The 'hands on seat' phenomenon may have dominated travel experiences in 2024, but it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon in the new year of 2025.
Travelers continue to reveal their 'sit-on-their-seat' experiences on social media as commentators interact and discuss the hot-button issue.
The experience shared on Reddit in the “r/delta” forum with the caption “Seat squatters caught and the entire flight was rude” continued to spark debate.
The term “seat squatters” has been used to refer to those who steal seats that have been chosen and paid for by other travellers.
While discussing a flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, the traveler wrote: “I couldn't even believe my eyes after seeing all the seatposts.”
The person added: “We've finally stepped up and this couple is the same age as us (late 20s/early 30s) in our class, which can't be right because we… [in] Center and lane [seats]. I told them they were in my seat…and they strangely started fumbling and mentioned that they had a dog with them.
The user said she responded that she was allergic to dogs, and that she had paid for the seats.
“They both start to get more sensitive and [the] The female who was originally in the window seat [that] I assume they're already booked, and [the] She added: “The man who was sitting in my seat moved out of the row so the female and the dog could go to the window seat behind us.”
She said the man, for his part, then moved to the window seat in her row.
She said he put his arm on the armrest and squeezed her arm, prompting her to switch seats with her fiancé in class.
“Once we finally got off the plane, my fiancé told me that this guy had a silent fight with him over the armrest the same way he did with me the entire flight,” she wrote in her post.
“I can't explain how or why this man did this when we did absolutely nothing for him other than ask to take our seats,” the poster added in her story.
Reddit users took to the comments section to weigh in on the situation and share their own experiences with the 'seat setters'.
“It's only happened to me once, thank God. But my rule of thumb is that I'll be polite in the initial interaction in case it's a legitimate mistake.” [that] They're sitting in my seat. One of them said, “In that case, they'll get up and move around and there'll be no harm or foul.”
Another added: “Omg it looks like you were traveling with a group of rowdy teenagers.”
“I doubt people who actually agree to break the rules would be great people, unfortunately,” another user commented.
Some users have discussed the idea of any passenger getting armrests in the middle seat.
“The 'middle seat with armrests' thing is a matter of pure online knowledge. Yes, it's polite and makes sense if you think about it, but it's average [person who] “Flies once or twice a year…he probably doesn't know or think about it,” one user commented.
Another said: “Everyone knows the middle seat has armrests.”
“The middle person doesn't actually get armrests,” another user said. “That's a made-up rule, and you can't be mad at someone who doesn't follow it.”
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the “View From the Wing” blog, told Fox News Digital that the person with the seat assignment on their boarding pass is entitled to that seat.
“[Flyers] “They may not be able to get what they want from the airline when booking seats, or the airline may want to charge for the seats they want and the passenger doesn't want to pay — so they'll try their luck on the plane.” Lev.
Lev suggested that instead of stealing seats, travelers could try directly asking others to swap seats with them.
“It's never okay to sit cross-legged all at once on a plane,” Rosalinda Randall, a California-based etiquette expert, told Fox News Digital. Ultimately, the passenger assigned to that seat will claim it.
When dealing with a seated person, it's best to handle the situation calmly and in good faith, Randall said.
“If the random seat refuses to move, do not interfere; “Do not recruit other passengers to rally,” she said.
Rather, “Ask the flight attendant for help immediately.”
