'You paid for your seat, that's how the system works': Pregnant woman and husband steal assigned train seat, argue when seat owner comes to claim it

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Feb 17, 2025 4:00 PM EST

A universally stressful moment is when you're boarding a crowded train and you have to look for a seat. You cruise up and down the aisles, hoping for an empty one, and you don't always see it. Or maybe you see someone sitting by themselves, but their bag is taking up the seat next to them. Do you dare ask for them to move it or do you change it and keep walking? You could walk up and down the train car forever, hoping to see a seat. Panic starts to race through you. Will you have to stand? Who wants to stand on a train they've already paid for? 

If you've ever ridden a train, odds are you've experienced this. It's not a great feeling. But you have to stand your ground in these situations. You can't let the train win. You are the master of your own fate. You are the captain of your own ship. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10469277184
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • That's the situation one traingoer found themselves in when they arrived at their assigned seat and saw that it had been claimed by another person. They weren't sure, though, whether they should just give in and move onto a different seat or stand their ground. Read on for the story and see what they decided. 

  • 02

    AITA for "kicking a pregnant woman out of her seat"

    Ok so this happened a few hours ago and I've only just calmed down, because I hate conflict.
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    Basically I was doing a long travel day( 5 ish hours) so I booked my train in advance to ensure that I had a reserved seat. When I get on the train a woman is in my seat, so I politely inform her that I think that's my seat show her my ticket and ask her to move. She checks her ticket and just says well I must
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    have sit in the wrong seat and puts her head down. I say that it's my seat and could I please sit in it. At this point her partner sitting opposite her starts speaking at me in what I perceive to be an aggressive tone. He suggests I find another seat( which there are
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    none because it's busy) and I say but I booked that seat and there are no other available seats in the carriage. He then raises his voice and says well someone else is in our seats and that his missus is pregnant. I say I understand and that I have a heart defect( which I do) and said everyone has their
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    own medical issues and reasons standing for long periods of time might be difficult. And here I could be the a hole, I ask him to not speak to me in an aggressive tone and that I will make a complaint. He then starts swearing at me and I ask him to stop. Eventually the woman gets up and allows me to
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    sit there and he continues to berate me saying he hopes I feel good for myself and that I'm quiet now I have my seat, when really I just stopped engaging as I felt there was no point.
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    One of the men who was sat beside him offers that him and his partners sit in the seats opposite me (it's a table seat) at which point he sits his partner down and then laughs at me and points in my face. Eventually when the ticket
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    inspector comes around they are asked to movr to their assigned seats and she asks if I'm ok as another passenger had made a complaint on my behalf. Even so was I the a hole? Should I have just left them alone as she was pregnant? And did I in any way escalate the situation?
    via u/Quizzicalnonsense
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    Cheezburger Image 10469278720
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Commenters weighed in on if they could have handled the situation better.

    kurokomainu ⚫ 2h ago NTA There's no reason why the husband, as the healthy one, should have stayed in his seat. It's ridiculous that after hearing that you have a heart defect he didn't get out of his seat and give it to his wife, allowing you to take yours. Even if they couldn't sit in their seats there was no reason for her to have yours. The husband was being a selfish a •
    via u/kurokomainu
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    • mm1palmer 2h ago NTA And if her partner was "sitting opposite her", why didn't he just stand up and let her have his seat?
    via u/mm1palmer
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    OnlymyOP 2h ago NTA. The self entitlement was strong with this couple and it reads as though you were as reasonable as you could be. Love the fact they were escorted to their proper seats.
    via u/OnlymyOP
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    NewWayBack • 2h ago I hate bu y behavior. You paid for your seat, that's how the system works. They know they were in the wrong, and were being about it. Clearly he could have given up his seat, or
    via u/NewWayBack
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    they could of done the radical idea of sitting in their assigned seats. This 1000% had nothing to do with you, you were just the person they wanted to buy to get their way. Don't give them the satisfaction of wasting another thought on their crop behavior. NTA.
    via u/NewWayBack
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    NCKALA 2h ago • NTA. You should have summoned for assistance as soon as these 2 refused to cooperate so they could have been escorted to their proper seats (or kicked off the train). Pregnancy does not excuse poor manners for both expectant mother or baby daddy.
    via u/NCKALA
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    . Bo_058 • 2h ago You mean kicking a pregnant woman out of YOUR seat. Obviously NTA, don't let some obnoxious bu ies get to you.
    via u/Bo_058
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    Strong Amazon • 2h ago Why didn't the man get up to give "his" seat to his pregnant partner. It's his responsibility to ensure her comfort, not yours.
    via u/Strong_Amazon
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    Ok_Spirit7835 • 2h ago NTA I'm currently pregnant and I think it's ridiculous to be so entitled just because you happen to be knocked up. Never in a million years would I have tried to pull that sh
    via u/Ok_Spirit7835
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    Tinywrenn 2h ago NTA. I'm pregnant. You know what I'd do if I needed to travel and would require a seat? Book one myself. Also, in the event that we couldn't book one, there's no way my husband would sit there. He'd do the decent thing and forgo sitting for his pregnant wife. They were acting like entitled AHs, you were totally correct.
    via u/Tinywrenn
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    Alisana • 1h ago NTA, I had this same situation happen to me and generally reserve a seat as well (IST, POTS) and I had someone in my seat and asked them to move. They said they couldn't because someone was sat in their seat and the guy said he had a heart condition. (This was a man and woman sitting together)
    via u/Alisana
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    "No worries! Me too, what seats were you?" They appeared flustered and pointed to some seats a few rows back vaguely but wouldn't say the numbers but the general direction was enough. "Great, I'll grab a staff member and ask them to
    via u/Alisana
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    move those other people to their seats so you can have yours back." The man tried to stop me but I had left pretty quickly. When I came back with the staff member, the man had vacated 3 rows up. At this point the staff member asked everyone to check their seat numbers and tickets and
    via u/Alisana
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    to ensure everyone was sat in the right seats. My husband told me I shouldn't have gotten the staff member involved but my mentality is that if this was a chain reaction from someone sitting in their seat to begin with, then the people who took their seats to begin with should move so the couple could have their original booked seats back and I would get mine.
    via u/Alisana
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    I genuinely don't think someone was in his seat, as the location he moved to was further away than indicated, but I suspect he was aiming for a seat near the door as my row was the row directly in front of the entrance whereas he was much further down and away from the door/entrance.
    via u/Alisana
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    KrofftSurvivor • 2h ago You got your seat, someone else was bothered enough by their behavior to complain directly to the staff, the staff treated this as a valid concern... Why are you asking?
    via u/KrofftSurvivor
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    . Reserved Pickup12 • 2h ago Do you hate yourself? Because seriously.... You would have to be filled with self loathing to even possibly think you were the ah le in that situation. NTA.
    via u/ReservedPickup12

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