Plane passenger booted out of his paid flight seat and he was gobsmacked at who took it
A frequent flyer was left stunned when he boarded his Scandinavian Airlines flight and discovered his pre-booked seat had been swapped without any prior notice
A traveller was surprised when his seat got changed and couldn’t believe who took it (stock image)(Image: Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
A jet-setter was left reeling after being booted out of his pre-booked plane seat, only to discover the person sitting in his place was royalty. Frequent flyer Christian Magnuson thought his journey from Stockholm Arlanda to Kalmar was going to be a standard domestic trip.
Like any seasoned traveller, Christian had his routine nailed down and had paid extra to secure seat 17C towards the rear of the Scandinavian Airlines craft. However, his carefully laid plans were thrown into chaos when he discovered his seat had been changed to 5D without a word of warning.
Confused, Christian boarded the flight and noticed that 17C actually remained empty as he walked past, at least for a few moments.
He headed to his new seat, but it wasn’t long before he realised why he’d been moved, reports The Mirror.
He said: “Then a convoy of cars pulled up and the King of Sweden boarded the airplane and sat in my seat.”
Christian shared footage of the encounter, showing King Carl XVI Gustaf on the tarmac after touchdown, where a silver motor was waiting to whisk the monarch away.
Later that day, the royal family’s official Instagram account, ‘Kungahuset’, posted a snap of the King alongside his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, confirming the VIPs were on official business.
Despite the brush with royalty, the bumped passenger was left wondering about the ethics of the airline’s move.
Christian wrote: “Was it fair of them to kick me out of my seat with no compensation? I will say it was cool that he flew on a regular airplane but he took my seat!”
Social media users were quick to weigh in on the royal row, with many praising the King for ditching private jets in favour of commercial travel.
One user wrote: “Happened to me too and I’m just proud to have a monarchy not wasting our resources with a private jet.”
Another added: “I think it’s awesome that the King flies commercial. Also, you have a cool story.”
Others pointed out that security protocols often trump passenger preference. One person claiming to be an airline employee said: “Yes it’s fair since they need security personnel onboard…I would be happy and proud to give him my seat! It’s for his safety.”
Scandinavian Airlines has been contacted for comment
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