Plane Seat Hackers Are Now Stealing More Than Just Seats—Passengers Caught Red-Handed!
Flight passengers are pulling sneaky stunts to grab free first-class drinks by briefly "borrowing" premium seats. Here’s how they do it—and how airlines are catching on!
Seat squatters on flights are getting sneakier, and now they’re not just trying to score a better seat—they’re also aiming for free drinks.
Some airline passengers are finding creative (but questionable) ways to enjoy complimentary pre-flight booze, even if it means briefly stealing someone else’s seat.
A story shared on Reddit described a recent incident on a Delta Air Lines flight from Providence, Rhode Island, to Atlanta, Georgia. A passenger saw two women board the plane in a hurry and take seats in the first row, which is part of first class.
“They threw their bags up and got comfortable,” the Reddit user wrote. But their plan hit a snag when another passenger arrived and let them know that one of those seats was actually hers.
The women quickly got up, laughed it off, and said, “We are rookies.” The flight attendant then asked where their actual seats were, and they admitted they were supposed to be sitting way back in row 24. Instead of taking their bags with them, they just left them there and walked to their assigned seats.
After witnessing the whole thing, the Reddit user had a chat with the flight attendant, who shared another bizarre encounter from an earlier flight.
Apparently, some passengers have figured out a trick to not just sit in first class temporarily but also snag a free drink in the process.
The flight attendant explained how people would sit in first class, accept their pre-flight drink, and then pretend they were heading to visit a friend or family member in the back of the plane. But instead of coming back, they’d just disappear into economy with their free drink in hand.
The Reddit user suspected that the two women they saw might have been attempting the same move.
“They could’ve totally gotten away with it if that woman hadn’t arrived right after them,” the user wrote. “Either that, or they thought they were on a Southwest flight where you can sit anywhere.”
After the story was shared online, other Reddit users reacted with shock and disappointment.
“I can’t believe people are going this far just for a free drink,” one person commented. “And let’s be honest—the pre-departure drinks aren’t even that good!”
Another user added, “Some people have no shame. They probably even posted it on social media like it’s a ‘life hack.’”
This isn’t the first time someone has been caught trying to upgrade themselves to first class. Another Redditor shared a similar experience in a travel forum, saying they were upgraded to first class after the original passengers didn’t show up.
But when they got to their new seat, they found a woman already sitting there. Apparently, she had spotted the empty seat and decided to take a chance.
To make things even more awkward, she had already ordered a beer while sitting there. When the rightful seat owner arrived, the flight attendant served the drink to them instead, and the woman just happily drank it anyway.
This trend of “seat squatting” has been frustrating many travelers lately. Some travel experts suggest that instead of sneaking into first class, passengers should just politely ask to swap seats with someone on board.
Gary Leff, a travel industry expert based in Texas, said the best way to request a seat swap is to have a good reason.
“If you have something decent to offer in return, it’s not as much of a hardship for the other person,” Leff explained.
Etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall, based in California, also shared advice on how to handle seat squatters if you find one in your assigned spot.
She suggests staying calm and avoiding any dramatic confrontation.
“If someone refuses to move, don’t engage with them or try to get other passengers involved,” she said. “Just call a flight attendant right away and let them handle it.”
At the end of the day, trying to sneak into a better seat or score a free drink might sound clever, but it’s not worth the embarrassment of getting caught. And with more people catching onto this trick, flight attendants are likely watching out for it now more than ever.
