‘Sometimes, little acts make large impacts’: Airline passengers share times they actually got rewarded for giving up their seats on a flight

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Aug 23, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

While traveling, many passengers pay extra to book a more convenient seat. Usually the aisle seat, window seat, or a seat with more leg room. This cost extra and thus, the paying customer is entitled to that exact seat. However, often times you get the dreaded moment when someone asks if you can switch them seats. The acceptable way to do this is if you have the more convenient seat and offer to switch it in order to sit next to the person you want. Very rarely is it okay to ask to switch with someone when they have the convenient seat and you have the dreaded middle seat. 

 

However, there are some exceptions that some kind strangers take into account and make the whole world of traveling kinder. For instance, if someone broke their leg and didn't have time to book a new seat and truly just can't get to the middle seat. So now you have to switch your aisle seat for them to be more comfortable. You could make a stink about it, or you could help them out, like one of the guys below, and get rewarded. 

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    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "Gave up my seat"

    So, I have a reverse "giving up my seat" story that I thought I'd share. I had been working in San Jose, Costa Rica, for a few weeks and was de d tired and ready to go home. The company booked me on a 3-hour return trip from Costa Rica to Florida,
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  • in premium economy, and at my request, an aisle seat. Anyway, as I am going to my seat, I see a rather large woman already sitting there. As I checked my ticket, she explained that she had broken her leg and would I mind
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  • sitting in the middle seat, as she was having trouble getting in and out of the seats. I looked at her and realized that she and I were probably the same age. I don't normally like middle seats, but she needed the aisle seat more than I and so I said "sure".
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  • We spent 20-30 minutes (flight was delayed) chatting, where she shared her fascinating life as an entertainer Then the AS came over and advised me that I had been upgraded to FC, and would I please follow her. I
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  • thought about it for a moment and said to my seatmate, "Why don't you go ahead and go up. you can use that seat more than I can." She looked surprised and shed a tear before accepting.
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  • The AS took her up, and then came back (with a drink) and said, "We're not supposed to do that, but thank you for helping her." Anyway, that was more than 20 years ago, and we still correspond from time to time.
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  • Sometimes, little acts make large impacts. Edit: thank you so much to the kind strangers for the awards. Hoping the universe relays your thoughtfulness with good things.
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  • No_Carob2670 Some years back, my teenage daughter and I had just boarded a long. international flight, when the FA made an announcement asking if any people could give up
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  • two seats together so a grandmother traveling with her small grandson. could sit together. My daughter and I looked at each other and then agreed to do this ― -
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  • and the FA couldn't believe we had volunteered! She said no one usually does when they make requests like that.
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  • I said I remember being on the receiving end of similar acts of kindness when my own kids were small — people moved - so we could sit together, and it was time to pay this back. (NOTE: I
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  • always booked us seats together but sometimes flight changes beyond our control separated us.) The grandmother came over to thank us personally. She didn't
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    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • speak English and I didn't recognize her language, but I understood from her gestures what she was saying.
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  • Later, the FA asked for my mileage account info...and gave me enough miles for a free domestic flight at the time. She told me she learned that the grandmother was taking
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  • the little boy overseas for medical treatment. I saw the two of them at baggage claim — the boy was in a wheelchair. The grandmother thanked us again.
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  • I don't think what we did was all that uncommon or special, and sitting apart really didn't inconvenience us. I was honestly surprised at the gratitude I truly didn't expect it. -
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  • PopeGeorgeR... Many years ago, I was on an overbooked flight with my family and there were two of us with a boarding pass for the same seat. Don't ask me how that happened but it
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  • did. Last flight of the night. The guy sitting in our seat would not yield, so I was on my way off the plane leaving my family for the night when some guy noticed my crying 8 year old and
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  • volunteered to get off. Without being asked. Without being offered comp. Whoever that guy is, I hope he won the lottery or something later in life.
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  • I remember him every time they ask someone to volunteer and I always. do when I can. Because of that really good guy. Nobody posts about the good guys. Gosh I wish we did.
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  • kyllikkil Over 20 years ago, I was flying home from a study abroad program and my flight had gotten rescheduled leaving me with the middle seat in a middle section of five
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  • seats. I stopped by the airline service desk on my way to my gate to see if I could possibly get an aisle seat. Or any other seat. While I was waiting in line, a huge tour group started laying
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  • into one of the agents because the first leg of their flight was delayed, so they missed their connection and couldn't fly until the next day.
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  • There was clearly nothing she could do about it, they just wanted to yell at someone. When they finally left, I happened to be next in line. The first
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  • thing I said was "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. I can't believe how r de those people were. It's not like there was anything you could do about it." I could see
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  • Cheezburger Image 10545310976
    via Unsplash+ (and Paul Hanaoka)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • her mood shift because I'd said that and we chatted for a minute. When I asked about an aisle seat, she upgraded me to a bulkhead window seat in first class. Air travels ks,
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  • but some people make it better. I'm sure she enjoyed it, OP! I know I did.
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  • gseese7 I was traveling one time and my flight got canceled (it was a small airport). All of the passengers were in line wanting to know when they would fly. The guy
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  • in front of me was berating the agent doing the normal entitled thing. Do you know who i am and my status? She did get him on the next flight from a different airport, with a car
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  • service to the other airport. I get up to the same agent and say "well that guy was an a "she suppressed a smirk. I told her all I need
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  • to do is be in my destination by tomorrow morning. Ended up getting on the same flight as entitled guy and the same car service. I checked in and was told I was in first class, (not
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  • what I paid for). As we were boarding i saw entitled guy and he definitely didn't get first class on the new flight.
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  • Sometimes it pays to be humble and sympathetic, sometimes. your sense of entitlement screws you!
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  • Roxy_Boxer Once flying from Australia on the Singapore to Heathrow leg, I had pre booked the window seat as I always slept better. I had a lovely couple sit next to
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  • me. As we were chatting during breakfast he was so excited as this was the first time visiting England. Once breakfast was cleared I offered to change seats so they could see the view and I
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  • took the aisle seat (I had seen the view only a week before). He was so grateful but the real reward was seeing his
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  • absolute delight and his partner's joy in sharing the moment with him. It was years ago and still makes me smile when I think of it.
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  • Karma works both ways. If you do something mean, you'll get that negativity returned 10x more. However, if you do something kind, you will also get repaid in kindness 10x more. It's called balance and it can restore your faith in humanity in many different ways. Here, we see it in kindness while doing the stressful thing of air travel. 

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traveler wholesome random act of kindness airport flight faith in humanity faith in humanity restored inspirational passenger inspiring airline Travel family happy traveling Reddit happiness kindess flying
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