Let's be honest—flying has a way of bringing out the best and the worst in people. Most passengers just want to get to their destination in peace, but every now and then, someone boards the plane acting like the rules don't apply to them. Whether it's demanding someone else's seat, spreading out into another person's legroom, or expecting complete strangers to rearrange their plans, these entitled travelers somehow manage to turn an ordinary flight into an unforgettable story.
The good news? People don't always let that behavior slide. Sometimes it's a fellow passenger who speaks up, other times it's a quick-thinking flight attendant—or even the airline itself—that puts an end to the drama. We rounded up some of the internet's most satisfying stories of entitled flyers getting exactly the response they deserved. Keep scrolling, Pandas, because these mid-air confrontations are equal parts frustrating, hilarious, and incredibly satisfying.
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Plane Seat Bandits
I've had a few people be nuisances (idc I always got my seat in the end), but the one exchange that always comes to mind is this one. Once there was a mom with two kids sitting in my two seats, who pretended to not understand English, and then started to say horrible things about me about and cuss me out to the flight attendant in a local Zambian language (Bemba, which I speak because most of my colleagues prefered it).
Cue her surprise when I as a white guy told her in fluent Bemba I've been kind and patient with her, but I don't appreciate her attitude and asked her to leave one last time or I'd have to get her moved. Suddenly she can apologize in perfect English and runs to the back dragging her screaming kids with her. The flight attendant thought it was hilarious. Wished the other lady a nice stay in my home country when we were at the baggage pick up but didn't hear anything back.
He Tried To Take My Airline Seat, And Lost
I was travelling to Las Vegas to meet up with some friends, and pre-booked my seat. With this airline, they charge extra for certain seats. I chose a window seat with extra leg room due to my disability, which cost me an additional $45 dollars. When boarding, there was a man in my seat with another in the aisle seat. The middle was open. I checked my seat number, and then politely told the man he was in my seat and asked for him to move. I am a petite female, and both men were about 6 feet tall and over 200 lbs. When both opened their mouths, it definitely appeared like they both were used to using their size to get their way.
The man in the isle immediately told me that the man at the window didn’t have to move, and I could sit in the middle. After all, he said, I shouldn’t make a scene about it. That really pissed me off. I didn’t raise my voice, and was very polite. I said I wasn’t making a scene, but was asking nicely for the seat I paid for. That’s when he stood up, and attempted to physically intimidate me. But here is the thing…I worked in front line healthcare. I am used to men attempting to use their size and mouth to intimidate, and this behaviour does not work with me. So, I decided to take another tactic.
I turned my head to the man in my seat; and told him that I would make him a deal. He gives me $50 dollars cash, and I will give him my seat. I told him I paid an additional $45 for the seat, and with tax it should be around $50. He gives the money, and the seat would be his. This is when he turned to me in shock and said, “You want me to pay you $50 for your seat?” I answered, “So you are admitting that you knew this wasn’t your seat. I am going to call the airline staff, and they can take you to your seat. After all, I booked this seat due to me having a disability (which is true), and you are trying to steal it.” Everyone around us turned to look at him, and they did not have kind looks on their faces. He turned 14 shades of red, and moved to the middle seat. He pulled his hoodie over his head, and sulked the rest of the flight. His friend did the same.
The moral of this story is simple. Do not use size and gender to bully others. It may just backfire on you, and make your next flight a lot less comfortable.
Seatmate In A Flight Complained That I Started Eating My Special Meal Before Theirs Arrived
Apologies, English is not my native language.
On long flights I preorder a special meal online because I am vegetarian. On most flights, the flight attendant brings the special meals first and then start the normal meal service for the rest.
On my last flight, a perfect stranger sat next to me and told me that I was rude and inconsiderate because I started eating my vegetarian food before their meal arrived. They said that it was basic rule to wait until everyone in the row got their food and that I ruined their flight. Their face was red and rolled their eyes several times
I stared at them. This is next level entitlement, right? We are not eating together on the same table in a restaurant.
"I'm tired from work. I need to sit here. Give up your seat." If this sounds like something an incredibly rude stranger would say, it's probably because it is. Realistically, most of us have crossed paths with someone who acts like the world should bend around them. Maybe it's a coworker who always expects special treatment, a customer who believes they're always right, or a stranger who thinks basic rules don't apply to them. While people are often quick to call out entitled behavior, it is also interesting to understand where this mindset comes from and why some people develop a strong sense of deservingness.
