Mr Plummer's anger over this incident triggered a debate online. (Representative pic)
A plane passenger was left "irritated and humiliated" after he was asked to swap his extra legroom seat so that a couple could sit next to each other. According to Conde Nast Traveler, Todd Plummer was travelling from Istanbul to Kilimanjaro with Turkish Airlines in September. He had booked a normal flight ticket and was given 11D - an exit row seat with extra legroom. Being 6 feet 2 inches, Mr Plummer was "delighted" to get the seat. However, his happiness was short-lived as he was soon asked by the airlines to swap seats with a couple due to double booking.
Speaking to CN Traveler, Mr Plummer said that as soon as he sat in the seat, the gate agent of the plane "stormed up" to him and told him that his seat had been double booked with a couple. "The gate agent said that I needed to move to 9D to accommodate the pair despite being settled into my seat already," he told the outlet.
Mr Plummer told the gate agent that he was happy in his seat and would prefer to stay there, however, he was told that the plane was "very full". After a long awkward silence, Mr Plummer said that he "caved" and ended up moving to let the pair sit next to each other, rather than separated between an aisle.
"If this was a medical emergency or a child that needed to be seated with their parent, I would have moved to a seat of equal or greater value - I'm an understanding person," Mr Plummer said.
"Alas, for over seven hours, I seethed with quiet rage as my knees knocked the seat in front of me and my legs cramped," he added.
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The plane passenger went on to say that he wasn't even offered anything as thank you for moving, and was "disappointing, irritating and downright humiliating". He said that the move suggested that couples are "more deserving of a superior seat on an airplane".
Mr Plummer's anger over this incident triggered a debate on social media. Several internet users shared that they too had experienced similar problems. One man claimed that he had been bumped from his business class seat twice to accommodate couples travelling together. Another woman said that she was asked to switch seats in front of a cabin by another woman wanting to sit with her husband.