Seat squatting at the start of the New Year annoys passengers on the flight: ‘I can’t believe it’
The “seat squatter” trend may have dominated travel experiences in 2024 — but it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon this New Year 2025.
The passengers continue to reveal their “squat” encounters on social media as commenters chime in and discuss the hot topic.
The experience, shared on Reddit on the “r/delta” forum with the headline “Seat security guard caught and rude all flight,” continued to spark debate.
‘GATE FACE’ AND ‘SEAT SQUATTERS’ AMONG THE MOST VIRAL TRAVEL TRENDS OF 2024.
The term “seat squatters” has been used to refer to those who rob seats selected and paid for by other passengers.
Discussing the flight from Cancún, Mexico to Los Angeles, California, the passenger announced, “I couldn’t believe my eyes after seeing everything squat holders.”
A flight passenger shared a “squatter” story on Reddit about a couple with a dog (not pictured) who tried to claim an entire row of seats. (Stephen Chernin via Getty Images)
The person added: “Finally we’re boarding and this couple around our age (late 20s/early 30s) is in our row, which can’t be right because we [in] middle and pass [seats]. I tell them they’re in my place… and they weirdly start messing around and mentioning them have a dog with them.”
The user said she answered yes allergic to dogs — and that she paid for the seats.
He put his hand over the armrest, pressing her hand, she said.
“Both of them start fumbling more and [the] the woman, who was originally in the window seat [that] I guess they really booked, and [the] the male who was sitting in my seat, both of them got out of the row so that the female and the dog could go to the window behind us,” she added.
The man, for his part, moved to the window seat in her row, she said.
He put his hand over the armrest, pressing down on her arm – causing her to switch seats her fiancé in a row, she said.
“Once we finally get off plane …my fiance told me this guy was quietly fighting him over the armrest the same way he did with me throughout the flight,” she wrote in her post.
A user shared a story about “squatters” stealing airplane seats as an etiquette expert weighed in on a hot travel trend, offering sage advice. (iStock)
“I cannot rationalize how or why this man did this when we did absolutely nothing to him except ask him to take his seats,” the poster added in her story.
Reddit users opened up the comments section to weigh in on the situation and share their own experiences “squatters on the seat”.
“I doubt people who already accept breaking the rules are going to be great people.”
“It’s only happened to me once, thankfully. But my rule of thumb is to be polite in the initial interaction in case it’s a legitimate inadvertent mistake [that] they are sitting in my place. In that case, they’ll get up and go and there’s no harm, no foul,” said one.
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Another added: “Omg sounds like you they flew with a bunch of cheeky teenagers.”
“I doubt people who already accept breaking the rules are going to be great people, unfortunately,” another user commented.
Some users have debated which passenger gets the armrests in the middle seat.
Meetings of passengers on the plane with “squatters” are circulating on social networks, and some fliers (not pictured) occupy seats that were not assigned to them. (iStock)
“The ‘middle seat has both armrests’ thing is entirely a matter of Internet knowledge. Yes, it’s polite and makes sense if you think about it, but the average [person who] flies once/twice a year…probably doesn’t know or think about it,” one user commented.
Another stated: “Everyone knows the middle seat has both armrests.”
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“The middle person doesn’t really have both armrests,” said another user. “It’s a made-up rule and you can’t be mad at someone who doesn’t follow it.”
Gary Leff, a Based in Texas travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that a person who has an assigned seat on their boarding pass is entitled to that seat.
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“[Flyers] they may not be able to get what they want from the airline when reserving seats, or the airline may want compensation for seats they want and the passenger doesn’t pay — so they’ll try their luck on the ship, said Leff.
Flight attendants may be able to step in if a passenger encounters a so-called “seat squatter.” (iStock)
Leff suggested that instead of stealing seats, fliers could try asking others directly to swap seats with them.
California etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital that “it’s never okay to squat when you’re on an airplane. Eventually, the passenger in that seat will ask for it.”
“Get help from the flight attendant immediately.”
Randall said the best thing to do when dealing with a seat squatter is to resolve the situation calmly and in good faith.
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“If the seat refuses to move, don’t get involved; don’t recruit other passengers to join in,” she said.
Instead, “ask a flight attendant for assistance immediately.”
