though I made the extra effort to secure it.
However, they were unaware that they were playing with the wrong individual, and I ended up winning!
Just as I was getting comfortable in my aisle seat—I had purposefully chosen more legroom for this lengthy flight—I saw a couple walking toward me. I had no idea that our interactions would result in me imparting to them a valuable lesson. This story can help you learn how to defend oneself from bullies. Continue reading…
The woman who came up to me looked like she was in her late forties and was wearing an expensive attire. However, her expression was not amusing at all. Her spouse, towering and broad-shouldered, matched her air of confidence as he walked just behind her.
They came to a stop directly next me, and the woman’s gaze focused on my seat. “You need to switch seats with me,” she belligerently insisted, without even offering a courteous greeting. I unintentionally reserved the incorrect seat, but I won’t sit apart from my husband.”
I blinked, surprised at her tone. She said that as though I should be the one to correct her error! I looked at her boarding pass and saw what I suspected. The seat I selected was not near the premium one; it was in the center of row 12!
The woman gave me a dramatic roll of the eyes when I didn’t immediately comply.
It’s only a seat, come on. She sneered dismissively at my uncertainty, “YOU don’t need all that space,” her tone brimming with snobbery.
With his arms crossed behind her, her spouse grinned and said, “Yeah, be reasonable.” You really don’t need to be up here, do you, since we need to sit together?”
Their request was so outrageous that I was briefly stunned. They hadn’t even tried to inquire politely; they were blatantly conceited. They simply thought that I would acquiesce to their demands. I could feel the looks of the other passengers on us, some sympathetic, some interested.
I inhaled deeply and considered my alternatives. I really didn’t want to deal with a confrontation, especially not on the first leg of a six-hour flight.
I answered, “Alright,” trying to seem as composed as possible. I got to my feet and, with my best effort to conceal my annoyance, gave him my boarding card. Without really meaning it, I said to them, “Enjoy the seat.”
With a smug grin, the woman grabbed the ticket out of my hand. She grumbled under her breath that those who occupied first-class seats were “so selfish.” As an encouragement, her spouse said, “Someone like her doesn’t even need it.”
My blood was boiling as I made my way to her assigned seat in the back of the aircraft. However, I never liked to cause a stir. I had a superior notion. A flight attendant, who had been observing the entire interaction, stopped me as I got closer to row 12.
You do realize that this was a scam, don’t you, ma’am? she said as she leaned in. YOU WERE DECEIVED OUT OF A BETTER SEAT! They were both intended to be in row twelve.
I gave her a smile as my rage subsided into a calm determination. “I am aware. However, I’m going to flip the roles.”
“I do have a little trick up my sleeve, actually. I winked and added, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
The flight attendant looked up, but she didn’t look any closer as she instantly realized what was going on and attempted to contain her laughter. She showed me where my new seat was. I began formulating my plan as soon as I sat down at my center seat.
My frequent flyer miles had been used to reserve the premium seat, which came with perks most passengers wouldn’t know about. I was well aware of how to give those two bullies a lesson they would never forget.
I knew it would all be worth it even though my middle seat in row 12 wasn’t quite as comfortable as the premium one I had given up. I let the ill-mannered couple enjoy their seat and believe they had won.
I gestured for the flight attendant who had spoken to me earlier, perhaps an hour into the journey, when the cabin had become a cozy hum of quiet conversations and the odd clink of glasses. I asked to speak with the chief purser when she came over.
She gave a knowing smile, nodded, and vanished, only to reappear a short while later as an authoritative-looking woman.
“Ma’am, good afternoon. The chief purser said in a kind yet professional tone, “I understand there was a problem with your seating.”
I carefully recounted what had happened to me, highlighting how the couple’s deceit had resulted in my removal from my premium seat. With a serious expression, the purser paid close attention.
She nodded when I was done and said, “Thank you for alerting me to this. Give me a moment, please.”
A few other people seemed to be very interested in what was going on. They didn’t want to miss anything, so they must have assumed that I was somehow taking revenge. Funny enough, they continued glancing at the leaving purser and at me.
I was left wondering what to do next by the head stewardess when she went. When she reappeared a few minutes later, she gave me an option rather than an apology.
“You have two choices, ma’am. You have two options: either go back to your original seat, or we’ll give you a big quantity of airline points as compensation—enough to get you upgraded on your next three trips.”
I pretended to think about it, but my desires were clear. “I’ll take the miles,” I said, grinning to myself at the prospect of the added advantages. I was well aware that the value of the miles exceeded the difference in cost between the premium and economy classes on this particular flight.
Grinning, the purser jotted down a note on her tablet. “It is finished. We’ve also upgraded your next flight to first class as a gesture of goodwill.”
“I am truly grateful,” I said in response. I returned to my seat as she left, feeling a wave of satisfaction pass through me. The couple in front, I knew, had no idea what was going to happen.
Everything went smoothly during the flight until we started our descent. Around the couple’s seat in row 3, I saw a bustle of movement at that point. The head purser had approached them with a fellow flight attendant, both wearing serious attitudes.
The purser said, “Excuse me, Mr. Williams and MISS Broadbent,” in an unpleasant tone. She emphasized the woman’s title, letting everyone on board know that the couple wasn’t even legally wed!
“We must address a problem with your seats,” she said, maintaining a severe expression.
Williams was truly perplexed, and Broadbent’s smile wavered.
With a hint of annoyance in her voice, she questioned, “What do you mean?”
The purser looked at her iPad, then carried on. “It has come to our attention that you conspired with another traveler to exchange seats with you, which is against airline rules. This is a grave transgression.”
The woman’s face lost color, and she stumbled, “But we didn’t do anything wrong! We merely requested a seat swap.”
The purser interrupted, “Unfortunately, there are definite complaints of your behavior. You will need to report to security upon landing so they can question you further.”
With keen eyes, every passenger was taking in the drama!
Furthermore, it is problematic in and of itself to lie to other passengers about your marital status when you are not trying to trick them. The purser went on, “You will also be added to our airline’s no-fly list while we conduct an investigation as a result of this breach.”
Williams was about to object, but he held his tongue. They were led out of their seats and toward the back of the aircraft by the flight attendants, who were ready to take action. Broadbent felt compelled to protect herself as they were being escorted.
“I may not be his wife right now, but in a few months I will be! In order to be with me, he is divorcing his wife.” She let forth a desperate cry.
When we discovered the two were having an affair, we were all shocked at once!
The crew took them to the area where airport security would escort them out first.
After landing, I couldn’t help but take one more look at the couple as I gathered my belongings. Their arrogant looks had vanished, to be replaced by a mixture of humiliation and rage.
They were now facing repercussions that would follow them long after this flight, so they had lost more than simply a seat. There was something about the airport that made me smile.
In my thirty-three years of life, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes, getting even doesn’t mean staging a grand display to get your way; rather, it means observing with patience as those who believe they’ve won come to realize how terribly they’ve lost!
And that’s the way it works, people!