A Delta Diamond Medallion elite member flying from Seattle to Atlanta raised an important point about boarding planes: when the window seat passenger arrives after the someone is already seated in the aisle or middle, the aisle or middle passenger needs to get up to let them in. It is not reasonable to expect the person in the window to climb over the passengers who are already seated in the tight confines of coach. That’s both awkward and rude.
Boarded my flight today, I was 10A. Middle and aisle seats already occupied. I asked to get into my seat. Middle seat dude says “you have enough room to come in?” I reply politely “I would you stood so I’m not awkwardly crawling over you, thank you.” They get up. All good.
She texted about the exchange, and a couple of things happened.
First, it “[f]elt like someone was reading over my shoulder.”
Second, after being seated in coach she got a last minute upgrade to first class.
Started to get my backpack out from under the seat and look around to figure out the least disruptive time to move. Said this to the middle person, and that this doesn’t normally happen to me. He loudly goes “yea I know what’s happening, you’re just racist!!!” Me “excuse me? Sir I just got upgraded..” “I saw what you texted, YOU’RE JUST RACIST”
Not wanting to climb over another passenger was interpreted as racist, maybe because the passenger assumed race was the reason for that strong desire.
“First off, why are you reading my texts? Second, literally said I jusy don’t want to crawl over you, this has nothing to do with race! I just want to avoid trouble with seats later” “I was just being cute/ funny. You’re just racist”
He keeps grumbling on as I walk away.
Mainly sucks because I hate that someone interpreted my actions as racist, when really was just trying to not awkwardly touch random people. Especially nowadays.
Not wanting to touch someone because of their race could be a reason why someone wouldn’t want to climb over them! But it’s not necessarily the reason. It’s even not the most likely!
I see people all of the time climbing over other passengers to get into and out of middle and window seats, whether it’s at boarding or during the flight when someone needs to use the lavatory. That’s fine if all parties concerned are actually good with it. But it shouldn’t be the expectation.
As a man, I’d never ask a woman to ‘climb over me’. Highly inappropriate! And while I’m pretty confident in my masculinity, I don’t really want some random dude climbing on me. Isn’t the insistence that there’s plenty of space not to bother getting up for another passenger to reach the window seat just creepy?
If you’re in the aisle seat, especially, you need to offer to get up whenever a passenger needs access. That’s part of the deal of the aisle seat. You have more direct access to the lavatory, but you need to grant access to others.
Delta does say to ‘Keep Climbing’
Yikes. Common decency to stand up for the window seater.
Big fan of privacy phone screen protectors, I actually got mine originally for this very purpose on planes. Not 100% peek-proof but does a decent job.
Even when in an extra leg room seat or in first class, I always stand to allow other passengers to pass. To expect someone to climb over you is just plain rude.
Crazy!! Even when in an extra leg room seat or in first class, I always stand to allow other passengers to pass. To expect someone to climb over you is just plain rude.
I agree with David P. Always get up for the window passenger. It’s just plain courtesy.
I agreed with this until I read “last minute upgrade to first class”. Iffy.
Upon reading this the second time (and actually reviewing the source of the post on Reddit), I’ve learned to take such posts with a ‘grain of salt’ because while there are ‘texts’ as the ‘evidence’ those can be manipulated or made-up even. It all almost feels like clout-farming, click-bait, etc.
But, if taken as ‘real,’ then the attempt to ‘racialize’ this unsavory interaction was indeed a ‘tactic’ and we should recognize it as such–it’s obviously disingenuous (the goal is to distract, defame).
It’s as absurd as someone yelling ‘pedophile!’ at someone else–like, how do you even react to that, other than to ignore them. Well, after Elon tweeted ‘pedo’ at that cave diver, he got out of liability for the resulting defamation case by suggesting it was an ‘insult,’ not a ‘statement of fact.’ Psh.
