What sob stories. I don't hear him sobbing, just *****ing about something that happened to him (as are like 75% of all posts on FT it would seem these days). I know several people of different "darker" ethnic backgrounds that have gotten a lot of grief the last two years, believing that it doesn't happen doesn't make it go away.

Then again I had something similar happen about 3-4 years ago on a Sabena flight. My seat was taken by a woman and the next two by her children. The FA was called oevr and basically told me to take another seat (didn't even ask for either of our boarding passes). As the row behind what was mine (BTW this was Euro style business) was free, I suggested that these three move back. The FA szaid they didn't have to.

To make a long story short, the woman was the Ambassador's wife and two kids and the Captain had told the FA to "take care" of them. I raised bloody hell with the Captain, got my seat back, the wife was put in the seat behind me (her original one) and the kids banished to economy.