Matt
A train passenger was praised for refusing to give up her first-class seat to an elderly woman who confronted her “quite rudely.”
“Those who don’t know about priority seats should know that they’re located at the beginning and end of each carriage and are intended for people with mobility issues. It was a seven-hour journey, so I booked a seat in first class well in advance.”
She went on to say that she had chosen the more expensive first-class seat because she was aware of the length of the journey and wanted to make the most of it for work.
“While first-class seats on trains can be expensive, I chose to treat myself because 1) I knew I’d need space and comfort to work on the train and 2) some trains have ‘individual seats,’ which means you’re not sitting next to or facing someone.”
“After boarding, a woman in her sixties angrily pointed at the sign above my head and told me to move because she was old.”
The woman said, “I told her that I had booked the seat and she needed to speak to a member of staff to find one.”
“She insisted that there were no available seats and that the train was full, including in first class.”
“I apologized, but I insisted that I had booked the seat and would not move.”
The woman who had booked her seat did not move when a staff member asked if one of the women wanted to move to standard class. She admitted that she felt “bad,” but did not want to put herself in a “very uncomfortable situation” because someone else had not booked a seat.
Many people commented on the woman’s post. One person said: “The train company is to blame here. They sold seats for disabled people as the most expensive seats on the train. Then they tried to convince the person who had bought these seats to move to a standard seat. In my opinion, these seats should never be sold unless their occupant is disabled. It is the responsibility of the railway operator. It’s not your fault.”
Another user stated: “On a plane, if someone asked you to move to an economy seat when you’re in first class, you’d tell them to f*** off. It’s the same thing for a train, in my opinion.”
Another commenter wrote: “You booked and paid for this seat. The woman should have made a reservation and specified her particular needs.”
