I recently took a short flight on Southwest, and as a regular user of Early Bird Check-In, I was in the A group. I decided to sit in 7C.

While the boarding process was going on, the flight attendants said several times that the flight wasn’t full and no one would have to sit in a middle seat if they didn’t want to. So I was looking forward to not having to compress myself width-wise into the seat — my shoulders are kind of broad, which means sometimes my arms are difficult to keep in place.

Then this couple stops at my row and asks if they can sit here.

That’s right. Two people. In my row. Seats 7A and 7B.

We were in the B group at this point, and the flight attendants were saying there were plenty of empty rows in the back half of the plane. But this couple decided they’d rather sit in my row, forcing me to have a middle seat occupant on a flight where literally no one had to sit in the middle.

On the bright side, the woman in the middle was very slender, so while I was still uncomfortable at least we weren’t jockeying for position. And like I said it was a short flight, so it wasn’t the end of the world. But seriously, why would you do this to yourself — and to me — when it’s not a necessity?

I don’t understand people sometimes.

Related: is it just me, or does ginger ale on an airplane hit different? I don’t know what it is, but it’s always more satisfying on airplanes than it is on the ground.