Man leaves people divided after he shames girlfriend for accepting free upgrade on flight

A man sparked online debate after shaming his girlfriend for accepting a free flight upgrade and leaving him in economy.

According to the irritated boyfriend, this isn't the first time his girlfriend has used airline points to upgrade her seat.

The man vented his frustration on Reddit and said it was "messed up" that his partner would move to a more comfortable seat.

If the tables were turned, he said, he would "never" accept an upgrade if it separated them during a flight.

In the post, he wrote: "Quick question - When my GF (27) and I (M30) fly a certain airline she has status on - she usually gets upgraded 90% of the time.

"When she does get offered the upgrade, she takes it while leaving me behind in the economy."

The upgrade was not even to first-class, he clarified, but an economy premium seat.

"In my mind, I'm flagging this as like kind of messed up cause I would want never take that upgrade since I'd want to sit with her. You know, like a couple."

Many agreed with the abandoned boyfriend and said his partner's behaviour was a bad sign.

"Selfish as hell mate and with something so minor? Yikes," wrote one user.

Another said it could be a sign of how the relationship would progress.

"I would definitely flag this behaviour," they wrote. "To me, it seems as if she puts herself ahead of you in this relationship, as time goes on, it will most likely get worse, my friend."

Others, however, felt the man was being sensitive and it was quite common for couples to upgrade separately.

"My husband and I travel frequently and while we enjoy sitting next to each other we haven't in over half the flights we have been on and have flown in different classes before," one person said.

"We have always been excited/grateful for the other person when they get upgraded. If you truly care about someone and are not overly sensitive this isn't a big deal."

Another agreed that people were overreacting.

"All these comments calling the gf selfish are insane," they wrote.

"This is such a non-issue in my mind. Your gf doesn't need to sit next to you every time you fly."

Making light of the situation, one person said the only people who 'needed' to sit next to one another during a flight were the pilots.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.