Traveling with people who make you wonder what the world is coming to has become the norm. The latest incident involves a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles who attempted to upgrade herself by stealing another traveler’s seat. The event caused quite a stir online after a Redditor and frequent flyer posted about the encounter on the “r/AmericanAirlines” subreddit.
As the plane was boarding from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, a woman reportedly settled into seat 8D, accompanied by her mother. The catch? Her actual assigned seat was 35B, an entire 27 rows behind her chosen spot. The rightful owner of seat 8D arrived to find their seat occupied and politely pointed out the mistake. What happened next left fellow passengers in disbelief.
Instead of apologizing and moving to her assigned seat, the woman brazenly asked the rightful passenger to switch seats, citing her desire to sit next to her mother. When asked about her actual seat assignment, the woman nonchalantly replied, “35B,” causing the rightful seat owner to exclaim in shock, “Are you [expletive] serious?”
Social Media Reacts To Passenger’s Move To Steal Upgraded Seat
The post quickly gained traction. Hundreds of Redditors left comments leading to a discussion about passenger behavior and airline policies. Many Reddit users expressed their frustration with “seat stealers.” One flight attendant commented, “I’m an fligth attendant (not for this airline) and I LOVE kicking seat thieves back to their spot. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine.”
Seat Taker gets comeuppance
byu/Gyoung34 inamericanairlines
Others suggested that the woman and her mother should have booked seats together if sitting next to each other was important, even if it meant paying extra. While American Airlines has not yet commented on this specific incident, it serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting assigned seating and airline policies.
Passengers are encouraged to book seats together in advance if traveling with companions and to address any seating issues with airline staff rather than taking matters into their own hands.