Airplane Story! Family Tries To Trick Me Into Switching To The Middle Middle
I just gotta say even I can’t believe that this actually happened to me it’s so ridiculous. A couple of years ago I was on a fully booked international flight. The flight was gonna be 8 hours and it was one of those big planes with 3 rows (3 seats on each side and 4 in the middle). I
was in economy sitting alone in the aisle seat of one of the side rows. A couple with their already unhappy toddler walks up and the wife and kid sits down in the middle row beside me. The dad looks around distraught, talked to his partner and asks me if I could switch seats with him so he could sit with his family.
I was reluctant but asked him what seat he had. To my surprise he said he had a seat in business class so of course I said absolutely! I started to get up and grab my luggage, but once I stood up he was like “wait, my wife actually wanted to go sit up there can you take her seat instead”. I said no, I’m not switching to the middle row and being blocked into a middle seat by a screaming toddler… and you said you wanted to sit with your family??
The dad got all defensive and switched up (holding up traffic during this entire interaction btw) raising his voice going on about how I said I could switch seats with them and how it’s not fair to his wife who had planned on taking his seat up in business class. Not my proudest moment, but I was starting to sass back at him. I’m pretty sure I asked him something along the lines of if he had any extra of whatever drugs he was on because it had to have been some top notch stuff for him to be acting so crazy in public.
At this point a flight attendant had finally squeezed her way up to us and asked why we weren’t taking our seats. Before I could say anything this man had the AUDACITY to say that I had offered to take his wife’s seat and now I wasn’t cooperating. I called bullshit, thankfully the passenger sitting behind me backed me up and the flight attendant was not in the mood to play. She asked to see his ticket, told me to grab my luggage and escorted me up to his seat. Needless to say I had a very nice flight after that.
Airline Agent Calls Karen's Bluff
Important context: The airline in question doesn't assign seats, but they do have a well-defined, orderly boarding process.
On the day in question, an ATC outage at one airport borked things nationwide--chains of delayed flights (including ours), connections messed up (quite a few of them on our plane alone), the whole nine yards, and Karen is parked at the desk at our gate. She's clearly already asked for and received a manager. She's at the "quiet but palpable fury" stage.
The problem, you see, is that her boarding position is unsatisfactory.
She simply must be one of the first people on the plane. No, boarding after the first group isn't acceptable. She demands that they give her a better number. They point out that those spots already belong to other people and, oddly enough, they refuse to boot another passenger from their rightful boarding position for her convenience.
So she pulls out what she thinks is the big guns: "Fine. Cancel the trip. The whole thing."
And they did, without blinking an eye. The manager calmly, professionally charged her a cancellation fee and then disappeared before I could thank him on behalf of the rest of the passengers on our 3.5-hour flight.
It was so delicious to watch--definitely the most satisfying thing I have witnessed in a while. I am comfortable assuming that we would have been diverted somewhere so local law enforcement could treat her to an involuntary layover.
A New (To Me) Way For A Squatter To Grab My Aisle Seat
I’ve been flying for decades but this one was new to me. I was traveling with my 80 year-old brother. He needs wheelchairs and a bit of looking after during a flight. So I made sure that, in addition to the wheelchairs, I booked two aisle seats, directly across from each other. Flight was completely full. Boarded the flight and found a man in my aisle seat. He tried to claim that seat A-x was the aisle seat and so mine was the window. I’ve been flying on AA for decades, and on a plane with 3x3 seating, C&D are the aisles, A&F are windows. I attempted to explain this, nicely, to him. He insisted that I was wrong and he was right. I didn’t argue with him any further, I simply asked the flight attendant to explain the seating letter system to him. She did, and he then tried to argue with her that the airline booked him with the wrong seat. He finally took his window seat, grumbling about it, and so I could take my assigned aisle seat. I’ll give the guy A for originality but the only way to deal with these entitled folks is to be polite, but firm, and involve the flight attendant if you can’t make any headway.
Unless I had a specific reason (like OP) I'd take a window seat over aisle any time. I love the view.
