She changed seats with her because she said she had reserved the wrong seat by mistake and didn’t want to sit apart from her husband. She sounded unfriendly, and I was surprised by how bold her request was. When I didn’t do what she wanted right away, she looked annoyed and said in a rude way that I didn’t need all the room in my fancy seat. Her husband joined the conversation, encouraging me to be sensible, suggesting that there was no actual necessity for me to be upfront.Their excessive pride and feeling of deserving special treatment were surprising. I could sense the stares of other people on us, some interested, others understanding. I took a deep breath and chose not to argue. I handed over my boarding pass calmly and sarcastically wished them to enjoy the seat. The woman quickly took the ticket from me, quietly complaining about self-centered individuals in the best seats. Her husband hinted that I didn’t deserve support. As I walked to her seat in row 12, I became more and more annoyed. But I didn’t like causing a commotion—I had a different idea in mind. As soon as I got to the seat in the middle of row 12, a flight attendant who had seen what happened came up to me. She leaned closer and told me that the couple had deceived me about my seat – they were both meant to be in row 12. I smiled at her and told her I had a plan to change the situation in our favor. The seat I had in the middle wasn’t as comfy as the better one I had before, but I knew it would be worth it. I made the couple believe they had won, but I was actually getting ready for my next step. One hour after the flight took off and things calmed down, I called the flight attendant and asked to talk to the head flight attendant.The person in charge listened carefully as I explained what happened, highlighting how the couple tricked me into changing seats. She thanked me for telling her about it and promised to take care of it. A little while later, she came back with a choice for me – I could go back to my first seat, or I could get a lot of airline miles as compensation, enough for upgrades on my next three flights. I decided to go with the miles because they were more valuable than the price difference between premium and economy class on this flight. As the plane kept flying, I saw things happening near row 3 where the couple was sitting. The person in charge of the plane’s finances, along with another flight crew member, spoke to them about their lies. She told them that their actions broke the airline’s rules, and they would be punished, possibly by being banned from flying until an investigation is done. The woman turned pale as she tried to explain herself. She revealed in a panicked way that they were not married, she was his secret girlfriend, and they were having a relationship. As I picked up my things after arriving, I couldn’t help but look back at the couple one more time. Their proud faces turned into a mix of anger and shame when they had to deal with the repercussions that would affect them for a long time after the flight. As I walked through the airport, I felt really happy.In my 33 years, I’ve discovered that sometimes, seeking revenge is not about creating a big show. It’s about calmly observing those who believe they have succeeded understand how much they have actually failed. And that’s how you do it!
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