Old couple try guilt-tripping honeymooners into sacrificing their premium seats — it backfires as their 'real plan' comes to light

Plane rides and drama seem to go hand-in-hand these days. On May 20, 2026, Lorah (@lorahmoe) took to X to share an incident that happened to her cousin during her 14-hour honeymoon flight to Thailand. She booked two front-row seats in the middle because she had severe flight anxiety and did not want to be separated from her husband. 10 minutes after boarding, a couple in their 50s approached them and asked to switch because they accidentally got separated, and it was their anniversary trip. After seeing the seats, her cousin said no. Instead of letting it go, the couple began guilt-tripping her cousin the entire time. The post received 14,000 likes, 76 comments, and 321 reshares.

A fishy request

Lorah's cousin and husband paid extra fees to secure the seats they wanted because her flight anxiety would only worsen if she and her husband were separated. When an older couple in their 50s asked them to switch, her cousin politely asked to see where the seats were. They pointed to the back of the plane, middle seats, but in different rows. Because of her anxiety, she declined the couple's request.

Instead of asking other people who were willing to switch, the older woman left a snide comment: "Wow. Some people really don’t care about married couples." The woman's husband tried to persuade them by saying that it was their anniversary trip. Her cousin's husband understood where the conversation was going, so he chimed in to say that it was their honeymoon trip as well.

Karma brings gifts

The older couple left it at that, but her cousin found out later from another passenger that they had purposely booked the cheap seats at the back, with the intention of switching with someone else later on. Even though they left the honeymooning couple alone, the older woman kept complaining about them to the flight attendant. Another flight attendant checked the booking register and saw that they had changed their seats multiple times before the flight and decided to pay them no heed after that.

Because of the older woman's constant complaints, the flight attendants felt bad for the honeymooners and bumped up their meal vouchers. The rude couple, on the other hand, remained in separate middle-class seats.

How many of us would switch seats?

Switching seats on a flight is not a big deal, and the majority of Americans do not mind doing so for a proper reason. A YouGov survey conducted in 2024 found that 75% of travelers would switch seats with someone who wanted to sit with a younger family member, 66% would switch with those who wished to sit next to a family member, and 72% would do it if the other seat were better than their current seat. However, only 4% expressed that they would not switch their seat with anyone else, no matter the situation. In the case of Lorah's cousin, she considered switching seats if they fit her requirements but declined after seeing the separate seats.

Readers added to her response

Netizens were on Lorah's cousin's side and noted how entitled the older couple was acting. @munumagic wrote, "'Some people really don’t care about married couples.' Ma'am, you asked newlyweds on their honeymoon to give up the seats they paid extra for so you could celebrate your anniversary in economy exile." @EmilyOlatujoye chimed in, "It is not a bad thing to help, but I don't think inconveniencing yourself to help is wise."

You can follow Lorah (@lorahmoe) on X for more lifestyle content.

More on Scoop Upworthy

Mom being forced to give up her seats with kids boldly refuses to put up with entitled stranger

Expert shares the best way to respond if a fellow passenger asks to switch seats