AITA for refusing to swap seats so a family could sit together?

I (27F) have a pretty intense fear of flying. It’s not the “grip the armrest” kind. It’s the “I need to see what’s happening outside or I spiral” kind. Being able to look out the window and watch the horizon is the only thing that keeps me calm for the whole flight.

A few weeks ago I flew to another city for my best friend’s wedding. I was a bridesmaid, so I couldn’t afford to show up a wreck. I booked the flight months in advance and paid an extra $45 to pick a window seat, 14A. It was the whole reason I felt okay about the trip.

I got to my seat early, put my bag overhead, and settled in. A few minutes later, a woman with two kids (maybe 6 and 8) came down the aisle looking stressed, with her husband close behind. Their tickets were scattered: she was in 14B next to me, her husband was six rows back, and the kids were in the middle seats of two different rows.

She asked if I’d be willing to swap so the kids could sit together. I said I’d happily help, and asked where she was thinking of putting me.

She pointed to a middle seat in row 23, between two grown men, in the back of the plane.

I said I couldn’t. I explained I’d paid extra for the window seat because I get really anxious flying and need to see outside. I offered to help in other ways: I’d happily move to a different window or aisle seat if one opened up, or I could help the kids settle in. But I couldn’t give up the window.

She stared at me for a second and said, “Wow. So you’d rather two little kids sit alone?”

Her husband added, loudly, “It’s literally just a seat.”

A few people nearby started watching. One older man in the row behind me muttered, “Unbelievable.” The kids looked at me like I’d kicked a puppy.

The flight attendant came over, heard both sides, and told them kindly but firmly that she couldn’t make me move, but she’d try to help find another solution. She eventually talked a guy in 15C into swapping with the husband, so the family ended up mostly together anyway. Nobody thanked me. The mom gave me a pointed look the entire flight, and I could feel the tension in my seat for three hours.

When we landed, a woman across the aisle said under her breath that she “would’ve just moved.” My friend says I was totally within my rights, but also that I could have “just taken one for the team.” My mom said I should have offered to swap at least for the kids’ sake.

I don’t regret keeping my seat, but I keep replaying the look on those kids’ faces and wondering if I should have just given in.

So, AITA for refusing to swap seats so a family could sit together?