‘I’m not a villain’: Woman defends herself for refusing to swap plane seats so family could sit together
Lucy Thackray
Fri, 28 October 2022, 5:15 am
A Delta Air Lines passenger has taken to TikTok to defend herself after refusing to move seats for a family on a plane.
“No you can’t have my seat!” wrote US-based Maresa Friedman, posting a video of herself looking annoyed on a flight.
“I am not a villain for moving from the seat in first class I paid full fare for,” ranted the TikTok user.
In a series of videos, Ms Friedman explained that a family had asked her to move from her seat (on what appeared to be a domestic Delta flight) so that they could sit together.
“I’m also a mom, so it’s called PLANNING AHEAD,” said Ms Friedman in her captions.
Frequent flyers were quick to applaud her, with user Lacey Harrison writing: “I don’t give up my seat anywhere ever on a plane. I reserved it early enough to get what I wanted. Your loss if you didn’t.”
“Thank you! As a child free person I get shamed for not moving. I paid full price. I’m not moving,” replied Britt.
“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part,” wrote a follower with the username Kristi.
“This happened to me.. I replied with no.. put my AirPods back in while she stood there for 15 minutes talking at me.. I don’t move for kids or anyone,” said another user.
The video has already had 1.4 million views, attracting 111,000 likes.
Ms Friedman later posted a seat plan of the Delta plane she had been on, showing the two-two configuration of seats in the Comfort Plus section that she’d booked at the front of the cabin.
Later she posted another follow-up to the story, saying that “going viral for the wrong thing” can “eff up all of your great plans”.
She also responded to a fellow TikTok video which accused her of being elitist, saying: “Maybe there are specific reasons as to why I choose my seats, perhaps my disability being one of them.”
In a last video on the subject, Ms Friedman said: “Well, it’s clear that people feel very strongly one way or the other as to whether I should have given up my seat.”
She reiterated that she had “certain reasons” for not moving that included “a disability that I shouldn’t have to justify to anyone”.
“If you’re triggered,” she added, “this is a you thing.”
“I’m travelling three to four days a week, away from my home, away from my family - I travel in a very specific way, and that’s what makes me comfortable with something that’s anxious for me.”
She told people who had left angry comments or argued with other followers in the replies, “you might need to look at that.”
It’s not the first time a passenger has sparked debate with a decision not to move seats.
In April, a couple attracted criticism after revealing that they wouldn’t trade plane seats with a child, who was “scared” of flying and sitting in a different row from her mother.
Meanwhile, model and TV personality Vogue Williams faced backlash after taking to her podcast to slam a “piece of s**t” passenger who wouldn’t move to accommodate her children.
baguslah, iols pernah kena 2 kali, yang second time tu rasa rengsa sebab cina lelaki tu bawak anak sekolah rendah 2 orang, pastu beli tiket lambat dan suka2 mintak tukar sebab nak duduk dekat2. Sejak peristiwa tu, iols bolayan jah sesapa yang datang mintak tukar.
if nak duduk together, bayar je la extra untuk seat..
kalau sendiri kedekut nak jimat, tak payah demand..
duduk je kat seat masing-masing..
nak risau apa duduk jauh-jauh pun..
bukan budak-budak boleh gi mana sampai hilang or gi main kat luar pun..
Post time 28-10-2022 12:27 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Bukan jadi tanggugjawab ko pun nak accomodate anak org. Tapi kalau jd hakak, hakak bagi je.. unless economy class. 1st class even seat tengah pun selesa. Economy kalau lantak ko la..pandai2 pujuk anak ko dek
Setuju.
Memang takkan nak beri. I kena 2 kali. I beli seat tersebut dan memang nak seat itu. Masa flight balik drp seoul. stewardess datang jumpa I and kata ada family nak tukar seat. seat yang nak ditukar tu dlm a few rows back and I bayar untuk bulkhead seat tersebut. senang2 je nak tukar.
Pastu masa naik biz class dr London ke KL. I ambil single seat. Senang2 je nak ajak tukar yg double seat tu. memanglah taknak
bkn parents jahh.. ada sekor mamat india keje kat arab saudi, mintak iols dok seat tengah sebelah dia, pastu bg window seat iols kat bini dia sbb nak bg bini dia tgk view window.. iols flatly said no.
Post time 28-10-2022 01:22 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Dah 2 kali kena. Ada sekali tu orang tu siap taknak pindah sebab I dah beli tiket window seat untuk anak I. Dia boleh pulak duduk situ cakap “eh bukan ke boleh duduk mana2?” Ai pulak kepala angin kalau boleh nak bergaduh kat situ jugak Last2 pindah gak macik tu dapat la anak I duduk window seat. Ko nak duduk tengok awan bayar la seat
setuju. selalu berlaku pada aku, bila aku fly sorang. Airlines akan tukar tiket kita, kita beli online, tapi dia tukar Ketika check in. Selalu bergaduh dengan Oman Air. Pak Arab tu cakap, nak naik, u naik, tak mahu pergi report.
Post time 28-10-2022 01:40 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
ramai ye ummah peel laguni merata dunia. dulu igt peel utk ummah dunia ke3 je rupanya ummah negara maju pun caprut peelnya. iols pernah bergaduh sbb matsaleh tu nak gf/bini dok tepi tgkap soh anak i tukar seat ngan dia. kiranya i pun kene tukar seat skali la.
dah la seat dia lane sana. satu hal plak anak&i terpisah by lorong steward dok lalu tu. i tnjuk kad beso yg i gntg kat anak i stebeng (kad autism), gigih jugak dia ckp anak dah besar ok kot. ade reason la nape aku beli seat siap2 kang anak aku merempan dlm flight marah.
Post time 28-10-2022 01:53 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
jika air asia memang kena beli seat, tapi MAS dia akan auto seat ikut tiket, penah dulu aku nk check in MAS, seat aku cacamarba terus gie kaunter adjust
Post time 28-10-2022 01:55 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
krustykrab replied at 28-10-2022 12:52 PM
Dh jd kebiasaan kan skrg ni parents lembik guna anak² paksa org ikut telunjuk diorg.
Pastu kalo x ikut telunjuk diorg,nanti parents bangang ni akan mula la viral kan muka org tu sambil ajak netizen kecam skali
Maka acik2 bawang muka kepam pun mula la tuduh org tu takde hati perut la bagai..padahal depa sendiri x penah naik katebang
Post time 28-10-2022 02:05 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Edited by Dwdrum at 27-10-2022 10:08 PM
Issue begini if discuss dengan emosi... Lebih teruk lagi perangai ummah yang selalu kena maki B40 dan pprt... Hanya perlu yes or no saja... Some prolly cuba luck if dapat dapat tukar... Aku jenis tidak peduli tukar saja sebab selalu long haul flight if diri sendiri saja ...most of the time tidur ...if ada anak 50/50 lah...
Post time 28-10-2022 11:49 AM
变色卡
Post time 28-10-2022 01:20 PM
Last2 pindah gak macik tu dapat la anak I duduk window seat. Ko nak duduk tengok awan bayar la seat 
