"AITA for kicking my houseguests out 11 hours before their flight is scheduled to leave?"
"AITA for kicking my houseguests out 11 hours before their flight is scheduled to leave?"
My friend and his wife have made plans to visit us this summer for a weekend stay. The flight is two hours, so not a really long journey for them. We have our home professionally cleaned regularly and go all in to be good hosts to our guests. However, with any good thing, some people try to take advantage. I usually will take an extra day from work after guests leave to get rest or even tidy up the house a bit.
It’s just a peaceful time for me to return to the normalcy of our household after being in host mode. Before my friend booked his flight, my husband let it slip that I will not be working the Monday after my friends’ stay with us. Next thing I know, my friend tells me that they will be flying out on a red eye the Monday I took off for rest.
This means they will arrive early Friday morning, and leave late Monday night. To that I responded that I will be taking them to the airport as early as 8am Monday morning so I can have my day of rest like I planned. My friend tells me that he doesn’t understand why they can’t just hang out at our place or have us show them around town more on that Monday since they have a late flight.
I explained to them that the day off is for me to rest, not to continue to be their host. I told them that they are more than welcome to leave their luggage here if they want to go explore on their own, but we will not be hosting them or playing tour guide after Monday morning.
He goes on to admit that it was cheaper for him to book the later flight on Monday and that it’s not a big deal for him and his wife to just hang out at my house all day until it’s time for them to fly out.
Keep in mind that I will have to take them to the airport or pay for rideshare because he refuses to pay. I will also have to feed them. I told him that they are welcome to visit and stay with us, but staying at our house all day Monday is not an option and he needs to make other arrangements. He’s now accusing me of being a horrible friend and his wife says we’re AHs. Your thoughts?
The internet didn't hold back one bit.
treehuggerfroglover wrote:
“Keep in mind that I will have to take them to the airport or pay for ride share because he refuses to pay. I will also have to feed them”
No you don’t. You don’t have to do any of that. And if you chose to I think it would be a mistake.
Simply tell them you are offering a ride at 8am and they can take it or leave it. If they don’t accept the ride you will be locking them out of your house promptly at 8am. They will not be welcomed back in at any point for any reason, and you will not be providing transportation past that time.
They can decide if they want to pay for their own ride or just remain stranded in a city where they have no place to stay. Shouldn’t change your plans at all either way.
Worth-Season3645 wrote:
NTA. He refuses to pay for a ride share? Oh no, no, no.
Not only would I stick to my boundaries, I would also tell them you have fed them for the weekend and hosted them. They can figure out their own way to the airport.
And it may be no big deal to them to stay at your home. Of course not. They think they are at a hotel. It is a big deal to you. And if I understand correctly, this trip did not even happen yet? It is for this summer? Well guess what? They just lost their free place to stay. No one ab#$es my hospitality and calls me an ahole.
whatsfunny89 wrote:
NTA. I applaud you for holding firm on your boundaries. I need that extra day for any trips or people over also. If yall had previously arranged the weekend for them to stay they don’t get to just extend that without asking first.
Motorcycle-Misfit wrote:
Somebody’s looking for a cheap vacation mostly on your pocketbook. I had friends who save frequent flyer miles, until they have enough to go to “visit a friend.” They would then show up and treat my home as a motel. Never offered to contribute to food cost or even take me out to dinner as a thank you.
They’d actually put items they wanted on my grocery list without ever offering to pay for them. Notice I said, had friends, haven’t heard from them since the last time they informed me they were coming to visit and I told them I was repainting the guestroom so there was no place for them to stay but I’d be glad to make them reservations in a hotel nearby.
ThrowRA_SNJ wrote:
NTA. If they were actually your friends they wouldn’t be so willing to take advantage of you. It would’ve been a conversation and when you said no it would’ve been accepted.
You’ve offered more than enough compromise about letting them keep their stuff there before their flight. They’re showing they don’t care about you or your boundaries which tells you everything you need to know how they actually feel about you.
WPCFirst wrote:
You're a bit of an AH, but not a pushover. I appluad you for standing up to the complete AHs who extended their visit without checking with you first. I would be mortified to assume I could stay at someone else's home without clearing it beforehand. The time to ask if they could "hang out" would be before they booked a red eye on the day they were supposed to leave.