Plane Passenger Not Prepared For Reason Seatmate Angrily Wakes Them Mid-Nap: ‘Lordy’

A simple act of kindness led to an unexpected seating debacle that left one plane passenger wondering, “Is seat karma a thing?”

The passenger, who shared their experience on Reddit this week, thought they were doing a good deed when asked to swap seats so a couple could sit together on a flight from Orlando to Dulles.

Instead, they found themselves stuck in a less-than-ideal situation that left them questioning the practice of seat swapping altogether.

Tapped on the Shoulder

The passenger, posting under the username Psychological_Nose_2, had just settled into their preferred window seat, 12A, when a man in the middle seat arrived.

Apparently unable to speak English, the man tapped the passenger on the shoulder and showed a translated message on his phone that read, “Can you please swap seats with my wife?”

The man pointed to a woman sitting across the aisle in seat 12F, another window spot.

“I go… sure no problem! And switch over to 12F,” the passenger wrote, thinking little of the exchange.

However, after dozing off, they were abruptly awakened by another traveler: “SIR, IS YOUR SEAT 12F?” the man asked.

Still groggy, the passenger explained, “No, it’s not. I was in 12A. I gave her my seat so she could sit with her husband.”

Wedged Between

But there was a problem: the woman’s actual seat wasn’t 12F—it was 12E, the middle seat. Realizing they had accidentally taken someone else’s window spot, the passenger tried to explain the situation to the couple.

However, the language barrier made communication impossible, and they were met with blank stares. With the plane filling up, the passenger had no choice but to move to the middle seat, wedged between two larger passengers.

“Is seat karma a thing? Hopefully, it carries forward,” they joked.

The story rapidly caught the attention of other Reddit users, many of whom shared their own experiences and opinions on seat swapping.

One user commented, “Lordy. This makes me feel like if I’m ever asked to do a seat swap I should ask for the other person’s boarding pass just to verify.”

‘Suck it up’

Another added, “I would have explained the situation to the [flight attendant] and had them restore the proper seat assignments. You were conned.”

The passenger’s tale made one supporter even more determined, declaring: “This is why I NEVER swap.

“Don’t care, leave me alone [and I] don’t care about whatever YOUR issue is. Pay for your seats together, or suck it up and sit alone for three hours like an adult.”

Seat-swapping incidents like the one described have become a hot topic among travelers.

According to a Newsweek article, one father faced backlash after refusing to swap his aisle seat to allow another passenger to sit with their children.

The father argued that he had paid extra for his seat and felt no obligation to move.

In another Newsweek story, a passenger recounted being asked to swap seats three times on a single flight.

Frustrated, they declined all requests, noting that their seat choice had been deliberate and they didn’t appreciate the disruptions.

‘Don’t be me’

The original poster admitted in the discussion that they knew what happened was their fault. They shared their tale for “Some comic relief” and were not “shading” the large passengers, they added.

“Literally just made the post to go, ‘Hey, this is me. I’m stupid. Don’t be me’.”

Newsweek has contacted Psychological_Nose_2 for comment via Reddit.

Newsweek‘s “What Should I Do?” offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work, and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.