Couple’s Plan To Outwit Another Passenger Before Takeoff Backfires As The Stranger Ends Up With A Whole Free Row In Return
Cunning is actually not that bad, especially if you perceive it in the context of world culture. Indeed, people love stories when someone deftly pushes others around and effectively achieves their goal when circumstances are not in their favor. However, any social approval of cunning always has its limit.
If cunning borders on arrogance and unscrupulousness, if a person clearly offends others with their actions, then approval develops into indignation, and we, on the contrary, rejoice when excessive cunning is punished. And people love stories like this even more. Instant karma, so it goes…
A great example is this post by user u/Natisev, who has amassed around 9.4K upvotes and 400 different comments in the Reddit Malicious Compliance community in just a few days. Yes, the author agrees that their story is not entirely about malicious compliance – but this did not stop the tale from becoming popular at all.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post once flew from Greece to the Netherlands after a month-long vacation
Image credits: Aero Icarus (not the actual image)
So, last summer, the author of the post went on vacation to Greece, where they spent a whole month. As the Original Poster themselves say, they are half Greek and half Dutch, and when the vacation came to an end, the person bought tickets for a return flight to the Netherlands. The flight was long and tiring enough so they booked a whole row of seats and aisle seat for themselves.
Image credits: u/Natisev
A couple of Greeks asked them to move one row back and to the opposite side so the wife could sit next to the husband
During boarding, the OP was approached by a couple of Greeks who asked them to move one row back and to the opposite side so the wife could sit next to the husband. As the author themselves admits, the couple was flying to a foreign country, so they decided to be nice and polite, and agreed to switch places.
Image credits: u/Natisev
After a while, the woman exclaimed: “Oh, you have the middle seat!” while the author thought it was on the aisle
So, the OP went to the aisle seat where the wife was initially sitting, but after a while the woman exclaimed: “Oh, you have the middle seat!”, greatly embarrassing the Original Poster – after all, the woman was originally sitting on the aisle. The OP offered to switch seats back, but the Greeks now said that since they had already changed, they would not change back, and in general, what was done could not be changed.
Image credits: Dushan hanuska (not the actual image)
The OP recalls that the couple grinned and chuckled at the same time, savoring how they managed to outwit them. However, the person also noticed something else – the aircraft staff were already closing the doors, and the row in which their new seat was located remained completely free. And this meant that they would actually have all these seats at their total disposal.
Image credits: u/Natisev
The author ended up laying on the seats of a whole row as they were at their disposal since there were no bookings for those seats
As a result, after the takeoff, the Original Poster defiantly lay down comfortably across three seats at once, and now their recent offenders looked embarrassed. After some time, the couple turned to the OP, offering to switch back – and now it was their turn to taste their own medicine! The OP, barely holding back laughter, said, “Oh well, now we have switched, nothing you can do!”
I will never swap my seat. I'm autistic and sitting next to the window calms me. I will happily pay extra in order to be able to choose my seat, and unless the person is offering me an upgrade to first class, it ain't happening.
good on you for standing your ground, Lace! I entirely understand the struggle unlike a certain Johnny Randall that needs to shut up ☺️
I had an aisle seat coming back from the Netherlands to the U.S. woman next to me wanted me to change with her boyfriend. I was okay with it until I found out he was in the middle of 5 seats. Nope. She wasn't too happy.
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You are lying attention seeker. Get a life.
Why don't you go get a nice glass of fūck yourself :)
I love the way you escaped bored panda censorship.
I personally prefer to use fμck to bypass it, but ū works too. That's mu, a letter from the Greek alphabet, so it even fits with this story lol.
Haha I use it to also bypass Pinterest's censorship :> can't censor me!
I'm going to borrow that phrase, thank you Improper!
Anytime :D
Nothing makes me feel like someone from The USA when someone says a 3 hour flight is "not short."
I know right? It's not a competition (and yet here I am) but three hours wouldn't get you across my country much less to another one. And counting 6.5 hours as a day-long journey truly indicates you live in Europe. I'm heading to Iceland next year ... a mere 30 hours and 3 flights away.
