After a family trip to China took a dramatic turn, one globetrotting girl took to Reddit to share her side of the story.
In the popular r/AmItheA–hole subreddit, the 17-year-old explained that her family was going on a trip to China to visit family, and due to conflicting schedules, the original poster and her mother flew ahead of her 14-year-old sister and father — who stayed behind so the sister could go to a summer camp.
The family was planning on flying back on the same flight.
“My dad decided to use all of his frequent flyer points to upgrade him and my sister to premium economy on the way there (12 hours) and business class on the way back (14 hours),” she wrote.
“He sent a message after he did this to the family group chat without discussing it with anybody.”
The teen then elaborated, saying that her mother responded in the group chat, asking if she should use her points too for an upgrade — but made it clear that her 17-year-old daughter would be sitting alone in economy on the long-haul flight.
“I know this sounds super bratty, but I don’t mind being in economy, and I’m glad we get to go on vacation,” she said, but the point remains: no one asked or considered her.
Eventually, the mother came around, but because she didn’t have enough frequent flyer points to upgrade both of them to business class — the airline wouldn’t permit only one ticket being upgraded, according to the poster — the mother-daughter duo landed in premium economy on the way home.
“I tried to confront my parents about this. I asked how they could do this without even trying to find a fair solution,” she ranted, further explaining the situation.
“My father just told me that life isn’t fair. My mother said that I’m selfish and the a–hole for not being happy for them for getting to be in business class…”
From there, the argument got heated.
“I told them that it’s bad parenting to give another child so much more, and just stating the other child should be happy about it,” she explained in her post. She also mentioned that her sister agreed with her and said their parents’ actions were just rude.
She also acknowledged that she didn’t contribute to the purchase — the tickets were bought with the parents’ money, which naturally gives them the right to upgrade themselves, but she was upset because of how she and her sister were treated differently, especially when there were still solutions to be explored.
After plenty of squabbles, the family landed on a decision. The sister switched seats on the flight home, making it fairer between the sisters.
Though the lack of foresight and consideration on her parents’ part was still frustrating, the original poster was grateful for her sister’s support.
“I’m glad that my sister sided with me, which I knew she would, cause I would’ve done the same for her,” she concluded.
Despite the girl’s sister coming through for her in the end, the internet still had mixed feelings.
“There are times when things like age should have some bearing, and I feel like the older sibling should get the benefit of upgraded privileges,” one user replied.
Another commenter was concerned about the poster’s safety. “Yeah, there’s no way I’d leave my teenage daughter alone on a flight,” they declared.
This specific sentiment drew quite a bit of criticism, with one user retorting: “She’s 17, about to be a legal adult, and on an airplane. It’s probably the safest place to leave her alone…”
Another user verbally attacked the original poster. “Yep, [you’re the a–hole] and a spoiled one at that. You complain that your mom was going to only upgrade herself and then go on to try to seem reasonable, saying you’d be ok if the parents just upgraded themselves. You got a trip to China, be happy about that.”
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