Skirmish Over Seats

May 26, 2010

in Seat Stories

This story relates to a flight from Bangkok to Auckland on 16th November 2009. As a Gold Card holder, I always get excellent treatment from Thai Airways and they had already allocated me a seat in row 31, as I had requested. The flight was not overly full, so at the final pre-board area I asked if there was a row of 3 seats available as I suffer from diabetes and cholesterol problems and I am always aware of the danger of DVT for people like me, so the ability to lie down is a real bonus. They happily gave me 3 seats together in row 54 and even wrote the 3 seat numbers on my boarding pass.

In front of me (row 53) was a Maori man and his wife, who had 3 seats to themselves. I settled down right after takeoff and manged to get 5 hours sleep before waking up and going to the bathroom. When I came back, the Maori man was sitting in one of my 3 seats. I assumed he had done so by mistake and politely told him that he appeared to be sitting in my seat. He then launched into a tirade of abuse, demanding to know why I should have 3 seats and had I paid for 3 seats, telling me that I was being childish and just used to getting my own way! I went and got a flight attendant and she told him to return to his own seat. He refused and just kept up the abuse.  She got another attendant, who also asked him to go to his own seat. He still refused and the Flight Director was called. His request to go back to his own seat was also rejected and he just kept raving.

By now, half the passengers in this part of the plane were turned around in their seats, watching the spectacle (NZ readers will be familiar with the tactic of Maori separatist radicals of occupying land in order to demand their “rights”). I was then taken back to a row 31 seat, although another passenger had been relocated in order to allow me to sit there. Full thanks to Thai Airways, but what a disgrace to NZ this guy was. I bet if this happened in USA, he would have been arrested on arrival at Auckland.

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Laura May 27, 2010 at 3:46 am

I'd feel bad for you, but the fact that you are so fixated on the guy's being Maori just makes me think you're an obese racist.

Sorry!

Reply

Fran May 27, 2010 at 5:33 am

While the poster does come across as a racist why would you think he/she were obese? Ah, because they mentioned being diabetic? I am also and have been since I was 14 and yet I'm not obese. The poster made no mention as to the type of diabetes they have.

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Joy May 29, 2010 at 4:13 pm

Not to mention, many thin people have high cholesterol and many heavy people have perfectly healthy cholesterol levels.

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Laura May 31, 2010 at 6:09 pm

No real foundation. I just thought I'd lob some of his stereotype juice back at him.

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AlanH16 May 27, 2010 at 6:34 pm

How did you know that this guy was a Maori?

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The Logger May 28, 2010 at 4:07 am

By the ring through his nose?

He could, however, have been a Moron.

There is a large tribe of the Moron people inhabiting the United States.

Reply

Kiri the Can Opener January 25, 2011 at 12:17 am

"How did you know that this guy was a Maori"

Because he'd already eaten two flight attendants and was half way through a third.

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Waldi May 28, 2010 at 8:07 pm

Logger, you are one of them.

Reply

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