Originally Posted by bocastephen

I need to ask - how was this other passenger forced into a middle seat? They were asked/shamed into it, or an employee somehow forced them to move? I would be beyond livid if this happened to me and would flat out refuse to move - either I keep my seat, or I should receive IDB.

I am really sick and tired of these entitled soccer-mom types showing up (not just at airports) without any preparation, research or forethought and demanding everyone else yield to their personal needs and those of their annoying "little precious" children.

Both United and Expedia make it very clear that a customer is NOT receiving a seat assignment with a Basic Economy fare, among other things. It's right there in a clear, unambiguous print, and only takes seconds to read and comprehend. No different than a BE customer demanding to put their bag in the overhead. The rules are clear. The purpose of the fare is to scavenge bottom of the bucket customers from Spirit and Frontier who already need to pay extra for any of these features when they fly on those airlines, and these fares are extremely easy to avoid.

Sorry, I have no sympathy here except for the customer who was forced to move into a middle, and for that, should receive compensation.