When choosing a seat on a plane, some travelers make sure to book a more desirable seat, while others simply choose that seat.
The term “seat squatters” has been circulating on social media, with flyers calling out people who snatch seats allocated to others.
Gary Leff, a Virginia-based travel industry expert and author of the blog View From the Wing, told FOX News Digital that if a person has a seat assignment on their boarding pass, they will be given that seat. He said he had the right to use the.
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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.
One traveler shared his experience on Reddit’s r/delta forum with the caption, “Squattered my first class seat.”
Instances of airline passengers encountering “seat squatters” are circulating on social media, with some flyers occupying more desirable unallocated seats. (St. Petersburg)
“After the boarding door closed, an agent approached me and informed me that someone had not come and the first class seat (3A) was available. Score,” the user posted.
The user continued, “I noticed there was a woman in the seat. I thought the computer was wrong and the person who originally reserved that seat got on the plane. I asked the agent to double check. When I approached her, I confirmed that she was a 3A.” Now it was assigned to me. ”
“This woman just found an empty seat in first class and thought she could get away with sitting there,” the user claimed.
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The Redditor went on to share that the woman ordered a beer while she was seated, and that it was then delivered to her (the rightful seat holder), who “drinked it happily.”
On the r/unitedairlines forum, another flyer shared a post of an encounter with “squatters.”


“Oh, it makes me nervous to think that I’ll be opposed to something like that (lol),” one lady user commented about taking a different seat. (St. Petersburg)
“So, halfway through my flight, a bunch of FAs (flight attendants) approached the woman in the seat across from me. She apparently snuck into her seat a few hours later, and (the) lead FA just… I just realized that,” Reditor said.
A user replied in the comment section: “It would be so embarrassing to get caught doing something like this in the confined space of a plane on a long flight.”
“Yeah, it makes me nervous to think I’ll get backlash for doing something like that lol,” added another.
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A post titled “Main Extra Squater” on the “r/americanairlines” subreddit shared the story of a passenger who said he witnessed the squatter flee while remaining in his seat.
“I booked the main extra seat near departure because I wanted to find an empty row and have the whole row to myself,” the person wrote.
“Just as we boarded and the doors closed, a person came up and sat in what he thought was an empty seat.”


One Reddit user (not pictured) said a woman who was seated ordered a beer. (St. Petersburg)
The reporter said he didn’t suspect anything until the flight attendant approached the passenger, believing the seat had been booked at the last minute.
No tickets were found for the assigned seats on that flyer.
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“When the FA returned, she again asked the neighbors their names and accused them of being 10 rows ahead of where they were supposed to be,” the post said.
The user continued, “The FA paused for a moment before telling them, ‘Yeah, you can stay there,’ and just walked away. Despite the lies and attitude the neighbors gave them, the FA told them “I didn’t move to my seat,” he continued.


Travel industry experts have suggested that instead of stealing a seat, travelers can try their luck onboard by simply asking someone else to swap seats with them. (St. Petersburg)
Lev suggested that instead of stealing a seat, flyers could try their luck on the plane by simply asking someone else to swap seats with them.
“If you have a compelling reason that resonates with them, and you offer something decent in return, it will be less difficult for them to give you what they want,” he says.
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Lev added: “We need some decent trade bait! Why not offer a rear center seat in exchange for more legroom?”