Mum blasts elderly couple who refused to move from train seats she'd booked for children

Publish date: 2024-02-14

A mum has hit out at an elderly couple who refused to give up the train seats that she'd booked for her kids.

Raging mum Amanda Mancino-Williams said she got into an argument with the pensioners, who were sitting in her children's pre-booked seats, after they claimed the reservations "didn't matter".

Writer Amanda, took to X, formerly Twitter, to air her frustration at the couple's entitled behaviour on a CrossCountry train from Cheltenham to Nottingham, reportstrain seats

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Posting a picture of the couple saying: "If a mum with three kids and bags has four reserved seats for a long train journey, and you're sitting in their seats on a full carriage, don't tell them that their tickets don't matter in a posh voice and then say you're not moving and refuse to make eye contact. Don't be these people."

She also tweeted a picture of her three children cramped into two seats, glaring at the couple opposite, who had stolen their seats. "My 12-year-old is just staring this woman down," she tweeted.

She said: "A kind man offered me his seat. Spoke to conductor who was calm, lovely, and apologetic, said that instead of engaging with them that he was going to move us to an empty table in first class. I grabbed our bags and turned to the couple and said, with a smile, 'Enjoy your seats!'"

Amanda told the Sun there was no point in people reserving seats if people are allowed to sit in them and she would have let the couple have the seats if they had a good reason for refusing to give them up.

She added: "Her instant dismissiveness of me and the children told me all I needed to know about her. I didn't feel it was my responsibility to acquiesce to that kind of behaviour. I was shocked and tired. Any mother who travels with bags and children knows how your mind is in a thousand places, so things like reserved seats are something you count on. They make your journey manageable. I'd booked a table so the children could do their schoolwork."

Amanda's tweet received overwhelming support on Twitter. One said: "Should have just sat on them....if they don't move from your seat it's their tough luck..." Another tweeted: "No way that should be tolerated. You took the time and trouble to reserve seats. They have no business being in your seats. Good on the conductor to help, but they should have assisted and removed those two from your seats. Sends a message."

A spokesman for CrossCountry told the Sun the family had been "let down by others who ignore the labels."

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