‘I’m not a villain’: Woman defends herself for refusing to swap plane seats so family could sit together

A Delta Air Lines passenger has taken to TikTok to defend herself after refusing to move seats for a family on a plane.

“No you can’t have my seat!” wrote US-based Maresa Friedman, posting a video of herself looking annoyed on a flight.

“I am not a villain for moving from the seat in first class I paid full fare for,” ranted the TikTok user.

In a series of videos, Ms Friedman explained that a family had asked her to move from her seat (on what appeared to be a domestic Delta flight) so that they could sit together.

She insisted that being a parent did not give people the right to order other passengers to move around the plane.

“I’m also a mom, so it’s called PLANNING AHEAD,” said Ms Friedman in her captions.

Frequent flyers were quick to applaud her, with user Lacey Harrison writing: “I don’t give up my seat anywhere ever on a plane. I reserved it early enough to get what I wanted. Your loss if you didn’t.”

“Thank you! As a child free person I get shamed for not moving. I paid full price. I’m not moving,” replied Britt.

“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part,” wrote a follower with the username Kristi.

“This happened to me.. I replied with no.. put my AirPods back in while she stood there for 15 minutes talking at me.. I don’t move for kids or anyone,” said another user.

The video has already had 1.4 million views, attracting 111,000 likes.

Ms Friedman later posted a seat plan of the Delta plane she had been on, showing the two-two configuration of seats in the Comfort Plus section that she’d booked at the front of the cabin.

Later she posted another follow-up to the story, saying that “going viral for the wrong thing” can “eff up all of your great plans”.

She also responded to a fellow TikTok video which accused her of being elitist, saying: “Maybe there are specific reasons as to why I choose my seats, perhaps my disability being one of them.”

In a last video on the subject, Ms Friedman said: “Well, it’s clear that people feel very strongly one way or the other as to whether I should have given up my seat.”

She reiterated that she had “certain reasons” for not moving that included “a disability that I shouldn’t have to justify to anyone”.

“If you’re triggered,” she added, “this is a you thing.”

“I’m travelling three to four days a week, away from my home, away from my family - I travel in a very specific way, and that’s what makes me comfortable with something that’s anxious for me.”

She told people who had left angry comments or argued with other followers in the replies, “you might need to look at that.”

It’s not the first time a passenger has sparked debate with a decision not to move seats.

In April, a couple attracted criticism after revealing that they wouldn’t trade plane seats with a child, who was “scared” of flying and sitting in a different row from her mother.

Meanwhile, model and TV personality Vogue Williams faced backlash after taking to her podcast to slam a “piece of s**t” passenger who wouldn’t move to accommodate her children.