Man refuses to give up his aisle seat for a family on a plane, 'I could see glares from fellow passengers.' AITA?

"AITA for refusing to give up my plane seat to a family who wanted to sit together?"

I (32M) was flying cross-country for a job interview, an opportunity I’ve been preparing for months. I specifically booked an aisle seat because I have a mild case of claustrophobia that gets worse on flights. When I boarded, there was a family of four—parents and two young kids—who realized they were separated across the row and the one behind it.

The mom approached me with a really earnest request to switch seats so they could sit together, as my seat would allow both parents to be next to their kids. The only available seat she could offer me was a middle seat a few rows back.

I felt terrible, but I explained my situation and why I needed an aisle seat. The mother seemed upset and whispered something to her husband. Throughout the flight, I could feel the glares from surrounding passengers and heard a couple of comments about my lack of compassion. The flight attendants didn’t intervene, but the atmosphere was tense.

I spent the flight anxious and second-guessing my decision, especially when one of the kids started crying, and the parents had to shuffle back and forth to tend to both kids. I understand it was inconvenient for them, but I also didn’t want to suffer a panic attack mid-air. AITA for putting my comfort over a family’s convenience on a public flight?

Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:

actuallyz said:

NTA! It’s the parent’s job to pick seats on one side so they can sit with their child, but they didn’t. They probably thought, “Oh, you know what? We will just ask someone to move.” You have every right to sit on the seat you picked. Don’t feel bad, f these clowns who tries to guilt trip you.

galleriapets said:

NTA. You made a reasonable decision for your mental health, and that's something that should be respected. You have every right to prioritize your comfort, especially considering the effort you’ve put into the job interview.

The family’s situation is tough, but it’s not your responsibility to sacrifice your well-being to accommodate them. If you had agreed, you could’ve ended up in a much worse situation for your own health. The glares and comments from other passengers are unfair—they don’t know the full context. You didn’t do anything wrong.

needabook55 said:

NTA. And you don't see anyone else offering to change seats for the family either. That is because everyone else believes that parents should book seats so they can sit together with the kids. But some parents don't do that so they can save money and hope to guilt other passengers into giving up their seats.

I wouldnt give up the seat I chose and paid for either, especially if they were trying to make me give up an aisle seat for a middle seat. Everyone would laugh at the parents for that move.

Unknowingly-Joined said:

How is it that she could only offer you a seat a few rows back? They weren’t separated, they were scattered. You’re NTA.

Comfortable-Focus123 said:

NTA - You did nothing wrong. They could have booked seats together or even tried to change seats at the gate, but they decided to bully you instead.

WhyAmIStillHere86 said:

NTA. You’re claustrophobic. The literal WORST place for you to be would be squashed in a middle seat between two strangers. If they wanted to sit together, they should have booked together.

Friendly_Order3729 said:

NTA. I get the exact same thing on flights with the claustrophobia. But regardless of your reason or even if you didn't have any at all, it's the parents responsibility to plan, not yours to bail them out.