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While it doesn’t come close to scammers who set up fake airport Wi-Fi networks in order to capture and sell the personal information of travelers, it’s pretty irritating. Seat squatters, defined as airline passengers who those who plunk themselves down in first-class and luxury seats that were assigned to others, are raising the hackles of the travel industry.
The phenom was first noticed by the New York Post, who noted that social media has been up in arms about it. According to many airline passengers, seat squatters often sit in other seats in hopes of scoring a better spot on the plane without paying extra fees.
“As airlines continue monetizing seat selection, premium spot prices rise,” notes Travel Noire. “In response, some passengers have taken matters into their own hands.”
“I booked a Main Extra seat near departure because I saw an empty row and thought I’d take advantage of a whole row to myself,” a Redditor noted in the New York Post article. “Upon boarding and just before the door was closed, a person came along and sat in the seat I had presumed was empty.”
The Redditor said he or she assumed the seat was booked at the last minute and did not suspect anything until a flight attendant approached the fellow flyer. That flyer could not locate a ticket for the assigned seat; however, the flight attendant took the path of least resistance and did not tell the seat squatter to move to his/her correct seat.
And that, say passengers, is what is exceptionally bothersome.
Travel Nore notes, “While some view seat squatting as a harmless attempt to improve one’s travel experience, others see it as unethical and potentially disruptive. The practice can lead to confrontations between passengers. It can also create additional work for flight attendants who must resolve seating disputes.”
In many cases, the very idea of being caught in the act of seat squatting and ordered back to their assigned seat is enough to make flyers reconsider how badly they might want a few extra inches of leg room.
And we just need to mention this: Unlike days of old, passengers these days have cell phones and social media accounts and they are not afraid to use both of them to call out those who are trying to plant their flags in high-ticket seats they have not paid for. And make no mistake: #seatsquatter is not the hashtag anyone wants under their photo on the interwebs.
One Redditor stated, “I would be so ashamed to be caught for something like this in the confined space of a plane on a long trip.” Another added, “Ah, the thought of being confronted for doing that gives me anxiety, LOL.”
Airlines have yet to publicly address the seat squatting trend. However, individual crew members often find themselves in the position of mediating these situations. And in many cases, what happens next will depend entirely upon the airline, the length of the flight – and just the general mood of the airline personnel.
According to Fodors, A flight attendant named Olivia commented on a TikTok video, “I’m a flight attendant and once a passenger says someone is in my seat, I 100 percent make them move to their assigned seat.”
While the last bastion of no-reservation airline seating was Southwest Airlines, that carrier has since noted they will move to assigned seating – to the disgust of many, and despite the statements of Southwest bigwigs who falsely claim the opponents of the policy are “in the minority.”
Some of those who have found their own seat to be usurped have taken matters to the next level, says Fodors: “One traveler even mentioned a hilarious anecdote when she was flying with a six-month-old and an 18-month-old and handed them both to the lady who was in her seat. “She quickly found her own seat,” she concluded, though there’s no telling whether it really happened, although travelers everywhere likely wish it had.
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