A passenger with a first-class ticket was asked to trade it to a family that wanted to sit together on a plane. She flatly refused the request, noting, “Not my circus, not my monkey.”
The video highlighting the request, made by an unidentified airline, came from creator Angel (@midlifecrisisgirl), who identifies as “an opinionated blinged out bag lady” on TikTok. Since posting it on Saturday, it’s surpassed the 800,000-view mark and garnered more than 53,000 likes.
In it, Angel explains, “So, I have a first-class ticket. And I got called up to the front and I was like, ‘Why are they calling my name? Because it’s a full flight.’”
She says the employee said, “Oh, you could decline this if you want, but a family wants to sit together, and since you paid for your ticket…”
She shut down the request immediately, saying, “No. Not my problem. Not my circus, not my monkey.”
Her accompanying caption brings more of that energy, noting, “No, no no. I’ll always say no unless it’s an equal or better seat on the plane. Prepare better.”
@midlifecrisisgirl No, no no. Ill always say no unless its an equal or better seat on the plane. Prepare better.
♬ original sound – Angel – Dripped Out Bag Lady
To switch or not to switch
A New York Post story from January, which dove into a Reddit user’s refusal to swap her exit-row seat with the pregnant wife of another passenger, courted requests from etiquette experts about how you should field such a request. As it turns out, it’s perfectly OK to refuse.
“Compelling someone to make a decision on the spot, without a lot of information or time to inquire, sounds impolite and a bit unreasonable,” said author and etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall for the story.
“No one has the obligation to switch their seat, nor explain why they won’t switch,” she continued. “And the person making the request has no right to expect, or get angry, when they don’t get their way.”
Another etiquette expert, Elaine Swann, said, “The ask doesn’t mean that you automatically get it.”
Commenters agreed with Angel.
“Unless I’m getting an upgrade, NEVER ask me to switch seats,” one remarked. “Not happening.”
“The audacity of the agent even asking you to switch,” said another. “I would be highly offended.”
Someone else observed, “And it’s always people who want YOU to downgrade for them. They never downgrade themselves to sit with their precious loved ones.”
One simply quipped, “Fastest no ever.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message and email.
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