Passenger Angry With Boyfriend for Boarding Plane Minutes Before Her Bashed

A woman who got angry with her boyfriend because he boarded a plane before her is being slammed online.

In a post to Reddit's Am I the A******? (AITA) forum on November 10, user u/anchordwn explained that her boyfriend was allowed to board the plane earlier than her because he was in the military. Despite boarding "less than five minutes later," the poster was annoyed with her boyfriend, which caused a "mild argument" during the journey.

After reading the story, Reddit users voted u/anchordwn "the a******" in the situation, with the post receiving almost 10,000 upvotes and over 3,500 comments.

'Communicate in Advance'

A 2019 poll found that couples argue an average of 12 times while traveling. Parking app Spot Hero surveyed 2,000 Americans and discovered that the biggest stressors were poor weather (44 percent), road traffic (41 percent) and losing something while traveling (37 percent).

You can't always control what will happen on your journey, but you can stop stressful situations from sparking arguments with your partner. Sam Zand—a licensed psychiatrist, chief medical officer at Better U and CEO of the Anywhere Clinic—said communicating your expectations ahead of your trip can help solve problems when they arise.

"Talk with your partner about worries and requests prior," he told Newsweek.

"We often assume our partners should know our feelings and desires, but it can be helpful to communicate gently in advance.

"Talking about it after the fact can cause someone to become defensive. Instead of dwelling on this past experience, we can harness that energy to plan and prepare together for the next trip."

Zand said that taking steps to generally make travel less stressful can also be beneficial.

"You're literally in airplane mode, so take advantage of it," he said.

"Bring headphones, download your favorite playlist, bring a journal or book, and consider a meditation mask to reduce the stimulation of a crowded plane.

"For some, airports are stressful. Be extra kind to each other and acknowledge that we want to show up as our best during times when we may get easily anxious. Breath work, meditation, and relaxing music can help ease our nerves so we can better handle the stressors that may come our way."

'Huge Entitlement Vibes'

In her post, anchordwn said she and her boyfriend were flying to her parents' house for Thanksgiving. The couple checked in together at the airport, but were separated into different boarding groups.

"He was group 1, since he is active duty military, I was group 3, for being a platinum card holder on the airline," she wrote.

"This is significant since both groups are considered priority boarding."

Describing herself as a "seasoned traveler," anchordwn likes to avoid boarding with the main group because they are "slower."

"When the plane started boarding they obviously called group one first, the group for active duty military and unaccompanied minors - and my boyfriend gets up and boards without me," she said.

"I was annoyed, since groups 1 and 2 are both super small, and group 3, my group, usually gets called super fast, if not combined with group two."

Less than five minutes later, the poster's group was called to board the plane. Once inside, she confronted her boyfriend about going ahead of her.

"I told him he could have waited for my group to get called and we could have boarded together," she continued.

"He told me that it wasn't a big deal, and I said it was since we were traveling together, he had never done that before, why would he do it randomly now, and he didn't have a reason besides 'it's for me, why wouldn't I use that group' even though my group is still considered priority boarding?"

The situation escalated into an argument, with the poster asking fellow Redditors if she was "the a******" for being annoyed.

Unfortunately for anchordwn, users felt she was out of line, with Hoodie_Boom_boom telling her to "grow up."

Kossl2000 agreed, writing: "Gave off huge entitlement vibes too."

"You really got upset about BF boarding a few minutes before you?" said Huge_Industry_1259.

"You say you're a seasoned traveler, so why are you so hot and bothered that he left your side for a few minutes?

"What's he gonna do? Go steal a coke from the galley before you get on the plane? Put on bunny slippers that you don't approve of?"

While Ellie_Reads_Romance commented: "If I were him, I would always board ahead of you because I'd need the 10 minute break from your whining and pettiness."

However, after reading the responses, anchordwn "accepted" the verdict.

"I accept that i was being a huge a******, and that i should have picked my battles and not started an argument over something so petty and small," she wrote in an update to her post.

"I will be giving him a big apology this morning."

Newsweek has reached out to u/anchordwn for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.