@L737 @David P — Thank you both for being actual decent human beings in an age when hardly anyone else seems to care anymore. What happened to all the ladies and gentlemen out there. I may not agree with everyone, but l have enough self-respect to at least try to maintain some ‘manners’. And I don’t care who or what it is, any background or identity, even if they’re somewhat ‘rude’ to me or others, I’m gonna treat others as I want to be treated, and that’s: ‘well.’
@Kirk — Why ‘iffy’? Like, if you’re jealous of them, then you don’t have to allow someone else the courtesy of getting up for them? I think not. Get up. It’s the right thing. Regardless.
@Kirk — Oh, or maybe you think ‘last minute upgrades’ aren’t a thing. No, they actually are ‘a thing.’ I’ve had gate agents approach me ample times after boarding from my seat in United Economy Plus or Delta Comfort+ to ‘escort’ me to 1A or 4C, etc. Sometimes the notification comes in as a text, too, and you can literally ‘self-upgrade’ though it’s wise to mention it to the flight attendant, so as to not confuse anyone as to why you’re moving up, like to set clear expectations. But, like, you earned it.
americans are out of control.
@Dustin Evans — *We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties* We’re working on it. Give us a chance. Sorry. *Please Stand By* (but not like ‘stand back and stand by’ because that was different, and bad, like super bad.)
And clear example of DEI at it’s best on Delta.
@Todd S — How? (Also, are you like the reincarnation of Andy S?)
I read the phone messages differently and that causes the whole argument to collapse. The final message shown or partially shown is “Human, don’t forget it’s trash/recycle night”.
Depending on the circumstances (I don’t think it is a directive to take out the trash at home), that is probably a comment about the other two passengers. Trash is sometimes used as a shortened version of the pejorative “white trash” which can also be considered racist. Letting the middle person see the messages and then having to get out again led to being called out.
The last messages are:
Totally
Also super early in the boarding proceas
Lol get your asses up, plzthx
Human, don’t forget it’s trash/recycle night
Sorry if there are any typos.
Ah, cum on…. Middle seat pax was probably just your everyday sex offender ….lol
How pathetic, rude & juvenile ( although on second thought maybe the ‘offenders’ weren’t
of majority age ! )… If any of this is true, what a sad comment on our society & what we have become…. Just another reason why I have lost my desire to fly …
@ 1990 — Ya think?
@1990 –
Great pun w/ the Delta slogan !
Got a good chuckle, which is not uncommon for many of your pithy posts !
I board Zone 1 and am always on the aisle. I never buckle my belt, that way I can get up and allow my row mates in comfortably. Is this difficult? Nope.
@jns — Again, it seems like ‘racist’ is an ‘insult’ not a literal, provable description for anyone here (in this incident or on this site). Generally, the situation was ‘uncool’ (like, all of them), if it was even real. (I still have my doubts on that, personally.)
@bossa — Glad you enjoyed. Oh, and yes, I try to bring ‘the spice’ wherever I can. Some detest it. Some thirst for it. Also, back at you, good sir or madam. I enjoyed your spelling of the word ‘come’–me thinks some of us have been on ‘certain websites’, lately. All good. We do not (and should not) kink shame on here, unless that is, your kink is kink-shaming, which again I am still at a loss for what to do then. I kid. But, like, not literally a ‘kid,’ just short for ‘kidding,’ again not like ‘children,’ but as-in ‘joking.’ Oof. See what these words can do. Yikes. Gotta try to have good fun now and again.
We all judge our fellow passengers and make assumptions about them, but in this case, the dude/dudes opened their mouths and that was the first mistake.
I personally want small quiet people seated next to me (NOT children) but as in small stature adults, because I’m tall, but obviously this is me assuming this “profile”/assumption of a person will make the best seat mate
It would seem to be common sense that if the window seat is as-yet unoccupied, you are ready for them to be there and thus ready to let them in (e.g. staying unbuckled), but as they say common sense isn’t always common. The only time I can think of where it *might* be appropriate to “crawl over someone” is family or friends with their consent (e.g. like spouses in exit rows or first class) but with strangers it’s a HARD NO.