On a long overnight flight from New York to London, I was looking forward to a quiet trip with my books. That hope quickly faded when the teenage boy next to me started blasting action shows on his tablet. Even with headphones, the sound was disruptive. I politely asked him to turn it down twice, but he just smiled and ignored me. His mother, sitting on the aisle, didn’t bat an eye, seemingly oblivious to anything beyond her magazine.

Later, I opened my window shade to enjoy some natural light for reading. The teen immediately slammed it shut. I opened it again, and he slammed it shut again. This silent battle continued until his mom finally snapped, “He’s trying to sleep! Just leave it down!”

“And I’m trying to read,” I calmly replied.

She huffed and jabbed the call button. When the flight attendant arrived, the mom loudly complained that I was disturbing her son’s sleep. I explained my side, holding up my book as evidence. The flight attendant nodded, then leaned in and whispered, “I have a solution.”

She smiled and offered me a free upgrade to an empty business class seat — promising peace, quiet, and my own window. But the best part was yet to come.

She returned to my old seat with a very large man who needed more room. He politely took the aisle seat, leaving the entitled mom and her son squished in the middle and window seats, both clearly uncomfortable. As I sipped champagne and read in silence up front, I glanced back once. The look on their faces was absolutely priceless.