So what is short for an American? At what point do you decide to leave the car and take the plane?
A three hour flight to me is short. I live in Chicago so I'm more centrally located in the Lower 48 for travel within. For instance the furthest I could fly in the Contiguous United States would be Southern California that would be roughly a 4 and half hours. That would still feel like a short flight for me.
I think it's less about taking a car instead and more about 3 hours being "not short." My scale is more like "Oh it's quick, only 3 hours." "It's not bad, only like 5 hours." "I mean, it's not a *long* flight, but 6 hours in one seat can be a real drag."
My mom is from Indiana and I grew up in PA. We drove out there twice a year throughout my childhood to see her family. We only had to cross half of Pennsylvania and all of Ohio. It was an 8- to 9-hour drive. We couldn't afford plane tickets. 3 hours sounds like a breeze in comparison! Heck, when I was in grad school in Ohio I drove five hours each way at the beginning and end of every semester to get back to my parents' house. I've known people who have driven for literally DAYS to get to places like Florida or Kansas.
Right? If I want to get somewhere that's 3 hours away, I'm hopping in the car. This seems like a lot of fuss for a measly 3-hour flight. I regularly fly direct to Japan, which is a 12- to 13-hour flight. And don't get me started on visiting my in-laws in New Zealand...
Three hours by car does not equal 3 hours by plane.
Yep. A one hour flight is a ten hour drive.
It's really not. LA to San Francisco is 5.5 hours by car and 1.5 by plane. Add in Time showing up early to check in and go through security, waiting for baggage, getting a rental or an Uber and driving can easily break even with the plane, especially if your destination isn't close to the airport. Short flights are extremely inefficient. It takes a while for the plane to ascend to cruising altitude and get up to cruising speed and then they have to start slowing down and descending before they get to the destination so you don't actually spend all that much time going full speed on the airplane. LA to SF covers 383 drive miles in an 1.5 hours, so about 240 mph, But from Atlanta to LA is only 5 hours and covers 2200 miles worth of driving, about 440 mph. So yes and no, 1 hour of flying at cruise speed is probably close to 10 hours of driving, but a 1 hour flight barely beats out driving and is much more expensive if it's the whole family and you have to rent a car when you get there
I have taken many 2-3 hour flights flying from one city in the States to another. I couldn't imagine taking a flight that was less than 2 hours unless it was a connecting flight. I am very jealous of all of you that live in a part of the world that you can travel so quickly between different countries. Hats off to you.
No, but if a destination is 3 or 4 hours away by car, I'll drive. Far easier than all the nonsense that goes into the 1.5-hour flight covering that route.
In that case, you take the train normally in Europe. Unless you live in a small city. In that case, the flight still pays off since you go in just 20 mins before take off.
Driving to or from an island seems kind of wet but you didn't ask me.
Right?! We live in LA and used to travel frequently to SC to see my family and I thought THAT flight was long. Now we travel regularly to and from Spain and with the headwinds getting home is a 13 hour flight - meaning 13 hours of air time - not travel too. It’s not a competition, it’s just more perspective from your life.
I thought the same thing- I fly 5 hours one way just to get to my office (in Canada)- and I'm usually only there for 2 days. My coworkers go far more often than I do (I got once a quarter). I feel like anything under 6 hours is relatively short, especially since our family cottage is a 4 hour drive, which we all regularly do for just the weekend.
My thoughts exactly
I'm so glad my one time flying was a faith in humanity thing and not the all too common horror stories you hear. I was terrified bc I'm scared of heights...but also requested a window seat bc I couldn't *NOT* pass up the chance to view the world from above. It was my curiosity battling my phobia. There was this little old lady, in her mid 70s, who struck up conversation and we small talked a bit. Told her I might seem distant once we took off bc I didn't know how I was gonna handle flying. She said, "When we flew into Vegas last week, it was my first time flying. I was so scared, but let me tell you...that view was entirely worth it. And if the view isn't soothing to you, just talk to me. We'll try to keep you distracted. We'll bore you with the story of us renewing our vows". Just stuff like that. They picked up oh my nerves and recognized what was going on. It was like they air-adopted me. Bc of that I was able to just...GUSH over the view. I still think about them.
