‘Make it make sense’: Mom says airline refused family seat swap after two business class tickets were downgraded

A mother said she paid for four Business Class tickets on ANA only to have two of them downgraded to Premium Economy after a schedule change. Elena, who posts on TikTok as @elenamritter, shared a video that has gained hundreds of thousands of views documenting the dispute from inside the cabin.

The clip contained no spoken words, only on-screen text and background music. She filmed from a first-person view that showed business class seats, a man in a white T-shirt with a green graphic and black track pants leaning over a seat partition, and ANA branding on a seatback screen. On-screen text at the start of the video read, “THE AIRLINE TOLD ME I COULDN’T SIT IN THE BUSINESS CLASS SEAT I PAID FOR. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.”

She wrote in the TikTok caption that the family ended up sitting right behind Business Class, separated by a curtain. She said she simply wanted to switch seats with her own daughter, but flight attendants refused any switch with her daughter or her husband during the entire flight, even though she paid for all the tickets and was not asking for an extra seat or free upgrade.

Rules treat downgrades and seat switches as separate issues

Further on-screen text in the video explained that the family ended up sitting literally one row apart after the rescheduling and downgrade. It stated that she asked to switch seats with her daughter, who was in Business Class, so she would take the Business Class seat and her daughter would sit right behind her in Premium Economy.

The text added, “SAME FAMILY. SAME FLIGHT. ALL TICKETS PAID FOR BY ME. BUT ANA FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SAID ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Seat-swap requests have sparked other viral disputes, like when a woman refused a concert seat swap for family and drew attention online.

The video showed a young girl with light brown hair in a white T-shirt sitting in a business class seat holding a blue plush toy. Additional text said there would be no switching with her daughter or her husband, not even during the flight. The camera focused on two “BUSINESS CLASS” signs hanging on the blue curtain divider, and on-screen text noted that the airline put up the signs to stop them from crossing between cabins.

Elena wrote in the caption that she has switched seats with family members on other airlines plenty of times, so this was a first for her. She questioned the two warning signs by the curtain and noted that she paid for all the tickets and was not asking for an extra seat or a free upgrade. The final on-screen text asked, “WAS ANA BEING RIDICULOUS, OR AM I MISSING SOMETHING? WHO’S RIGHT?”

ANA’s Conditions of Carriage state that the conditions apply to carriage of passengers and baggage performed by the airline at published fares, rates, and charges, unless in conflict with the Convention or applicable laws. Passengers are deemed to have acknowledged and given consent to the conditions and the airline’s regulations. It does not address seat switching between cabins during a flight.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, if a consumer is involuntarily downgraded to a lower class of service and continues to travel on the flight, the consumer is not entitled to a refund of the full airfare, but the airline must refund the difference between the original fare and the downgraded fare.

The DOT also says a full refund is due if the consumer decides not to travel because of the involuntary downgrade. These rules apply in situations covered by U.S. passenger-protection standards. 

The downgrade and the refusal to allow family members to switch seats appear to be two separate issues. Official sources support investigating possible compensation for an involuntary downgrade, but they do not establish whether ANA was required to permit passengers to move between Business Class and Premium Economy during the flight. The applicable terms depend on the specific ticket, route, operating airline, and circumstances.

Viewers responded to the video with mixed reactions about the situation. One commenter focused on the cabin change and wrote, “I’d definitely be complaining to the airline how can they put you in cheaper seats when you’ve already paid for business class you’ve paid for something you didn’t receive.” Another viewer noted the seating arrangement and stated, “this is one legitimate reason to not book the last row in business class.”

A different commenter expressed concern about movement between sections and wrote, “I’d be more angry at the fact they physically stopped you crossing through to even check on your children, effectively leaving them unsupervised.”

One more viewer reacted strongly to the separation and said, “Not being able to see my child.???? Nope they would def be calling the air Marshall on me lol.” Another comment suggested the timing of the request mattered and wrote, “asking if swapping was ok after being downgraded was the first issue.”