According to BetterHelp, one possible reason entitlement can develop is during childhood. When children are consistently given everything they ask for without learning patience, responsibility, or the value of earning things, they may grow up expecting the same treatment from everyone around them. However, entitlement can also be linked to certain personality traits and, in some cases, personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder. Of course, not everyone who displays entitled behavior has a mental health condition—sometimes it can simply come from learned attitudes, experiences, or the way someone views their place in the world.
Karen Stole The Wrong Seat
My son and I are flying out. I booked the aisle and window in case the flight wasn’t full. If it was full, we would let the middle person choose aisle or window. We get to our row and there is someone in the window. We check our seats. She looks away pretending she doesn’t see or hear us. It’s fine for us since we were going to take the middle seat anyways.
Then this guys comes and says he has the middle seat in our row. I explained we have the aisle and the window but this woman sat down first. Turns out she had the middle seat on the other side. Now she is squished between two large dudes. She didn’t even steal the correct side.
You Will Let Me Sit Next To My Girlfriend! I Will Not Wait Even 30 More Minutes!
Spring Air Japan, flight IJ005 flying Narita, Japan to Shanghai on Dec 1.
A man boarded and demanded another passenger swap seats so he could sit next to his girlfriend. The other passenger refused, the flight attendant told him to take his assigned seat.
For the next two hours he continued to complain to the flight crew over how unfair this was. He was so incessant with his poor behavior that after about 2 hours, with about 30 minutes until landing the pilots decided to return to Narita to have the passenger removed in his home country.
The other passengers were given 10,000 yen for the inconvenience.
Why inconvenience all the other passengers? The entire flight from Narita to Shanghai only takes about three and a half hours - sometimes less - so the plane was almost there. Land in China and turn this guy over to the local authorities, telling them he had been ranting about independence for Taiwan the whole flight.
Feeble Attempt At Seat Stealing
Flying Charlotte to Cozumel, my wife and I always book 2 aisle seats, in this case, 7C and 7D. We are boarding group 5.
There is a couple already settled in 7E and 7F when we get to our seats. No problem, my wife takes 7C, and I take 7D.
A while later, 2 guys come on and say they are 7E and 7F. The seated couple say, "Oops, we're 7A and B". I know, it's hard reading the seat designator on the overhead bins. There is a lady in 7A that my wife asks what seat you are. She says 7A.
The 2 guys are trying to be nice and let the couple stay together, but it turns out the couple are really 7B and 9E. Both middle seats! The guys say no way are they trading for that and the couple shamefully move to where they are supposed to be.
Entitled? Stupid? Cheap? All of the above? What is wrong with people?
Psychologists who study entitlement describe it as a personality characteristic where someone has a strong and ongoing belief that they deserve special treatment. Entitled individuals often feel they should receive certain privileges simply because of who they are, rather than because of their actions, effort, or circumstances. They may believe they deserve more attention, respect, or opportunities than others—even when there is no clear reason why. Interestingly, entitlement is not always a fixed personality trait. Someone who is usually considerate may occasionally feel entitled in a specific situation, especially during moments of stress, frustration, or feeling overlooked.
Lean Your Seat Back On A Flight… Pay The Price
For context, I lean my seat back on flights so I’m not saying not to do it at all. The problem that occurred was on take off. This guy had his seat back from the get go and the flight attendant came around and told him to put his seat up a couple times. Eventually the flight attendant helped him put it up. As soon as she left, he leaned his seat back again.
Such a jerk move. The whole entire flight (2 1/2 hours) I dug my knees into his seat… hard. I did it at different spots too. I know he could feel it because he kept adjusting and eventually gave a quick glance back but was too sissy to say anything.
Did my knees and muscles hurt while doing it? Absolutely, but it was well worth it!
EDIT: for those of you who don’t understand, your seat should be upright during takeoff which is why he was entitled and why I did what I did.
The person in front of me 100% has the right to recline the seat, but d**n! Could you at least warn me first? On a recent flight, person in front suddenly reclined and everything on my very tiny tray table went onto the floor. Fortunately it wasn't anything messy or breakable. A heads up would have been nice.
