Sounds like she was being asked to switch from full fare first class to cattle class. The gall of anyone who asked. Maybe if they offered to reimburse her the cost of the ticket she would have accepted - maybe. Would be her choice. And hope they had a lot of cash on hand.
Last month I was offered a aisle seat further back in exchange for my middle seat towards the front. I was happy to oblige as it was an ‘upgrade’ of sorts for me and it allowed the young lady to sit with her elderly mother and also she wasn’t acting in an entitled manner in the least bit. I told her however that I was holding on to my original boarding pass in the event of ‘complications’