The phenomenon of "seat squatters" – passengers occupying seats they haven't paid for – is causing increasing frustration among air travelers. A recent viral TikTok video highlighted one such incident, where a woman's flight to Germany was disrupted by a neighboring passenger persistently extending his arm into her space to take photos.
A Reddit thread titled "Rise of ‘Seat Squatters’" further fueled the discussion. The author recounted witnessing three separate squatting incidents on a single Delta flight, involving passengers arguing over desired seats and even couples attempting to claim unoccupied seats.
These online anecdotes have sparked debate about how to handle such situations. Some Reddit users suggest immediate removal of squatters and assigning their seats to standby passengers. Others propose a more entrepreneurial approach, offering to "sell" their assigned seat to the squatter for a hefty price. Several commenters lamented the decline of civility in air travel, advocating for stricter consequences for disruptive behavior.
Etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall advises against engaging with seat squatters directly. She recommends calmly presenting your boarding pass as proof of your assigned seat and, if the squatter refuses to move, immediately seeking assistance from a flight attendant. Randall cautions against expecting reimbursement for seat fees if you concede to a squatter. She also warns potential squatters that their tactics are unlikely to succeed and could lead to intervention from airport security.
