Man Confronts Family Over $300 Plane Seat Taken by Child: “That’s Not My Problem”

A tense altercation broke out during boarding on an American Airlines flight, sparking major backlash online, after a man found his assigned $300 aisle seat already taken—by a child from another family. The man, later identified as Osaac Summer, was clearly frustrated when he discovered the seat he specifically paid for had been occupied without anyone asking for his permission.

The moment was caught on video and posted to TikTok on July 6 by user @lalawright2. In the clip, Summer can be heard telling the family, “Stay in your lane and in your seat,” before firmly adding, “I don’t care about your daughter, your child, and none of that. I paid for this one.”

Summer, who is 6’2″, posted a response video several days later on his own TikTok account (@osaacsummer), sharing his side of what happened. He made it clear that his outburst wasn’t typical behavior and that he’d simply reached a breaking point after being disrespected.

“If you know me, you know I’m not the type to lose my temper. That wasn’t me spazzing out,” he said. According to him, the family had taken his seat without so much as a heads-up. They offered him either a middle or window seat, but that wasn’t what he had booked or wanted.

He remembered telling the mother, “I really don’t want to take the seat from you and your child,” but stressed that, “Next time, just ask first.”

Clash With Crew

Things escalated further when a flight attendant got involved—and appeared to side with the family. At one point, Summer said he was accused of being “a problem,” which pushed him over the edge.

“I turned around and said, ‘Ma’am, just come get my seat then. That was completely uncalled for,’” Summer recounted.

To his shock, someone from the airline staff said the mother was entitled to stay in the seat since she had boarded earlier, despite the fact that specific seats are usually pre-booked and paid for.

Eventually, another passenger offered to switch, letting the child remain in Summer’s original seat, while Summer finally got an aisle seat as he intended.

“Just Give People Their Seats Back”

In a six-minute follow-up video, Summer summarized the ordeal with a simple message: “The moral of the story is—respect people’s seats.”

He also directed some criticism at the airline crew: “If it had been a first-class seat, they wouldn’t have even tried that. Flight attendants, just do your jobs.”

Internet Backs Summer

The internet wasted no time rallying behind him. Summer’s video quickly drew more than 2.4 million likes, with many commenters frustrated by what they see as a growing sense of entitlement among parents on flights.

“Parents really think they’re owed something,” one person wrote. “Buy your kid the seat next to you—simple.”

Others applauded Summer for standing his ground: “He was way calmer than I would’ve been. The nerve of just taking someone’s seat like that…” read one comment.

Some users pointed out how hard it is for people with social anxiety to speak up in such situations, and how they often suffer in silence when their seats are taken.

One person shared their own experience: “Some guy tried to rearrange our whole row for his girlfriend. I let him finish his speech, then just said ‘no.’”

Flying Etiquette Under Scrutiny

This incident adds to the growing list of viral seat-swap disputes playing out in airports and airplanes worldwide.

In late 2024, Brazilian passenger Jeniffer Castro gained media attention after she refused to move for a crying child, then sued the airline and another passenger who posted video of her online—claiming the fallout impacted her career and reputation.

Earlier in 2023, a woman drew praise online for refusing to surrender her first-class seat to a child, insisting she wasn’t obligated to downgrade.

Even airline employees are weighing in. American Airlines flight attendant Leanna Coy posted a viral TikTok explaining why travelers should stop expecting others to rearrange their plans for them: “Your poor planning isn’t my problem.”

As for Summer, the whole experience left him emotionally and mentally exhausted. “It was midnight. Everyone just wants to sit down and fly. That’s all.”

Only one member of the cabin crew, he said, checked in on him after the whole ordeal.