A family asked for one small courtesy at a packed Paris airport. One passenger’s refusal didn’t go as planned.
Airports rarely have enough seating at the gates for everyone waiting for their respective planes. So when you’re looking for a place to sit, it becomes particularly frustrating when someone uses the seat(s) next to them to store their stuff. Or some passengers at the gate might wind up with a solitary empty seat on either side of them but they don’t think to proactively move over one seat so a party of two could utilize the space.
But what even more exasperating is if you encounter situations like those, ask the person to move their stuff or move over, and they say no.
This is exactly what happened to a user on Reddit who goes by the handle u/pix-zzzs. However, when the exact situation happened to her, her sister and two nephews in Paris, the two sisters devised a plan that may not have started as petty revenge, but it certainly worked out that way – and 100% to their advantage!
pix-zzzs reported the situation on Reddit’s /Petty Revenge subreddit, which is described as a place for, “…all your stories of small victories over those who’ve wronged you.” She titled her story as Crowded Paris airport seating.
The story
u/pix-zzzs explained that a few years ago, she and her sister were traveling from Paris to Rome with her sister’s two young sons, who were 7 and 4 years old at the time, as part of a family trip to Italy. After landing in Paris, they faced a very long walk from the arrival gate through customs and on to their connecting gate.
By the time they reached the gate area, it was extremely crowded. The older nephew, who was 7, urgently needed to sit down. He wore blade prosthetics, which were becoming tight and due for replacement, and air travel caused his legs to swell. At the same time, they were trying to keep the energetic 4-year-old under control.
Seeing a woman seated between two empty seats, u/pix-zzzs politely approached her and asked if she would mind moving over one seat so the boys could sit together. She pointed out her nephew’s prosthetic legs and explained that he needed to sit. The woman flatly refused, apparently assuming the family would go find other seats.
Instead, u/pix-zzzs turned to her sister, who calmly sat one child on each side of the woman. The boys were thrilled and quickly began bouncing with excitement. u/pix-zzzs then stepped away briefly to use the restroom.
When she returned, she found her sister was now seated between the boys. According to her sister, it took less than a minute for the woman to realize her mistake of sitting between two boisterous young boys. She got up and left the area very quickly.
Later, while boarding the plane, u/pix-zzzs saw the woman again—but this time, she avoided making any eye contact.
The response
The story wasn’t the kind that went viral. Although it got 2000 “thumbs up,” it only received 54 replies – most of which lamented how awful CDG Airport is, LOL.
However a few respondents also chimed in with her how selfish the woman was, or how well pix-zzzs and her sister handled the situation.
Our take on it
Airports are crowded, stressful places, and small acts of courtesy can make a big difference. In this case, refusing to slide over one seat didn’t inconvenience a family—it cost one passenger her own comfort. Sometimes, the easiest choice is also the smartest one.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
