I Refused To Give Up My Seat on the Plane to a Pregnant Woman. Was I Wrong?

I recently had an experience on a flight that left me feeling frustrated and conflicted, and I felt compelled to share it with you. As I boarded a 5+ hour flight to visit my family over the holidays, I was filled with excitement and anticipation.

However, my journey took an unexpected turn when a fellow passenger approached me right before takeoff. This woman, who was pregnant, asked me to give up my aisle seat in the second-to-last row so she could sit closer to the bathroom. Now, don’t get me wrong, I empathize with her condition. But what many didn’t understand is that I too have medical issues that sometimes require urgent access to the restroom. That’s why I specifically booked and paid extra for that aisle seat.

Despite my explanations, the flight attendants remained unhelpful and refused to mediate the situation. There were no other available aisle seats or close alternatives on the fully booked flight. I even suggested she speak to her doctor about future accommodations, but to no avail. What bothered me the most was the pressure from my own family, who believed I should have sacrificed my comfort for hers. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of unfairness.

Why should I bear the brunt of this situation when there were proper channels to address it? So, I’m left wondering, was I in the wrong here? Should I have inconvenienced myself for the sake of someone else’s convenience? Or was I simply standing up for what I believed was fair and just?