Accused plane ‘seat squatter' feels ‘framed,' hits back at critics: ‘I was just following directions'

Yahoo

08-02-2025

Seat squatter or confused traveler? You decide.
A flustered passenger shared how they were accused of being a 'seat squatter' in an uncomfortable situation.
Reddit user @pinkney59 explained the confusion in a Delta Airlines thread, Fox News reported.
The person said they were first on the standby list to be given a seat and were instructed to head back to row 29 to enjoy the flight.
However, when the passenger got there, a person with a ticket for that seat was already settled in.
A flight attendant stepped over to remedy the situation and reassigned the Reddit poster a seat in Comfort Plus.
But just a few minutes later, a father walked over with his daughter and claimed the person was in their assigned seat.
'I super nicely explained I was just given this seat by the FA (flight attendant),' the person recounted, suggesting, 'Maybe there is a mix-up.'
But when another flight attendant came over, they 'loudly scolded' the flyer.
'WHO told you you can sit there?!? Your ticket doesn't even say comfort+!!!' the second flight attendant said.
The confused passenger described the flight attendant who had instructed them to sit in the Comfort Plus seat but was taken aback by being 'publicly reprimanded in front of the plane when I was just following directions,' they confessed.
'I wasn't trying to scam a comfort seat — this is literally where she told me to sit,' the traveler insisted.
Fortunately, another passenger who witnessed the whole debacle stepped in to say, 'I saw this whole thing happen and heard her tell you to sit here, so don't worry,' which gave the person 'some relief.'
'After a whole commotion I was reseated for a third time, and frankly felt kind of pissed for being framed as some seat squatter when I was just following directions!!!' the Reddit user said.
People flooded the comments with similar frustrating stories and complaints of airlines' seeming disorganization.
Several people replied that something 'similar' happened to them.
Although Redditor @pinkney59 didn't intentionally steal someone else's seat, other passengers are doing it on purpose — trying to get more than just a free upgrade.
The seat squatter trend has been taking off over the last few months with many shaming the controversial attempt at upgrading an airplane seat.
A person claiming to be a flight attendant shared an instance in which 'people sat down, received their pre-flight booze and then said, 'I'm just going to go say hi to my sister in the back of the plane,' and walked off with the free drink to obviously not return,' the Reddit user wrote.
'Some people have no shame. They pulled a fast one and probably post[ed] it to social media, too,' another Reddit user responded. 'Dignity and respect for others is out, pranks and hacks are in.'
Air travel etiquette has become one of the most hotly debated topics online in recent years as Reddit threads have filled with complaints of 'aisle lice' and videos of unruly passengers go viral.