Wealthy traveler calls friend at 3 AM demanding they drive 2 hours to the airport, gets offended when they refuse: 'They felt slighted'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Feb 10, 2026 9:00 PM EST

A good friend is always there to support you, but they won't cater to your every whim.

One of the most important reasons to cultivate friendships is that they are a crucial part of the puzzle to creating the community that we all have to rely on at one point or another. Lonely people do not just suffer from the mental health effects of isolation, but also the practical ones; they have nobody to help them with all the stuff that they can't do alone, unless they are able to pay somebody.

It can't be denied that when we make the right kinds of friendships, we are blessed with a bunch of people who can potentially make our lives easier when the time comes. However, it would be wrong to take that for granted or become entitled to whatever support our friends are willing to give. As a general rule, it is unwise to ask for anything that we wouldn't do in return if the roles were reversed. It is one of the quickest ways to start arguments and ignite resentments that could be the final straw for the relationship. Even those who love us will not always put up with outrageous demands.

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  • a young woman wearing a black top lies sideways on a bed and looks at her cellphone
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • In this story, a friendship was put in jeopardy purely because one individual expected another to do something that they thought crossed a line. They were woken up at 3 AM by a phone call, demanding they drive the 3.5 hour round trip to the airport as their friend had a flight to catch.

    Due to the time of day and the last minute nature of the request, they refused to do this. They were later told that their friend was angry at them for not doing it, although they could have afforded a taxi. They felt some guilt, as this friend had recently given them a pricey gift, but they still wanted reassurance that they had done the right thing.

  • Am I wrong for refusing to drive my wealthy friend on a 3.5 hour round trip to the airport at 3 AM?

    A long time friend of mine woke me up at 3am with a phone call asking me to get up and drive them to an airport that is an hour and forty five minutes from my house so they could make a 6am flight.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • I said no, went back to sleep and woke up later that morning to a text from another friend saying my friend was very angry at me for refusing.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • Some context to this scenario is that my friend had bought me a generous gift about a week before for my birthday when I visited them in their home state worth roughly 600 dollars, which I appreciated greatly, and they felt slighted that I still refused their request.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • My issue with this is that my friend is a wealthy person who could easily afford an Uber to the airport but expected me to wake up in the middle of my sleep, get dressed and make the 3.5 hour round trip instead.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • a young woman wearing a black trench coat sits in the middle of a row of seats in an airport with a suitcase beside her, looking at her phone
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • Granted, I had nothing to do the next day, however I don't think it is reasonable to expect me to wake up in the middle of the night to make such a long drive on absolutely zero notice and then hold a grudge against me for not doing so.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • The only reason I answered the phone call was because I thought there might be an emergency (in which case I definitely would have gotten up and helped) but I would not consider this an emergency at all.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • They had plenty of time to order an Uber and make it to the airport and they also had no good reason besides wanting to go home sooner to buy such an early flight.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • If they had asked me the day before to stay up and bring them, I would have done it but given the circumstances I don't think it fair to expect me to wake up and make such a long trip.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • Some people I know agree with me, some don't.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • multiple cars and taxis parked on the road in front of an airport terminal
    via Jason Grant
  • Edcrfvh NTA. I agree with you about emergencies which this was not. I'm assuming this trip was planned. Why didn't she ask you earlier? There's Uber or airport shuttle. Does she not drive? Economy parking isn't that expensive. Her gift is irrelevant because it was a gift. She should have told you about the strings attached.
    via Edcrfvh
  • ScheduleMurky 1300 Original Poster's Reply They bought the ticket the same night the plane was taking off. They knew they were leaving soon but not exactly when. They just decided they wanted to leave that night. As for the driving, they did not have their car as they bought the ticket to travel back home.
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • Pro-Pizza-Eater INFO Is there any reason why your friend would not want to take an Uber in the middle of the night? If that happened to me, I would still be very mad that they didn't just ask in advance, but I'd probably still take them if they were a woman or something like that. All in all, as of now I don't think you're the asshole.
    via Pro-Pizza-Eater
  • ScheduleMurky1300 Original Poster's Reply Their reasoning was not wanting to ride with a stranger as I understand it
    via ScheduleMurky1300
  • esuil NTA for sure, but at the same time... I know this is unpopular opinion, and many people will disagree with it, but if you have circle of more wealthy friends, keeping them around and happy with you can be beneficial for your life in general. So you are NTA, but personally, I would still deal with it to make sure I keep such friend around. Like it or not, but networking and nepotism is one of the most important predictors of success in life. That just how our ape society is. We got out of t
    via esuil
  • Ravneclaw_Jess NTA. This is the kind of thing you arrange in advance, not at the last minute, in the middle of the night
    via Ravneclaw_Jess
  • Sassy-Me86 Gifts worth $600 doesn't means you're their personal driver. NTA
    via Sassy-Me86
  • APiqued We live 15 minutes--at most--from a small regional airport. Everytime my husband has travel he ASKS me well in advance if I can take him the airport; he doesn't just assume. He says things like, "I'll have to be there at 5:30 a.m. I can take an Uber if you don't want to get up that early." Of course, I always take him to the airport (and give him the "look" while saying "The dog already has me up because she wants her breakfast.") Notice he always asks. Same with the return flight. "The
    via APiqued

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