I went to Vegas from NC last June and was lucky enough to have a window seat. It was not my first time flying, i was 6 months old for that and flew a lot as a child and young adult (dad was military) but flying to Vegas was my first time flying west of Texas. And it was such an insanely awesome view! I truly never knew all the desert areas looked so different because on TV typically they only show similar looking stuff. That and the weather was an eye opener. You mean to tell me walking in the desert cools you off because your sweat actually evaporates instead of covering you in a slimy film like the humid southeast!? I was shivering in the shade outdoors when it was 108 in Vegas. Definitely moving west as soon as we're able 😂 I'm uncomfortable at 65 degrees in NC bc it just feels nasty. Plus with asthma and allergies I can barely breathe most of the time. Even indoors with constant AC year round it's never under 60% humidity INSIDE 😂
Get a dehumidifier for inside your house. No house in the south should be without one during summer.
High humidity really is extremely uncomfortable.
Dehumidifier and air purifier will help air quality inside house in NC. In the West there is drought, dust storms, and wild fires. Yes less humidity but other issues. From nc resident with extensive allergies and asthma.
I will never swap my seat. I'm autistic and sitting next to the window calms me. I will happily pay extra in order to be able to choose my seat, and unless the person is offering me an upgrade to first class, it ain't happening.
good on you for standing your ground, Lace! I entirely understand the struggle unlike a certain Johnny Randall that needs to shut up ☺️
I had an aisle seat coming back from the Netherlands to the U.S. woman next to me wanted me to change with her boyfriend. I was okay with it until I found out he was in the middle of 5 seats. Nope. She wasn't too happy.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You are lying attention seeker. Get a life.
Why don't you go get a nice glass of fūck yourself :)
I love the way you escaped bored panda censorship.
I personally prefer to use fμck to bypass it, but ū works too. That's mu, a letter from the Greek alphabet, so it even fits with this story lol.
Haha I use it to also bypass Pinterest's censorship :> can't censor me!
I'm going to borrow that phrase, thank you Improper!
Anytime :D
Nothing makes me feel like someone from The USA when someone says a 3 hour flight is "not short."
I know right? It's not a competition (and yet here I am) but three hours wouldn't get you across my country much less to another one. And counting 6.5 hours as a day-long journey truly indicates you live in Europe. I'm heading to Iceland next year ... a mere 30 hours and 3 flights away.
So what is short for an American? At what point do you decide to leave the car and take the plane?
A three hour flight to me is short. I live in Chicago so I'm more centrally located in the Lower 48 for travel within. For instance the furthest I could fly in the Contiguous United States would be Southern California that would be roughly a 4 and half hours. That would still feel like a short flight for me.
I think it's less about taking a car instead and more about 3 hours being "not short." My scale is more like "Oh it's quick, only 3 hours." "It's not bad, only like 5 hours." "I mean, it's not a *long* flight, but 6 hours in one seat can be a real drag."
My mom is from Indiana and I grew up in PA. We drove out there twice a year throughout my childhood to see her family. We only had to cross half of Pennsylvania and all of Ohio. It was an 8- to 9-hour drive. We couldn't afford plane tickets. 3 hours sounds like a breeze in comparison! Heck, when I was in grad school in Ohio I drove five hours each way at the beginning and end of every semester to get back to my parents' house. I've known people who have driven for literally DAYS to get to places like Florida or Kansas.
Right? If I want to get somewhere that's 3 hours away, I'm hopping in the car. This seems like a lot of fuss for a measly 3-hour flight. I regularly fly direct to Japan, which is a 12- to 13-hour flight. And don't get me started on visiting my in-laws in New Zealand...
Three hours by car does not equal 3 hours by plane.
