On October 20, Wander Wisdom published a story about a passenger on a plane who was sitting in first class. Maresa Friedman (or @maresasd on TikTok), was asked by another passenger to change seats so that their family could sit together. Friedman refused and posted several videos on TikTok explaining why.
If you shelled out extra money for a first- class ticket and somebody asked you to move, either to accommodate their family or for some other reason, would you do it? Yes? No? Or would it depend on the circumstances?
What Happened?
As noted by Wander Wisdom, being asked to change seats on a plane or train isn’t anything new.
“Sometimes, it’s totally worth it to sit somewhere else so a family can be together. Other times — when it would mean leaving a truly amazing seat in first class — it makes sense to say no way.”
Friedman was sitting in a first class seat. She was asked to move to accommodate a family that planned poorly.
What Was Her Response?
Friedman refused because she paid to sit in a more comfortable class on the plane.
The caption over her TikTok video said, “I am not a villain for not moving from the seat in first class I paid full fare for. I am also a mom so it’s called planning ahead.”
Friedman Explained The Story In Several Videos
“To be clear, no hate to anybody,” she said in a TikTok video.
She understood wanting to sit together as a family, especially being a parent to two children herself. That didn’t mean she needed to be bumped.
If she’d been on a bus, and was asked to give up her seat for an elderly or pregnant person, she would. After all, it would just be a few stops.
“If you buy basic economy tickets, you should have zero expectations of sitting together,” Friedman said. “You’re just going to get whatever seats are left. Buy a better class ticket.”
She gave up her seat in the past and described the experience as “horrific. Never again.”
Most Were In Her Corner
Most TikTok users saw nothing wrong with Friedman’s position.
One person wrote, “I don’t give up my seat anywhere ever on a plane. I reserved it early enough to get what I wanted. Your loss if you didn’t.”
Another said, “thank you! As a child free person I get shamed for not moving. I paid full price. I’m not moving.”
A third stated, “lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”