Spoiled Girl On Airplane Wanted Three Seats All To Herself
I upgraded to an exit row seat for the additional legroom while checking in at the airport. When I got to my seat a girl seemed upset that I had a seat in the same row as her. She said that she wanted to sleep on the (6 hour) flight and picked that seat because the other two seats in that row were empty. I lightheartedly said that she should have purchased three tickets if she wanted to do that. During the flight I left my jacket and a small bag on my seat when I got up to go use the bathroom. When I got back all of my belongings were on the floor and she was sleeping on all three seats.
Em Demands I Give Up My Airline Seat Because Her Child Deserves It More”
So, I’m on a 5-hour flight for a work conference. I booked a window seat because I like to lean against the wall to sleep. I board the plane, settle in, and everything seems fine. Then enters Entitled Mom (EM) and her Kid (EK).
EM: (Staring at me) “Um, you’re in our seats.”
Me: “I don’t think so; this is 23A, right?”
EM: “Yes, but my son really wants to look out the window.”
Me: “I booked this seat specifically, sorry.”
EM: “Well, my son has never flown before, and he should get to experience it. You should give your seat to him. He deserves it more!”
Me: “I understand, but I also paid for this seat.”
At this point, the flight attendant (FA) comes over to see what the commotion is about.
FA: “Is everything alright here?”
EM: “No! He won’t let my son sit by the window!”
FA: “Ma’am, the seats are assigned, and he’s in his correct seat.”
EM: “This is outrageous! My child deserves this experience!”
FA: “I can’t change assigned seats; you’ll have to sit in your assigned seats.”
EM huffs and puffs but finally takes her assigned middle seat next to me, muttering about how “some people are so selfish.”
Five hours sitting next to EM was not fun, but I held onto my window seat. My comfort was worth more than her entitlement.
So, that’s my experience. Can’t believe people like this actually exist.
I would have said, "I'm sorry that you are too stupid to actually book the seat you want for your son. Sad that he has such a stupid mommy"
At the same time, Psychology Today points out that entitlement can sometimes come from a place of feeling hurt or neglected. For some people, it may develop as a response to feeling like their needs have not been recognized. The thought process can become, "I deserve to be cared for and treated with kindness too." Wanting respect, support, or fairness is completely normal; the problem begins when that feeling turns into expecting others to constantly prioritize you at their own expense.
Lady Wants A Free Empty Seat On Plane
Me, solo traveler, flying internationally from Asia to US, just getting checked in at the counter. On this plane, the seat layout is 3 seats - aisle - 3 seats - aisle - 3 seats. I ask the flight attendant if it's possible to move my middle seat to one that is the window or an aisle, but clearly state that it's fine if it's not possible. She gets me an aisle seat and I am jazzed.
Next to me, woman and man (looks like a couple), doing the same.
Woman: are there any rows of 3 with an empty middle seat? Flight attendant: I'm sorry, I can't guarantee any seats will remain empty. I can seat you next to each other though? Woman: No, I want to sit with an empty seat between us. Man: (murmurs something to her, looks kinda embarrassed) Woman: No, I like the extra room. We would like to be seated with an empty seat between us (continues to make the same request to the poor flight attendant)
Later, after boarding my flight, I realized that the middle seat between me and the other aisle passenger was open, and it made me smile.
Lady, we all want the extra room, but we aren't entitled to it, dayum. Leave the poor customer service agents alone.
Airport Gate Seating
A mind boggling exchange at the airport this weekend. The gates were packed. The seating area is full, people standing around and sitting on the floor. I spot an open seat at the end of three chairs. At the far end was a woman, bags in the middle seat, the last seat is open. So I sit down. She looks up from her phone, “that’s my husband’s seat.” I point at the bags and ask, “who is sitting there?” She scowls and repeats that I’m in her husband’s seat. I tell her he can sit where the bags are.
We bicker back and forth and I tell her, “it’s standing room only, you don’t need three seats for two people.” Her husband returns from wherever he was. He’s glaring at me and together they huff away to stand at their gate. For the next ten minutes I’d look up to see them scowling at me, then laughing at me. Whatever. I enjoyed sitting, as did the two others that grabbed the vacated seats. I’m too old for that.
Annoying Airplane Passenger
Southwest flight from Atlanta to NOLA tonight. We were about 30 minutes late leaving out of Atlanta. After we boarded we waited because we needed to get a new route because of weather in Alabama. The wait was maybe 10 minutes, the delay about 30. We were on the taxiway and starting to get a little speed.
