Female Olympian Discusses Seat Selection On Airplanes After Entitled Couple Asks Her To Switch Seats With Them

Seat selection can turn a routine flight into a small battle, especially when someone thinks your paid-for spot is up for grabs. That is exactly what happened when Canadian Olympian Cynthia Appiah boarded a plane and found a couple sitting in the aisle seat she had reserved.

Appiah, who competed in bobsleigh at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, said she chose the aisle because she dislikes being boxed in on long flights and does not like climbing over other passengers. But when she arrived at her seat, the couple asked her to switch, and the exchange quickly became a bigger conversation about airplane etiquette.

Her TikTok sparked plenty of opinions, and most people seemed to side with the athlete. Read on.

Should you switch seats?

Photo by J Surianto

On the popular social media platform TikTok, a discussion about switching seats with strangers recently erupted after people realized it's an outdated courtesy to switch seats with someone on a plane simply because they asked. One TikToker went viral after sharing an on-topic story she experienced while flying.

A lot of conversation

@cyndiesel

She has her own story

@cyndiesel

A particular airline in Canada

@cyndiesel

A premium economy seat

@cyndiesel

Cynthia Appiah, a 32-year-old Olympian athlete who represented Canada in the bobsleigh category at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, posted the TikTok video after an encounter with a couple on a plane.

Cynthia explained that she dislikes sitting for long periods or having to crawl over people to use the restroom, which is why she prefers aisle seats. So, with some extra miles, she decided to splurge on a pre-reserved aisle seat.

She hates bothering people

@cyndiesel

She had picked an aisle seat

@cyndiesel

Seats configuration

@cyndiesel

It also echoes the AITA fight over unequal vacation costs after a friend’s unexpected addition, where “fair” quickly turns into blame.

She was surprised to find someone else sitting in her seat after she had already reserved it

@cyndiesel

She was forced to confront the situation after confirming her seat was the one in which someone was sitting

@cyndiesel

Would you mind switching seats?

@cyndiesel

I'd rather stick with my seat

@cyndiesel

I bought the aisle seat, and I'm not moving

@cyndiesel

What this TikToker doesn't understand

@cyndiesel

You can choose your seat selection

@cyndiesel

The TikTok-verified athlete posted a three-minute video to start the conversation

That seat was already hers, and the couple still tried their luck.

Despite what the commenters had to say, the majority of them seemed to agree that no one should feel entitled to switch seats in this day and age

D'Shanae

The audacity of some people

Katherine Kennedy

Is it so important to sit together?

Brett Thomas893

No way I'm moving

banannas12

And in case you need a perfect response for such people, this is it

carolryt500

We are all human, and sometimes we swap seats with strangers on airplanes for good reasons. However, it is a show of entitlement to make people feel obliged to swap seats with you on airplanes just because you believe you have good reasons.

What are your thoughts on this common issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

After the Olympian was asked to swap premium economy seats, see if your “fair” upgrade rule fits in this AITA about making a friend pay for their flight upgrade.