Passenger refuses to move to an extra legroom seat – sparking debate online

A HOLIDAYMAKER has sparked a debate online after she refused to move into an extra legroom seat on a flight.

While some people would jump at the chance to move into an extra legroom seat for free, one woman refused to be upgraded.

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The debate erupted after one passenger watched a woman turn down an extra legroom seat on a recent flight.

In a post on Twitter, he wrote: “I just saw a woman turn down an upgrade to an exit row seat on a plane because the responsibilities in an emergency would stress her out.

“Legitimately congratulations to her on being the most honest person on the planet.”

The tweet has since been viewed over two and a half million times with a lot of people sharing their opinions in the comments.

While the seat may seem like an obvious upgrade, plenty of other people said they’ve also refused the seat.

One person wrote: “I would switch my seat if they stuck me in exit row because I’m irrationally terrified the door is going to open and suck me out.”

And another added: “I would do that too because I don’t think I’d be strong enough to open the door.”

A third person said: “I had my first anxiety attack when I was 20 because I was so afraid of my dad sitting in one of those seats!

“I felt responsible to help him fulfill his duties if our plane crashed and I couldn’t handle the hypothetical pressure.”

Meanwhile, several other would-be passengers said they would take the seat swap.

Someone wrote: “I hid my broken wrist in a cast under my scarf when the flight attendant came around to review our exit row responsibilities so I didn’t get moved.

“I was confident I could still shove the door out of the plane if necessary.”

While someone else added: “I work on planes for a living, so I’m very used to opening their doors.

“I’m pretty confident I can open one in crisis, so I take the extra legroom.”

While other people appreciated the honesty, they were also concerned about the number of people who struggled with exit row responsibilities.

One user said: “I like the honesty, but am I the only one who finds the number of people who claim they’re incapable of reacting sensibly in an emergency disturbing?”

Even if people don’t want to sit on the emergency exit row, most holidaymakers are always looking for ways to bag a seat with extra legroom.

A team of experts at Travel Lens recently shared their tips on how passengers can nab an extra legroom seat without coughing up the cash.

One thing they said to do was avoid checking in early, which may go against what most people do.

They explained that it is “worth the risk” to check after most other passengers.

This is because there may be seats with extra legroom available, which crew are more likely to offer up if there is no one left to check-in.

Another way to find spare legroom seats is to use apps and websites which alert you when a better seat is available.

The ExpertFlyer app lets you set up an alert for any kind of seat you want, not just a legroom seat but also those by the window or by the aisle.

If alerted, it can be worth asking the crew if you can then move to the seat.

Meanwhile, one woman had a very rude technique to get more legroom in her seat.

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