'Opposite of a seat squatter': Flight passenger shares unexpected encounter with fellow traveler
2025-01-09
Category: world

"Seat squatters" may have met their match as a flight passenger revealed her encounter with one who she dubbed a "seat angel." On the sub-Reddit thread "r/unitedairlines," a user shared her experience on a recent flight that opposes the recent uptick in "seat squatters," travelers who rob the seats that were selected and paid for by other air passengers. The user captioned the thread, "The opposite of a seat squatter? A seat angel?" 'SEAT SQUATTER REVERSE' IS SURPRISING AIR TRAVEL PLOT TWIST TRIGGERING REACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA "I have been seeing a ton of seat squatter posts recently and I would like to share the opposite experience," the user wrote.  "My husband and I were last to board on our connecting flight because [our] first flight was delayed 20 minutes. We upgraded to first [class] late and there was an aisle seat and window seat available on different rows." The flight passenger said the two seats were not next to one another and there was already a woman sitting in the seat next to her husband. The woman was traveling alone and decided to offer up her seat so that the two could sit next to one another, according to the Reddit post. 'SEAT SQUATTERS' ON PLANES ARE LATEST TRAVEL TREND TAKING OVER SOCIAL MEDIA "We thanked her profusely and wished her a happy holidays," the user wrote.  "I have never experienced this before…Would any of you do the same as this lady? I don’t know if I would have the awareness to do so as [I'm] usually playing a game on my phone to pass time waiting for push back." The user wrote that she and her husband never asked the woman to switch seats so that they could sit next to each other. For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle. Users who commented on the Reddit thread claimed to have had the same positive experience or have gone out of their way to help people sit with their travel companions.  "Same thing happened to us this summer. Before we could ask, a guy noticed and offered to switch," one user wrote, adding, "A lot easier in first class IMO. Still, he didn't have to do that, and we would have been fine if no one wanted to switch. It was just amazing that we didn't even have to ask." Another user commented, "A very kind man did this for me and my mom once, even though I'm a full-grown adult. We didn't ask, he just saw us and offered to switch and said he loves when he gets to spend time with his grown kids and would want to have the chance to fly next to them if they were traveling together." The original creator of the thread responded to one user's story, saying, "This is honestly so uplifting that multiple people would do it! Thank you so much from a couple who love to fly together. I fly solo half the time and now I will definitely pay more attention during boarding." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and Florida-based etiquette expert, shared advice about switching seats on an airplane.  "If you wish to sit next to someone in particular, like a friend or family member, it’s OK to ask another passenger to switch seats with you. It’s their prerogative to refuse or not," Whitmore told Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "Seat angels are all around us, but it’s best to ask permission before sitting in a seat that’s not assigned to you." Fox News Digital reached out to the Reddit user for comment.