Some guy got up and went to the forward cabin. He started to open the bathroom door. The flight attendants told him we were trying to leave and to go back to his seat. I couldn't hear what he said but I could hear them arguing. After a minute he opened the door and went inside the bathroom. Flight attendants must have signaled the pilots because they stopped taxiing. Even after he finished and went back to his seat, we sat there, I assume waiting for a new spot in the order.
There's lots of time after boarding, normally and especially because of the delay. Why wait until the plane is about to take off?
It could be he felt fine, or thought he could hold it, and then really, really had to go. A big fear of mine is having sudden indigestion that I can't hold during take off.
So, how can you recognize entitled behavior? Some people with a strong sense of entitlement may appear extremely confident, outspoken, or convinced that they deserve admiration. They might become frustrated, defensive, or even angry when things don't go their way. Their attitude can shift quickly depending on whether they are getting what they want, and they may struggle to understand why others don't automatically agree with their demands. They often expect special treatment but may not always offer the same consideration in return.
The tricky thing about entitlement is that it often sets people up for disappointment. When someone believes the world should always work in their favor, reality can become frustrating very quickly. Imagine someone arriving late to a flight and expecting the airline staff to hold the plane just for them, then getting angry when told the boarding gate has closed. The frustration doesn't come from an unfair situation; it comes from the belief that normal rules should somehow make an exception for them. When expectations become unrealistic, disappointment is almost inevitable.
Man Tries To Force Me To Switch Seats With Him On An Airplane
Some back story I’m 6’5 so when there’s leg room on a airplane I’m not moving. At the time this happened I was 14 (pre corona).
I play basketball with a travel team. I had to go back home early because I broke my arm falling down the stairs of the hotel. My aunt was the only person who came to watch the game but I obviously couldn’t play. So the coach said it would be best if we went home. I honestly didn’t know why but we did.
On are flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles there was a man sitting in the middle seat in the row behind us who complained about everything. He asked everyone to switch seats with him. Then he got to me.
He will be ep for entitled person. Ep,” Hey man switch seats with me”. I said I’m sorry but no. He than flipped out and said your generation doesn’t respect there elders and blah blah blah. I wish I could have said something cool and snarky to put him in his place but the flight attendant did.
She offered him a seat elsewhere and he got up and followed her he sat right next to restroom. For the rest of the flight he was gagging and trying not to throw up.
Entitled In The Middle Seat?
My sister and I booked a flight. She likes the window and I like the aisle. When we sat down, there was someone in the middle seat. She asked if we wanted to change seats and we politely declined. I passed a small snack bag to my sister while I settled in my seat. The woman said, “are you two going to be rude and pass things to each other all flight?” I politely explained that I asked my sister to hold one thing. When I was settled and buckled in, I would ask for it back. Otherwise, my sister planned to sleep and I would watch my iPad. She continued raising her voice saying how rude we were. I think the fact that we declined to moved really upset her. She continued to complain and even held my sister up by letting a few extra rows go first. Are we missing something here?
"I'll Just Use Hers" In TSA Security
Going through TSA security I had pulled my Ipad out and put it in a bin, pulled my laptop out and put it in a bin, my jacket and purse in another bin and then my carry on bag.
The woman ahead of me set off the alarm going through the metal detector. Instructed to take off her sweater and put it in a bin (as she should have while in line) she pulled off her cardigan and instead of going back to get a bin for her things she said to her friend "I'll just use hers" and threw her stuff in my bin on top of my Ipad.
I grabbed her stuff and said "No you won't" and tossed it on the belt. Her indignation could have been heard the next country over as she grabbed her stuff and went to get a bin. Meanwhile I pushed mine through and walked through the detector, metal free.
As I was putting my bag back together she came up beside me and said "Just so you know I would have let you use mine." I said "Good for you" and let her know that 1. you can't put anything on top of electronics, and 2. that she was not the proper southern lady she thought she was in not so nice terms. Good grief. What the hell is wrong with people?
At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel valued, respected, and understood. The difference is in how we respond when things don't go our way. Healthy confidence means knowing your worth while still respecting other people's time, space, and needs. A little patience, empathy, and self-awareness can go a long way in preventing everyday situations from turning into unnecessary conflicts.
