A man's refusal to swap seats with a fellow passenger on a plane has caused a social media storm, after a couple were forced to sit apart on the wife's birthday. The incident, which took place on a Virgin Australia flight, has been widely debated online, with some calling the man's behaviour selfish and others defending his right to stay in his seat.

The couple, Jay and Zoe Kloss, were travelling to celebrate Zoe's birthday, but were disappointed to find that their assigned seats were not together. Zoe had a window seat, while Jay was in an aisle seat. When Jay asked the man sitting next to Zoe if he could swap seats, the stranger initially ignored him. When Jay explained that it was Zoe's birthday and that he wanted to sit next to her, the stranger flatly refused to move.

Despite Jay's explanation that the seats were identical, the stranger insisted that he would only move if he could sit in Zoe's window seat. The situation became increasingly awkward, with Zoe asking why the man was refusing to move and Jay asking for an explanation as to why he couldn't simply swap seats.

The incident was captured on TikTok, where it has been viewed over 340,000 times. The video sparked a fierce debate, with many users criticizing the stranger for his lack of empathy and others defending his right to stay in his assigned seat.

In the end, a passenger sitting next to Jay offered to swap seats with Zoe, allowing the couple to sit together. While some users applauded this act of kindness, others criticized the airline for not seating the couple together in the first place.

The incident has highlighted the often uncomfortable and awkward situations that can arise on planes, particularly when passengers are assigned seats that are not together. While some users have criticized the stranger for his lack of empathy, others have pointed out that he was under no obligation to move from his assigned seat. Ultimately, the kindness of a fellow passenger resolved the situation, allowing the couple to enjoy Zoe's birthday together.