A social media post by stand-up comedian Abijit Ganguly about an awkward seat exchange request during a flight to Kolkata has triggered a lively discussion online. While many backed his stance against what they called "entitled" behaviour, others argued that the woman had a valid reason for wanting to avoid a middle seat between two male passengers.
How the incident unfolded
Sharing the experience on X, Ganguly said he was assigned an aisle seat, while a woman occupied the middle seat. Before boarding was complete, he found that she had placed her belongings on his seat.
According to the comedian, he politely asked her to remove the items so he could sit down. However, he felt that she reacted as though he had inconvenienced her.
"People are so funny man. In today’s flight to Kolkata, a girl was sitting in the middle seat. I was in aisle and when I came all her stuff was on my seat. I asked politely can she remove her stuff. She did so looking like I’ve given her greatest inconvenience," he wrote.
Seat swap request rejected
The situation continued after the passenger assigned to the window seat arrived. Ganguly said the woman immediately requested him to exchange seats, but he declined.
She then asked Ganguly if he would swap his aisle seat for her middle seat. He refused that request as well.
"I also refused because even the ask was with a tone of entitlement," he said.
The woman reportedly approached a cabin crew member, saying she was uncomfortable sitting in the middle seat between two unfamiliar men and asked whether another seat could be arranged. Eventually, the passenger seated by the window agreed to switch places with her, resolving the issue.
Complaint about loud videos
Ganguly said the incident did not end there. According to him, the passenger later began watching videos on her phone without using earphones, which he found equally inconsiderate.
Expressing his frustration, he wrote, "Arre bhai, agar itna hai toh le liye karo dusri seat. What is this behaviour of the world owes you everything. So effin annoying. Right now playing vidoes on full volume that too."
He added, "Kya log hai yaar."
Internet divided over the incident
The post quickly gained traction, with users offering differing opinions on the encounter.
Many agreed with Ganguly, saying passengers should not expect others to give up seats they specifically selected or paid extra for.
"The sense of entitlement is seriously disgusting. People even ask to swap the ‘paid seats’ giving random reasons," one user commented.
Another wrote, "Funny that she can afford to fly but can’t afford a pair of earbuds or headphones. Or might have forgotten to pack them because she was carrying so much stuff that she needed an extra seat to keep them on."
However, not everyone agreed with the comedian's version of events.
"NGL irrespective of her tone or attitude, her point was correct. Any women wouldn’t want to sit in between two unknown men. This was not an entitlement issue. You could have easily swapped but you also showed unnecessary ego. Also you give no proof just portraying her in bad light by saying her stuff was on seat and playing music loudly etc..," another user wrote.
