I was on a flight that was delayed for a few hours. My husband and I had first-class tickets.

When we finally boarded, 2 women took seats behind us. I could hear them talking to each other, saying it was only fair to take those seats after what we had suffered.

After take-off, the flight attendant came along, took a look at her manifest, and asked to see their tickets. They gave her their tickets along with their excuse for being in those seats.

She was not having it. She told them, firmly, that if they wanted to sit in First Class they would need to buy an upgraded ticket and proceeded to tell them how much it would cost.

They scurried back to their coach seats.

As the FA went past us, she winked.

By way of explanation – I doubt the FA had any idea how much the upgrade would cost. And she didn’t have the authority to sell them an upgraded ticket. If they had still refused to move, she would have had the captain intercede.

If that didn’t work, those passengers could be fined when the plane landed and they could have been banned from ever flying that airline again. If those passengers became hostile, the flight would be diverted and they would be taken off in handcuffs.

Airlines will crack down on anyone who refuses to obey the rules.