But apparently, you don’t have to sit next to an actual child to be in close proximity to a tantrum. Below, you’ll find a story that one traveler recentlysharedon Reddit after they refused to swap seats with an entitled mother’s son on a flight, as well as a conversation with airline pilot and bestselling author,Patrick Smith.

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A woman in an airplane seat holding her face in distress, related to a failed attempt to switch seats.

Image credits:ijeab (not the actual image)

After this traveler refused to swap seats with a woman’s son, the mother had a massive meltdown

Empty airplane seats with a bright window view, highlighting a failed attempt to take over a seat.

Image credits:Getty Images (not the actual image)

Image credits:WineCountsAsFruit

Later, the passenger provided some more details about the situation

Text conversation about a mother unable to secure a preferred plane seat for her son, sparking a debate.

Passengers are allowed to ask others if they want to swap seats, but they’re under no obligation to agree

But once you finally make it onto the plane, the hard part is over. You can sit back, relax and let the pilot and flight attendants handle getting you to your destination safely. Well, this should be the easy part, as long as your fellow passengers don’t try to start drama!

To find out more about this situation, we reached out toPatrick Smith.Patrick is a Massachusetts-based airline pilot, bestsellingauthor, and the host ofAsk the Pilot. He was kind enough to have a chat withBored Pandaand discussswapping seatsand passenger behavior on planes.

“Seat-swapping is fairly common, and often enough, the person being asked to swap will agree to do so,” the pilot says. “He or she is under no obligation, however, and keep in mind that people often pay extra for a particular type of seat.”

We also wanted to know if a meltdown like the one described in this story can get a passenger thrown off a flight. “Absolutely,” Patrick shared. “Especially if the altercation becomes in any way physical, verbally abusive, or if a person does not obey a crew member’s instructions.”

So how does the airline staff typically try to calm down upset passengers? “De-escalating these situations isn’t always easy, and hysterical or irate passengers may or may not be responsive to requests to stay calm,” the pilot noted.

Family sitting together in airplane seats, looking down with thoughtful expressions.

Image credits:dmytro_sidelnikov (not the actual image)

Unruly behavior can even get passengers removed from flights

“The captain may choose to get involved, but when a plane is at the gate, flight attendants and customer service staff usually handle it. If need be, law enforcement will be called,” Patrick continued.

Thankfully, the situation in this story didn’t escalate to the point of the woman being removed from the flight. But unruly passengers certainly aren’t unheard of. According to theInternational Air Transport Association, there was one incident of inappropriate passenger behavior reported for every 480 flights in 2023.

And when it comes to airline etiquette, not everyone agrees on what’s appropriate, even if certain behaviors are technically allowed.

A 2024 survey fromYouGovfound that the vast majority of travelers do not consider it acceptable for passengers to let their children play in the aisles, get drunk during a flight, leave their seat during turbulence, watch a movie or show without headphones and leave trash in their seatback pocket when exiting the plane.

However, Americans are split on whether it’s acceptable to bring a small dog onboard a plane, silently pass gas during a flight, unlock their seatbelt when the seatbelt light isn’t on, leave their overheard light on when the cabin lights are off and lie down on the seats when sitting in an empty row.

Man at airport lounges on suitcase, appearing frustrated, amid empty seats.

Image credits:EyeEm (not the actual image)

Many readers assured the passenger that they didn’t do anything wrong

Reddit comment on failed attempt by mom to switch plane seat, user expressing frustration.

Reddit comment discussing a man refusing to switch plane seats.

Text comment criticizing a mother’s failed attempt to take over a plane seat, calling her manipulative and opportunistic.

Text screenshot of a comment about a failed seat swap drama on a plane.

Comment from user discussing a failed attempt to take over a plane seat.

Text from an online forum discussing airplane seating arrangements for parents and children.

Text comment about a failed dramatic scene over a plane seat.

Reddit comment about airplane seat swapping and passenger entitlement with 165 upvotes.

Comment criticizing a dramatic scene over a plane seat, mentioning parenting.

Comment addressing a failed attempt to take over a plane seat, mentioning tears and a scam.

Discussion on techniques to handle dramatic seat-swapping attempts on a plane.

However, some thought that both the author and the mother made questionable choices

Comment criticizing both parties in a plane seat drama.

Reddit comment about an unnecessary attitude during a dramatic plane seat incident.

Reddit comment discussing a plane seat takeover drama, suggesting a simpler response.

Reddit comment discussing a plane seat drama, mentioning entitlement and unnecessary theatrics.

And others thought that the passenger should have been more polite

Negative comment on dramatic scene to take over plane seat, saying “YTA, you were mean for sure.

Reddit comment criticizing a mom’s failed attempt to swap plane seats for more legroom.

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