Man Surprises Girlfriend With First-Class Plane Tickets, Leaves In-Laws to "Rot" in Coach

When it comes to flying, everyone's dream is to be in first class. It's the most luxurious space, offering comfortable seats and delicious treats to snack on throughout the flight. Nevertheless, it's quite an expensive experience, and if you're traveling with more than one person, you might end up like this man in the "Am I the A------" (AITA) subreddit.

The original poster, who goes by the handle u/Amiaplanejerk, revealed that he surprised his girlfriend and upgraded their flight to first class. However, his in-laws weren't too thrilled because they were left to "rot" in coach.

Read on for the rest of the story. Plus, stick around to hear what the internet has to say.

The OP explained that he's a big guy; he has a bad lower back, and his "knees are shot." So, when his in-laws invited him and his girlfriend "Diana" on a trip, they decided to pay their own way. Since the flight would be seven hours, the OP told his girlfriend and in-laws that he paid for an upgrade to business class — or did he?

As it turns out, the OP actually upgraded his and his girlfriend to first class. Diana had never flown first class before, so he wanted to surprise her (how cute). When they got to the airport, Diana was shocked — the OP's father-in-law laughed and shook his head, but his mother-in-law wasn't too happy.

Long story short, the two had a wonderful time in first class — but things quickly turned sour. When they got off the plane, the OP's mother-in-law was fuming. She told the OP, "How could you leave us to rot in coach while you were living it up in first class?!" Um, overreaction much?

The OP said his father-in-law didn't really care, as he slept the entire flight. He (FIL) also told his wife that he would've left the OP and Diana if he had the money to splurge. The mother-in-law said that they all should've been in first class together or not at all, adding that it wasn't really fair or a "good look" to have two parties in separate areas.

She called the OP selfish, telling him he could've at least booked economy comfort or business class tickets instead of springing for first class. In the end, the OP talked with Diana — she told him that while she loved the surprise, maybe he should've saved it for a private trip rather than one with her parents.

The viral post has received hundreds of comments from fellow Redditors who agree that the OP did nothing wrong. He spent his own money, so what's the problem here?!

"You were all paying your own way," a Redditor said. "You don't have to travel as a herd. MIL is just jealous! MIL could have paid to be in first class, but she thinks that she is entitled to have you pay for it. Nope! Nope! Nope!"

Another person wrote, "I feel like MIL thinks there is some sort of instant identification system that says half our party is in first class, we are in coach. NTA."

"I got the feeling that MIL was angry at her husband but chose to misdirect it to the outsider of the family," someone else pointed out. "Especially after FIL's remark that he would have left them too if he had the money."

Many other Redditors agreed that if they found themselves in the same situation, they would be very jealous — but they wouldn't take their frustration out on their family.

"If I'm honest with myself, in the same situation, I'd be jealous too, and I suspect most people would be. But I'd keep it to myself — it's not a good look, and I wouldn't really be justified in being an a-- about it," a Redditor added. "It would be a me problem, not a them problem."

What do you think? Did the OP do his in-laws dirty? Let us know!