I booked a flight from Denver to Aspen way in advance so I could choose a seat with a good view. The flight path is over the Rocky Mountains. I knew it would be thrilling and looked forward to the ride. About halfway through the flight, a passenger asked if I’d swap seats with his young daughter so she could have a better view. She’d been jabbering that her seat wasn’t as good. I refused politely. The family and other passengers gave me dirty looks. Did I do the right thing?  —FRANK

Commercial air travel, as with other forms of shared transportation, is a brave experiment in community—often, under lousy conditions: crowded, cramped, and . I get that you booked your seat well in advance. You had every right to keep it. In a different context, though, I bet you wouldn’t have minded letting a little girl enjoy your view for 10 minutes. It may not even have taken that long for her to get bored with it. 

—Adapted from “Social Q’s” in The New York Times Magazine