Travel: The phenomenon of seat squatters is growing

If you're planning to fly this holiday season, prepare for a new trend seen by several airlines. According to an article in the “Daily Mail”, complaints about seat squatters are increasing. A seat squatter is a person who occupies and refuses to vacate a seat initially assigned to another passenger.

On social networks, there are numerous testimonies from victims of seat squatters, especially from the United States. These experiences have included flights with Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines. In a video, Shannon Ella recounts the mishap she experienced on a flight from Toronto to Charlottetown, when a man only agreed to leave his Shannon seat when a stewardess intervened.

On a Reddit forum, another passenger reports the story of an even bolder squatter. He says he was upgraded to Comfort Plus class on his morning flight. His name was apparently at the top of the upgrade list.

“After the boarding gate closed, a member of the flight attendant came to see me to tell me that a passenger had not shown up and that a seat had become available for me in first class (3A ). Jackpot!”, says the user. However, seat 3A was already occupied by a woman. “At first I thought it was a computer error and that the person who had originally reserved this seat had still boarded.” After speaking to a flight attendant to solve this riddle, the squatter allegedly simply replied: “Actually, I'm supposed to be in row 33! I'm going back right away.”

Another passenger traveling with American Airlines said that in his case, the squatter was able to stay in his seat: “I reserved a seat in Main Extra class just before departure because I saw that an entire row was free and I thought I could take advantage of it. However, once boarding was over, someone came and sat precisely in the seat I thought was free,” the passenger was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

In this case too, a flight attendant intervened to inform the squatter that his seat was in reality ten rows further. Faced with his impassivity, she ended up telling him: “Finally, stay there.” The seat squatter was later observed yelling into his phone during baggage claim. “In the end, this may have prevented the situation from degenerating,” concludes the victim of the squatter.

Gary Leff, a travel expert from Virginia, told the Daily Mail that the seat always belongs to the person to whom it was assigned on the boarding pass. “It may happen that a passenger does not receive the seat they wanted when booking, or that the airline charges extra for reserving a seat, which the squatter is not willing to pay. The latter then tries to obtain it once on board,” he explains to Fox News.

Instead of simply “stealing” another passenger’s seat, the expert suggests instead politely asking them to swap places.

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