But one person got exactly the opposite during a recent trip with their daughter andcat.
Finger flipping, name calling and threats to call security were the order of the day.
All for the mediocre middle seat.
That someone else wanted to claim as their own.
A flight attendant was called more than once to diffuse the situation.
Needless to say, the middle seat is not usually the one people will go down fighting for.
So we can just imagine the OPs surprise when someone demanded they give up their middle seat.
In life, there are unwritten rules we follow, and certain etiquette we abide by.
Even, or especially when traveling.Diane Gottsmanis an international etiquette expert and respected leader in etiquette training.
Gottsman is also the founder ofThe Protocol School of Texas.
She kindly agreed to chat to Bored Panda and weigh in on the saga.
Gottsman says there is only one acceptable scenario where its okay to ask a fellow traveler to trade seats.
And even then, you should first exhaust all other measures.
Like speaking to the airline, a flight attendant or travel agents.
Ideally before you board the plane.
They also need to bear in mind that asking another passenger directly puts that person in an awkward situation.
It should be for a good reason or you should have made seat arrangements in advance.
One flight attendant toldBusiness Insiderthat theyve received more deescalation training than ever before.
Last year, they dealt with 2,455 cases.
It was way more than 2019, before the pandemic, when there were 1,161 reports.
The flight attendant wanted to remind travelers thatkindnessis key.
We need to take care of ourselves and each other.
In the case of the OP, neither they nor the elderly passenger knew why the other was traveling.
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