The “seat hog” trend may have dominated the travel experience in 2024, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going away anytime soon in the new year of 2025.
Travelers continue to expose their “sit-down” encounters on social media, and commenters are weighing in on the hot-button issue.
The experience, shared on Reddit’s r/delta forum with the caption, “Seat squatter caught and was rude the entire flight,” continues to spark discussion.
2024’s most viral travel trends include ‘gate lice’ and ‘seat occupants’
The term “seat squatter” is used to refer to people who commandeer seats that other travelers have chosen and paid for.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all the squat seats posts,” wrote a traveler who was talking about a flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Los Angeles, California.
Passengers on the flight shared stories of “seat takeovers” on Reddit, where a couple with a dog (not pictured) tried to take over an entire row of seats. (Stephen Chernin, via Getty Images)
The person added: “We’re finally boarding and there’s a couple around our age (late 20s/early 30s) in our row. We’re sitting in the middle aisle ( That can’t be right because I’m in my seat.” When I said ‘I’m in my seat…’ then, strangely, they started looking around and saying they had a dog with them. ”
The user said he was allergic to dogs and paid for his own seat.
He placed his arm on the armrest and put pressure on her arm, she said.
“We both started fumbling around more and the woman who was originally in the window seat (I think she had actually booked it) and the man who was sitting in my seat (I think) got out of line, so the woman and her dog stopped us. You can go to the window seat in the back and you’ll be fine,” she added.
Airplane passengers call out fellow passengers about bad habits and share solutions to problems
The man then moved to a window seat in her row.
He rested his arm on the armrest and put pressure on her arm. As a result, she ended up switching seats with her fiancé in the row, she said.
“When I finally got off the plane…my fiancé told me that this guy had been quietly fighting over the armrest the entire flight, just like I was,” she wrote in the post.
While etiquette experts weighed in on popular travel trends and offered sage advice, one user shared a story about “squatters” stealing seats on planes. (St. Petersburg)
“I can’t rationally explain why or how this man could do this when we did nothing more than ask him to take a seat,” the poster wrote in the article. I added it inside.
Reddit users took to the comments section to assess the situation and share their own experiences with “seat squatters.”
“I don’t think people who are already comfortable breaking rules can become great people.”
“Thankfully, that’s only happened to me once. But my rule of thumb is just in case it’s an unintentional and legitimate mistake that they’re sitting in my seat. , be polite in the first interaction. In that case, they will get up and move, there will be no harm, no foul play,” one person said.
A man on vacation becomes a hot topic when he frankly answers a question, “No, it’s not fun.”
Another added: “Yeah, looks like you were on a plane with some saucy teenagers.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think people who are already comfortable breaking rules are going to be great people,” yet another user commented.
Some users debated the concept of which passengers get middle seat armrests.
Images of plane passengers encountering “seat squatters” have been circulating on social media, with some flyers (not pictured) sitting in unassigned seats. (St. Petersburg)
“‘The middle seat has both armrests’ is completely online knowledge. Yes, it’s polite and makes sense when you think about it, but it’s true that the average person who flies once or twice a year… People probably don’t know. Think about it,” one user commented.
Another said, “Everyone knows the middle seat has both armrests.”
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“In fact, the person in the middle can’t get both armrests,” said another user. “It’s a set rule and you can’t get mad at people who don’t follow it.”
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog View From the Wing, told FOX News Digital that if you have a seat assignment on your boarding pass, you can use that seat. He said he had the right to do so.
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“(Passengers) may not get what they want from the airline when they book a seat, or the airline may ask for the price of the seat they want, but the passenger may not want to pay. So they’ll try their luck on the “board,” Lev said.
If a traveler encounters a so-called “seat occupant,” flight attendants may be able to intervene. (St. Petersburg)
Leff suggested that instead of stealing a seat, flyers could directly ask someone to swap seats with them.
Rosalinda Randall, a California-based etiquette expert, told Fox News Digital, “Once you squat on a plane, it’s never OK. Ultimately, the passenger who was assigned that seat will claim the seat.” Deaf,” he said.
“Please seek help from a flight attendant immediately.”
Randall said when dealing with seat squatters, it’s best to approach the situation calmly and honestly.
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“If a seat squatter refuses to move, do not engage. Do not invite other passengers to the gathering,” she said.
Rather, “seek help from a flight attendant immediately.”
