Plane Passenger Who Refused to Do This Common Airport Favor Says They Got 'Stink Eye' — But Were They Wrong?

A plane passenger is asking if they were really in the wrong for refusing a favor to a fellow flyer

They took to the popular "Am I the A------?" Reddit on July 18 to air their grievances about a fellow traveler who asked what they felt was a “big favor:" to watch her bags in the boarding area while she used the bathroom. The original poster (OP) claims they were made into the “bad guy” for saying no to the common request.

“Yesterday I was sitting next to a woman with a young son who needed to go to the bathroom (10 minutes before boarding started),” the OP writes. “She turned to me and asked… could I watch her bags while she took her son to the bathroom?”

The OP replied, “I’m not really supposed to."

The poster claims the mom gave a “stink eye” before another woman nearby offered to watch the luggage.

They explain their technically sound reasoning in the post: “Not only is this a safety issue (probably not in this case, but in theory), but also I wouldn’t have wanted to miss my boarding group."

In U.S. airports, TSA announcements regularly warn passengers to keep their belongings with them at all times, not to leave luggage unattended and not to accept any items from strangers.

The mother and son returned in time to make it on the plane, but not before boarding started. 

Part of the reason for their refusal, the OP claims, is that this wasn't the first time they had been asked for the same favor — and had a different outcome.

They detailed another experience where they allege they were “bawled out” by a gate agent when they offered to watch someone’s bag. They claim the gate agent overheard and interrupted, saying it wasn’t allowed.

The situation divided Redditors, who sounded off in the comments.

“If the woman and son were your wife and child, you’d be the [a------],” someone quipped in the comments. “Otherwise you’re good.” 

Another said: “I’m more surprised that she trusted a stranger enough to watch her bags.”

Others discussed the possible safety concerns.

“You’re never supposed to take responsibility for someone else’s bags [because] you don’t know what could be in them,” someone explained. “May sound crazy considering it’s a lady and a kid but you never know and that’s what airports advise.”

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Though, not everyone was convinced.

“I guess it might be situational but do you really think a woman with a young child has packed contraband and gotten through security? And somehow you’ll be blamed for it?” one commenter asked. “It’s not your bag.”

They added: “You can say ‘I’ll try to stop anyone from taking it,’ but what the woman is really asking is ‘Would you be okay if I leave my bag so I don’t have to deal with that and a fussy toddler in the bathroom?’ "

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