Reserved seats exist for a reason.

This man boarded a train and headed straight to the window seat he had reserved for a long journey. When he found someone else sitting there, he politely explained that it was his assigned seat. What happened next left him feeling uncomfortable.

I think this is a common scenario that happens to all of us, where a simple seating issue turns into an awkward encounter. It’s a relatable story because many people struggle with standing up for themselves. Read the full story below.

AITAH if Iasked someone who was in my reserved seat to move

I was taking the train and got on 1 stop after my actual stop because my previous train was late.

So I had to make up for missed time. As I reached my reserved seat, someone was sitting there.

She had kept her bag on the second seat, so I told her politely that it was the seat I reserved.

It was a window seat where she was sitting. She moved her bag for me to sit on the other seat instead.

This man politely asked the other passenger to move.

I usually only reserve window seats as I love looking out the window and listening to music.

I’m assuming she didn’t reserve seats as the second seat (aisle) was available.

I usually wouldn’t mind if it’s a short journey, but this was a long one.

And she wanted to know where I was getting off at. We found out we’re getting off at the same stop.

I asked her if it’s okay to get the window seat instead, and she seemed upset about it.

She got upset and kept giving him strange looks.

People were still settling in so I told her that you don’t have to move now, and that we can wait till everyone has settled down.

She gave me a look. And once everyone had settled down, she asked me if I “still wanted to change.”

I said if you don’t mind and got up. She didn’t want to get up but still did.

Throughout the journey, I got weird looks from her which made me feel guilty.

As I said, I usually don’t mind but I lost a dear friend yesterday to cancer.

And I thought looking out the window will help me. I still feel guilty and she is still sitting next to me. AITA?

OP clearly handled the situation politely. He simply asked for the seat he had paid for and reserved, so I don’t think he was trying to inconvenience anyone. Feeling guilty is understandable, but he wasn’t wrong to assert his reservations.

Let’s read the comments of other online users.

Here’s a valid assumption.

This one is a good piece of advice.

Another honest opinion.

Plain and simple.

And lastly, people agree with OP.

Being polite doesn’t mean giving in to entitled people.