On one particular trip, I had just settled in and buckled up when a woman with a young child approached. Without a word, she placed her child in the empty seat beside me \u2014 the one I had paid for.<\/p>\n
I politely let her know that both seats were mine and that I had booked the second one for a reason. But instead of understanding, she exploded.<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u201cAre you really not going to give up a seat for a kid?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddenly, a few nearby passengers jumped in with disapproving looks and uninvited comments like:<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u201cCome on, it\u2019s just a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could feel the judgment from all sides, but I stayed calm. I knew I had every right to the space I paid for.<\/p>\n
So I reached up and pressed the call button.<\/p>\n
When the flight attendant arrived, I explained the situation, showed both of my boarding passes, and said:<\/p>\n