The woman, who is 5'1, did not feel guilty about leaving her 6'6 brother in economy class – but her family is upset
A woman on Reddit who says she was alienated and given the cold shoulder by her family after she accepted a free first-class upgrade on a vacation did nothing wrong, Reddit users said, weighing in on her drama.
Reddit user "Abbyissostupid" told Reddit's "Am I the A--hole" (AITA) subreddit about her dilemma in a post on Friday, April 26, titled, "AITA for not letting my 6'6" brother have the free first-class upgrade the airline gave me on our 12-hour flight?"
In the post, the woman said she's currently on a family trip in Hawaii to celebrate her father's recent retirement, and that he paid for the entire family to attend.
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"There are six of us but my brother and I live in the same part of the country," she said — so the two of them were on the same flight to Hawaii.
"I guess it's relevant to say I am 5'1" and my brother is 6'6," she wrote.
A frequent traveler for work, she said she has "quite a bit of status with the airline for which my dad bought our tickets."
A woman said her family was angry with her after she accepted a free upgrade to first class while leaving her much taller brother behind in coach. (iStock)
As she and her brother were boarding the plane, she was approached by a flight attendant and told that a spot in first class had become available.
The flight attendant "whispered that they had a first-class passenger not show up, and they needed the coach seat to accommodate a standby passenger," said Abbyissostupid.
"She said I had by far the most status of anyone on the plane, so they were willing to move me to first class for free."
"I had a nice flight."
The woman happily accepted the upgrade, she said, and "took it in a heartbeat."
"I told my brother I'd see him in 12 hours and let me know if he wanted any food or drink and I grabbed my stuff and moved," she said.
"Needless to say, I had a nice flight."
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Her brother, however, was quite upset that she did not give him the upgrade instead, as he is much taller and presumably could've used the extra legroom to be more comfortable.
After the plane landed, her brother refused to speak to her for the entire ride to their hotel, she said — and then told her family that she had been upgraded.
The woman and her family were on a trip to Hawaii celebrating her father's retirement. Her father, she said, paid for the entire trip. (iStock)
"We had a nice hello with the rest of the family, but after I got down from my shower my mom took me aside and said what I did ‘was awful,’" said Abbyissostupid.
Confused, the woman said she asked her mother what she was talking about — "and she said that I should have given my brother the seat."
The Reddit writer added, "I thought that would be the end of it, but all five of my siblings and my parents are upset with me and the vacation is off to a very rough start," she said.
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Her siblings even told their children to avoid her for not being a loyal family member, the woman said.
"My sister said, ‘No, they only like to play with people who give a s--- about their family — what were you thinking?’" wrote Abbyissostupid.
When the woman pointed out that her brother never even asked for an upgrade, the sister replied that he should not have had to — and that she should have automatically given her brother the upgrade for his comfort.
The woman's much taller brother spent the flight in coach, where he was apparently very uncomfortable during the trip. (iStock)
"I've been by myself since brunch and not having much fun. AITA?" asked Abbyissostupid of others on Reddit.
In an update to the post after others had commented, Abbyissostupid added that her family is still angry at her, but to varying degrees — and that she's been spending time instead with a friend who lives in Hawaii.
"So my vacation will be great no matter what," said Abbyissostupid. "But reading your comments really gave me confidence to not give a crap (or try to at least!). Thank you."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Abbyissostupid for further updates, and to a relationship expert for advice on the topic.
On the AITA subreddit, people can reply to posts and indicate the poster is "NTA" ("Not the A--hole"), "YTA" ("You're the A--hole"), "NAH" ("No A--holes Here") or "ESH" ("Everyone Sucks Here").
Users can "upvote" responses they think are helpful and "downvote" ones that are not.
Reddit users largely assured the woman that she did not do anything wrong by accepting the upgrade to first class for herself — and that her family was blowing things out of proportion. (iStock)
Most users said that she was "NTA" for taking the upgrade — and that the airline likely would not have allowed her to give it to her brother, even if she wanted to, they said.
"Had something happen to me years ago on Air Canada. Vancouver to Toronto red eye. Flying with adult daughter and got tagged for upgrade," said Reddit user "BetAlternative8397" in the top-upvoted comment.
The user continued, "I asked about letting her fly upfront instead and was told the seat is only available to the status holder. I was exhausted from a week working away, so I took it," the person added.
"No reason you should have turned it down."
The same individual noted, "No one shamed me for it" and said that Abbyissostupid's brother was rude and jealous.
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"NTA, but you sure have a family of them," said Reddit user "Fearless_Ad1685" in another top comment.
"Your status got you the offer. If you declined it, it wouldn't have gone to your brother anyway," Fearless_Ad1685 continued.
"No reason you should have turned it down just to stay in coach with your brother."
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Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
