A flight passenger is taking a novel stance on seat squatters by encouraging others to check their luck in hopes of avoiding vacationers who rob seats.
Within the “r/unitedairlines” discussion board on Reddit, one consumer posted a screenshot of a barely-booked flight.
“The seat squatters can’t ruin your flight if you do it to yourself,” the submit was captioned.
The accompanying picture reveals the consumer deciding on a center seat, hinting that a flyer could also be much less prone to encounter a seat squatter in the event that they safe a much less fascinating seat on a aircraft.
“If seat map shows the row is empty, I’ll book the window and to prevent a seat squatter, sit in the middle while everybody else boards,” one particular person commented.
“Booking the windows seat and [a]isle seat, and leaving the middle seat free. Idea is that nobody will pick the middle seat when checking in,” one other consumer wrote.
“LOL I was once on a flight where my husband was on the window and I got the aisle and the guy offered to switch with one of us. I was like “nah, I’ll see him when I land,” one other particular person mentioned.
One Reddit consumer outlined a seat squatter as “someone who sits in your seat and tries to send you to their, pretty much always, worse seat. They don’t ask. They just take.”
“I play the window/aisle game when I travel with my wife. No one ever says no to a window/aisle from middle. However, we don’t care,” one other particular person commented.
Gary Leff, a Texas-based journey business knowledgeable and creator of the weblog “View From the Wing,” informed Fox Information Digital that more often than not, seat squatting is unintentional.
“When it’s intentional seat squatting…that’s only ever to get a more desirable seat. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone choose to try to take someone else’s middle seat,” Leff mentioned.
“It’s certainly true that picking an undesirable seat will make it less likely you’ll deal with seat squatters, you will then wind up in… an undesirable seat,” he added.
Leff mentioned that since it’s unlikely to come across an airplane squatter, deciding on an undesirable seat might not be well worth the trade-off.
The Reddit consumer’s flight appeared to not be solely booked, and there could have been a risk for her or him to modify to an open seat on both aspect.
“So you are a seat squatter then,” one consumer wrote.
“If you are lucky with the flight not being fully booked you will have a higher chance of a free chair between the two of you,” mentioned one other.
“My wife and I do the same,” one other particular person added.
Leff mentioned that airways have modified insurance policies concerning switching seats when flights should not absolutely booked.
“You used to be able to take any open seat in your cabin once the doors closed. You might move closer to the front, grab an aisle seat, or head for an empty row in the back so you could stretch out,” he mentioned.
Leff mentioned he nonetheless recommends in search of help from the flight crew should you encounter a seat squatter.
“You’re generally entitled to the assigned seat on your boarding pass.”
