After the couple broke up during a trip, she told the flight attendant she’d take the upgrade for herself

A woman recently took to Reddit to share a story that has since gone viral. This 30-year-old woman decided to take a business class upgrade for herself after breaking up with her boyfriend during a trip, leaving him and his young son to ride in coach.

She explained that she had been dating her boyfriend, whom she referred to as “Matt,” for about a year and had developed a bond with his nearly two-year-old son, “Alex.” Despite them not living together, she would occasionally look after Alex when Matt was at work.

In early May, the couple decided to take a 10-day trip and, due to some family drama, brought Alex along with them. However, things did not go smoothly. The woman found herself looking after Alex almost the entire time while Matt enjoyed himself. She also discovered that Matt was still in contact with his ex, which led to their breakup at the end of the trip.

On the return flight, they were all seated in economy when a flight attendant offered Matt an upgrade to business class. The woman quickly interjected, pointing out that she had purchased the tickets and paid for them with her own account. She argued that she should get the upgrade instead.

Initially, the flight attendant hesitated, assuming Alex was her child. However, once the woman clarified that Alex was not her son, the flight attendant relented and gave her the upgrade.

Despite receiving the upgrade, the woman faced criticism from her ex-boyfriend, fellow passengers, and even some family members and friends once they landed. They felt she was wrong for not giving the upgrade to Matt, especially since many assumed she was Alex’s mother.

Reddit users have weighed in with various opinions. Some suggested she send Matt an “itemized bill” for the expenses she covered during the trip. Others criticized the airline staffer for initially offering the upgrade to Matt, saying it was unfair and displayed sexism.

One Reddit commenter said, “I would complain to the airline about the sexism shown by the air steward. As you said there is a list and as [original poster] booked the tickets it would have been her name for the upgrade.” Another user added, “I experienced this misogynistic behavior all the time in first class. Men were pampered, and I was an afterthought.”

Many of the comments sympathized with the woman, suggesting she needed the space and a chance to relax after looking after Alex during the trip. One user pointed out, “I bet it was probably nice to put some space between you and your brand new ex with such a long flight, too. What was he going to do, take the upgrade and leave his young kid with the woman who he just broke up with? There’s no world in which that makes any kind of sense.”