Yep. A one hour flight is a ten hour drive.
It's really not. LA to San Francisco is 5.5 hours by car and 1.5 by plane. Add in Time showing up early to check in and go through security, waiting for baggage, getting a rental or an Uber and driving can easily break even with the plane, especially if your destination isn't close to the airport. Short flights are extremely inefficient. It takes a while for the plane to ascend to cruising altitude and get up to cruising speed and then they have to start slowing down and descending before they get to the destination so you don't actually spend all that much time going full speed on the airplane. LA to SF covers 383 drive miles in an 1.5 hours, so about 240 mph, But from Atlanta to LA is only 5 hours and covers 2200 miles worth of driving, about 440 mph. So yes and no, 1 hour of flying at cruise speed is probably close to 10 hours of driving, but a 1 hour flight barely beats out driving and is much more expensive if it's the whole family and you have to rent a car when you get there
I have taken many 2-3 hour flights flying from one city in the States to another. I couldn't imagine taking a flight that was less than 2 hours unless it was a connecting flight. I am very jealous of all of you that live in a part of the world that you can travel so quickly between different countries. Hats off to you.
No, but if a destination is 3 or 4 hours away by car, I'll drive. Far easier than all the nonsense that goes into the 1.5-hour flight covering that route.
In that case, you take the train normally in Europe. Unless you live in a small city. In that case, the flight still pays off since you go in just 20 mins before take off.
Driving to or from an island seems kind of wet but you didn't ask me.
Right?! We live in LA and used to travel frequently to SC to see my family and I thought THAT flight was long. Now we travel regularly to and from Spain and with the headwinds getting home is a 13 hour flight - meaning 13 hours of air time - not travel too. It’s not a competition, it’s just more perspective from your life.
I thought the same thing- I fly 5 hours one way just to get to my office (in Canada)- and I'm usually only there for 2 days. My coworkers go far more often than I do (I got once a quarter). I feel like anything under 6 hours is relatively short, especially since our family cottage is a 4 hour drive, which we all regularly do for just the weekend.
My thoughts exactly
I'm so glad my one time flying was a faith in humanity thing and not the all too common horror stories you hear. I was terrified bc I'm scared of heights...but also requested a window seat bc I couldn't *NOT* pass up the chance to view the world from above. It was my curiosity battling my phobia. There was this little old lady, in her mid 70s, who struck up conversation and we small talked a bit. Told her I might seem distant once we took off bc I didn't know how I was gonna handle flying. She said, "When we flew into Vegas last week, it was my first time flying. I was so scared, but let me tell you...that view was entirely worth it. And if the view isn't soothing to you, just talk to me. We'll try to keep you distracted. We'll bore you with the story of us renewing our vows". Just stuff like that. They picked up oh my nerves and recognized what was going on. It was like they air-adopted me. Bc of that I was able to just...GUSH over the view. I still think about them.
I went to Vegas from NC last June and was lucky enough to have a window seat. It was not my first time flying, i was 6 months old for that and flew a lot as a child and young adult (dad was military) but flying to Vegas was my first time flying west of Texas. And it was such an insanely awesome view! I truly never knew all the desert areas looked so different because on TV typically they only show similar looking stuff. That and the weather was an eye opener. You mean to tell me walking in the desert cools you off because your sweat actually evaporates instead of covering you in a slimy film like the humid southeast!? I was shivering in the shade outdoors when it was 108 in Vegas. Definitely moving west as soon as we're able 😂 I'm uncomfortable at 65 degrees in NC bc it just feels nasty. Plus with asthma and allergies I can barely breathe most of the time. Even indoors with constant AC year round it's never under 60% humidity INSIDE 😂
Get a dehumidifier for inside your house. No house in the south should be without one during summer.
High humidity really is extremely uncomfortable.
Dehumidifier and air purifier will help air quality inside house in NC. In the West there is drought, dust storms, and wild fires. Yes less humidity but other issues. From nc resident with extensive allergies and asthma.