While the rise of the travel term “seat squatters” circulates online, some flyers may find themselves in a pickle when confronted with a passenger who is stealing a seat.
A traveler shared a recent experience on Reddit in the r/delta forum with the title, “The Rise of ‘Seat Squatters’.”
The user claimed to have witnessed three different seat reclining incidents on a Delta flight.
“First … a guy who was supposed to be in 28C was up to 12B and was trying to argue that it was his seat,” the user wrote. “The other was a lady in 18A who was adamant with the seat holder that she should be next to the window and not in the middle.”
The user added, “The other one was a couple who were supposed to be in 24C and D and decided to camp and put their flag in 24A and B.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment.
“This reclining of seats is becoming very common,” wrote the poster.
Reddit users took to the comments section to discuss the growing travel trend and debated how passengers and airlines should approach a seat squatter situation.
“Leave them and put the readiness in their places. That will probably fix it,” said one.
Another commented: “This has happened to me a couple of times in the last 2 years. I’m just offering to sell them my assigned seat… You can have the aisle for $500 cash.”
Said another user, “[It’s] the evaporation of civilization, [halted] from a pandemic. It is what it is, down to the DL [Delta Airlines] starts kicking people off flights and forcing inconvenience without compensation. Behave like a child, be punished. It has worked in the past.”
Another person wrote, “I had one last week. I paid for the window, not the middle.”
“People will try it as long as they can get away with it. Gate agents should warn against this along with boarding with the wrong group,” one user said.
Another added: “Say no and you end up getting the evil eye (or worse) the whole flight.”
California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital that “it’s never okay to sit on the board once. Eventually, the passenger with that seat assignment will claim it.”
Randall said that when dealing with a sitter, it’s best to approach the situation calmly and in good faith.
“Take out your boarding pass. Not just to double check [if] you’re right, but also as proof if the seat protests,” Randall said.
“If the seat refuses to move, do not get involved; do not recruit other passengers to rally; Seek assistance from the flight attendant immediately.”
She said if you give in and let the seat sit, don’t expect the airline to reimburse you for the fees associated with the seat.
Randall added that if you’re sitting on your own, you’ll eventually get caught.
“Expecting to get your way by annoying them with your story, getting louder and bolder, or pretending not to speak English will get you a new seat assignment – at airport security Randall said.
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