Thankfully, not everyone stays silent when they encounter entitled behavior. Sometimes a simple reminder, a firm response, or someone standing up for fairness is enough to bring things back into perspective. Just like the passengers featured in today's post, many people have found creative ways to handle those who try to take advantage of others. Have you ever dealt with an entitled person while traveling? How did you handle the situation? Let us know, Pandas.
The Person Sitting Behind Me On An Overnight Flight Told Me I Was Reclining My Seat 'Too Far Back'
I tried to recline my seat and it popped back upright, I tried again and realized the lady behind me was shoving my seat forward. I tried again and she yelled at me that I couldnt recline my seat.
I was very shaken up by the interaction so I just stayed upright for like 10 minutes until I could see a flight attendant nearby. I was able to quickly recline and have my chair click into place so she couldn't shove it forward. She raised her voice at me again and I told her everyone on the whole plane gets to recline their seat. She said I was reclining too far back though... I told her my seat was in the same position as the person sitting in front of me and kind of held my hands up at her through the little gap between the seats and then sat back. She didn't try to talk to me again.
The whole thing made me so uncomfortable. I wish I had gotten an attendant to help me instead of interacting with her directly. I can't believe this happened irl, the whole time i was thinking it sounded like a reddit story
Edited to add: she was a petite short woman, all of 5'2" like my travel companion (we saw her again at baggage pick up) In a different situation, and asked politely, I am certain I would have accommodated the person. Even the tall guy who's knees were jammed into the seat in front of him was getting involved telling her she needed to calm down
The statement "everyone on the whole plane gets to recline their seat" is not true. The people in the last seats in a row with their backs to a bulkhead do not get to recline their seat.
A Stranger Wants My Seat On An Airplane
backstory: So i just got back from japan(nagoya) to thailand(bankok) and on this flight with my Dad and Mom we got seprated mad I stayed with my Mom the flight was about 8 hours.
Mainstory: so we were borading the plane (we sat in the middle row) I got to sit in the side seat and my Mom got to seat in the middle. My Mom was looking at messages on her phone heres comes the Entitled man he is a black man with a long beard,I heard EM saing "Excuse me?! This is my seat" so my Mom said "What?" EM responded with a "t h i s i s m y s e a t" i think this man does not like to sit in the middle seat the arrangements are like this me|mom|em|random person so my mom showed my ticket to EM and he responded with a annoyed face and got in his seat we did get of the plane and got home safely the end.
why mention his race it had no relevance to the story at all also where is the entitlement seems like a simple mistake
Most of them are. BP is not what it used to be, having sacrificed quality for quantity.
Load More Replies...I guess I must not be on the right flights because this never happens to me.
The nearest I have ever got is when I accidentally sat in the wrong seat (I sat on wrong side of the aisle) and a chap said "I think you're in my seat" and I said "oh my gosh, I am sorry!" and he said "easy mistake to make" and I moved across the aisle and that was that.
Load More Replies...How do people have the spare cash to fly somewhere these days? Some of those flights cost thousands of dollars.They are all entitled, just wish they had class. The TSA at THE airport in our state has an average wait time of 7 minutes though.
Being able to afford a flight is not entitled. And trust me, I get the ache when you're so poor you can barely afford your bills, but my money issues are not anybody else's responsibility. To think otherwise would be the true entitlement.
Load More Replies...Most of them are. BP is not what it used to be, having sacrificed quality for quantity.
Load More Replies...I guess I must not be on the right flights because this never happens to me.
The nearest I have ever got is when I accidentally sat in the wrong seat (I sat on wrong side of the aisle) and a chap said "I think you're in my seat" and I said "oh my gosh, I am sorry!" and he said "easy mistake to make" and I moved across the aisle and that was that.
Load More Replies...How do people have the spare cash to fly somewhere these days? Some of those flights cost thousands of dollars.They are all entitled, just wish they had class. The TSA at THE airport in our state has an average wait time of 7 minutes though.
Being able to afford a flight is not entitled. And trust me, I get the ache when you're so poor you can barely afford your bills, but my money issues are not anybody else's responsibility. To think otherwise would be the true entitlement.
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