- A US software developer refused to swap his aisle seat for a middle seat on a flight
- The demanding passenger was escorted off the plane by a steward but later allowed back
- The incident sparked debate on social media about in-flight seat swapping etiquette
A US-based software developer sparked a viral debate after he refused to swap his aisle seat for a middle seat with another Indian passenger on a flight. The incident happened when Indian-American techie Saran Shanmugam, the director of Information Technology at the Biophysical Society, was traveling on a Middle Eastern airline and had pre-booked an aisle seat. An Indian man approached him, asking him to swap his aisle seat for a middle seat so the man could sit with his brother.
Shanmugam declined the request because the proposed swap would have moved him from his pre-booked aisle seat to a middle seat. However, the passenger refused to accept the "no" and began demanding the seat change from a flight attendant. A male steward reportedly walked the demanding passenger off the plane while his family watched. The man was allowed back on board a few minutes later, after which he did not mention the seat swap again for the remainder of the flight.
"I just said no. He approached a male steward and started demanding. The steward walked him off the plane while his entire family watched. Minutes later, he was allowed to come in. Never heard a peep or a glance from him again in my direction. I assumed the airline staff ensured a lifelong undertaking from him," Shanmugam wrote in a post on X.
The exact date of the incident has not been mentioned in the post.
See the post here:
The incident has triggered widespread discussion on social media regarding in-flight etiquette, with many users supporting Shanmugam's right to keep the seat he specifically reserved in advance.
One user wrote, "I also always do pre book my seat as I prefer aisle. Once I switched with a mother who wanted to sit with her young kids. I sincerely feel, people need to learn to pre book their seats to avoid any hassle."
Another user commented, "I have faced this many times. My response always been, I will exchange my aisle seat for another aisle seat period."
Some also found holes in the story. A third added, "Very unlikely this actually happened. Once deplaned, re-boarding simply does not happen. If you don't get what I'm saying, next time you get off the plane, try taking one step back in. The suddenly alert and tense faces around you will tell you how unlikely this story is."
