They say it pays to have friends in high places, and in this story from Reddit, we see that pay off at thirty thousand feet.

You can’t necessarily recognize a pilot out of uniform, but it never really pays off to bully anyone about their seat on a plane.

This woman learned both lessons the hard way.

Check it out.

I’ve Upgraded to First Class

Airline Captain, commuting to work, purchased a full fare First Class ticket to get there.

Lived in Atlanta at the time, domiciled in Houston and commuted.

Normally you could get a jump seat in the cockpit, but on this auspicious day, that was already taken.

Pass riding wasn’t an option because there were no seats in coach and only one in First.

Pass riders can be bumped for fare paying passengers.

And I needed to get to work, so I plunked down my credit card and bought the last seat in First.

Very rare that a pilot pays for their seat, but when they do, they are certainly entitled to it.

Boarding has occurred and I am peacefully in my seat, waiting for pushback.

But not everyone agrees.

EW: You are sitting in my seat. You’ll need to move right now.

Me: (Checks boarding pass) Nope. This is my seat. Not going to happen. Sorry.

And then the woman says the quiet part out loud.

EW: You’re an employee. You’re sitting in my seat. Move now.

Me: May I see your boarding pass? Clearly there’s been some mistake.

EW: You may not see my boarding pass. I showed that when I boarded. I’ve upgraded to First Class. Now move.

Me: You’ll need to resolve this with the flight crew. I’m a passenger.

EW stomps off, resembling an irritated Dolores Umbridge and returns with FA.

She continues to refuse to show her boarding pass, putting her story in doubt.

FA: Good morning Captain! May I see your boarding pass?

Me: Sure thing. (Shows boarding pass)

FA: Ma’am that’s his seat. He paid for it.

EW: Well then throw him off dear. I’ve upgraded to First Class and that is now my seat.

FA: I’ll need to see your boarding pass, ma’am.

EW: You will not! I showed it when I boarded. I’ve upgraded to First Class.

FA: How did you upgrade to First Class?

The entitlement of this woman somehow continues to grow.

EW: I upgraded to First Class. I’m more important than an employee. Now get him out of my seat.

(Someone has called the cockpit and the Captain has left the flight deck to deal with this)

CPT: Ma’am I’m Captain Wallaby (not his real name). I’ve just spoken with the Gate Agent.

We certainly apologize for this awkward situation.

The Agent has corrected your paperwork, and has a voucher for future travel for you as well.

Please go fetch your new boarding pass and your voucher and we’ll be on our way.

EW: (Departs up the jetway, a triumphant smile on her face)

The Captain of an airplane is the ultimate boss and uses his powers for good.

The Captain turns to the FA and says, prepare the doors for departure.

The doors close.

The Captain returns to the cockpit and as we push back from the gate I can see the EW pounding on the glass next to jetway.

It was a nice ride to Houston. The coffee was wonderful.

Let’s see what Reddit thinks of the way one Captain took up for another.

They got her good, says this commenter.

A little language trick went a long way toward not breaking any promises.

The Captain has clearly been in this situation before and knew exactly how to handle it.

She got exactly what she deserved, says this commenter.

But this commenter thinks the story is a little too funny to be true.

Looks like for one woman, Houston had a problem.

This is honestly pretty funny.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.