The passenger seat switch sparked controversy after a mother refused to give up her window seat to be near her two children
Popping the question to her followers, Tammy Nelson asked: ‘What would you do?’
A passenger has sparked controversy online after refusing to give up his window seat for a mother who wanted to sit next to her children.
TikToker Tammy Nelson’s clip has gone viral online with over 2.8 million views as she recounts her interactions with fellow passengers on a recent flight.
Posing the question to his followers, Nelson asked: ‘What would you do?’ About his recent plight.
‘I got on the plane and a woman was sitting in my seat and when I mentioned it to her, she said, ‘Oh, you want to sit here? I thought we could change because these are my kids” (he points to the two seats next to me).’
Nelson said he told the mother he would be happy to swap seats with her as long as she could move to another window seat.
TikToker Tammy Nelson’s clip has gone viral online with over 2.8 million views as she recounts her interactions with fellow passengers on a recent flight.
But Mother’s real seat was in the middle, between the aisle and the window.
Nelson said the mother then “pointed to the row behind us and said, ‘I have it over there.’ (It is the middle seat.).’
In his TikTok caption, Nelson said he only got 90 minutes of sleep the night before and was soon going to give a presentation to about 500 people.
Nelson said he was ‘desperate’ for the keep before his work event and apparently would have found it easier to sit by the window. He said he did not change his seat.
Providing much-needed context to her TikTok caption, Nelson mentions another important fact: the kids the mom wanted to sit next to were teenagers.
‘Before someone came after me,’ he wrote, ‘the kids looked like they were about 11 and 15 years old. And mother was within arm’s reach of both of us from the middle seat in the back row.’
Nelson said: ‘Mum kept complaining to the person next to her for at least 15 minutes so I could hear.
‘But the woman actually saved me – several times. It was very kind and I appreciated it so much because I was feeling really guilty.’
Nelson said he told the mother he would be happy to swap seats with her as long as she could move to another window seat (file image).
After the video neared 3 million views, thousands shared their comments, with some siding with Nelson and others agreeing with the mother.
‘I’m a flight attendant and mothers do this with older children too! A row won’t kill you!,’ said one.
Nelson agreed: ‘Right! As a mother I’ve had that happen too and it’s not a big deal unless they’re very young or have special needs.’
One commenter wrote, ‘People should book seats together if they want to sit together.
‘We often fly with our 3 kids and pay to sit together, we don’t expect people to move for us,’ said another.
Following the outpouring of support for her, Nelson said: ‘I am deeply grateful to the stranger who saved me.’
Others continued: ‘I’m so annoyed that she automatically sat in your seat and was like oh, I thought we’d change… what?!’
‘Good for you, I swear parents think to themselves, oh everyone give me and my kids space. Um, no, strangers are not his ‘village,’ said another.