‘Seat squatters’ on planes is the latest travel trend.
When it comes to choosing seats on a flight, some travelers make sure to book more desirable seats while others may just wing it. The term “seat squatters” has been circulating on social media, with flyers calling out those who rob seats that were assigned to others.
Gary Leff, a Virginia-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that the person holding the seat assignment on their boarding pass is entitled to that seat.
“[Flyers] may not be able to get what they want from the airline when reserving seats, or the airline may want a fee for the seats they want and the passenger doesn’t want to pay — so they’ll try their luck on board,” said Leff.
One traveler shared an experience on Reddit in the “r/delta” forum with the caption, “My First Class Seat Squatter.”
“Well after the boarding door closed, an agent approached me and let me know someone didn’t show, so they had a first class seat (3A) available for me. Score,” posted the user.
The user went on to say, “I noticed a woman in the seat. I figured the computer was wrong and the person originally booked for the seat had made the flight. I approached the attendant just to double-check, and she confirmed that 3A was now assigned to me.”
The user claimed that “this lady had just seen an open seat in first class and figured she’d see if she could get away with sitting there.” The Redditor went on to share that the woman ordered a beer while occupying the seat, which was later delivered to her [the rightful seat owner] and she “gladly drank.”
On the “r/unitedairlines” forum, another flyer shared a post of a run-in with a “squatter.”
“So midway through my flight, a swarm of FAs [flight attendants] approached the woman in the seat across from me. She had apparently snuck into the seat a few hours in, and [the] main FA had only just realized it,” said the Redditor.
Users took to the comments section, replying, “I would be so ashamed to be caught for something like this in the confined space of a plane on a long trip,” said one. “Ah, the thought of being confronted for doing that gives me anxiety, lol,” added another.
Gary Leff, a Virginia-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that the person holding the seat assignment on their boarding pass is entitled to that seat.
“[Flyers] may not be able to get what they want from the airline when reserving seats, or the airline may want a fee for the seats they want and the passenger doesn’t want to pay — so they’ll try their luck on board,” said Leff.
One traveler shared an experience on Reddit in the “r/delta” forum with the caption, “My First Class Seat Squatter.”
“Well after the boarding door closed, an agent approached me and let me know someone didn’t show, so they had a first class seat (3A) available for me. Score,” posted the user.
The user went on to say, “I noticed a woman in the seat. I figured the computer was wrong and the person originally booked for the seat had made the flight. I approached the attendant just to double-check, and she confirmed that 3A was now assigned to me.”
The user claimed that “this lady had just seen an open seat in first class and figured she’d see if she could get away with sitting there.” The Redditor went on to share that the woman ordered a beer while occupying the seat, which was later delivered to her [the rightful seat owner] and she “gladly drank.”
On the “r/unitedairlines” forum, another flyer shared a post of a run-in with a “squatter.”
“So midway through my flight, a swarm of FAs [flight attendants] approached the woman in the seat across from me. She had apparently snuck into the seat a few hours in, and [the] main FA had only just realized it,” said the Redditor.
Users took to the comments section, replying, “I would be so ashamed to be caught for something like this in the confined space of a plane on a long trip,” said one. “Ah, the thought of being confronted for doing that gives me anxiety, lol,” added another.
