The Seat-Squatting Trend On Flights That's Driving Travelers Up A Wall

All you want is a nice, comfy seat. In fact, you deserve it. After the drive to the airport, lugging bags, checking in, muscling through security, and eating a crummy bagel as you waited for your flight, you're now on the plane. Seat 8C. Aisle seat, just like you like it. Near the front, but still affordable. Aisle six, aisle seven, and...

Someone is already sitting there. You double-check your ticket, but there's no mistake; this other passenger is sitting in the wrong seat. Your seat. And when you point this out and ask the person to move (because clearly there's some small mistake), the person insists on staying put.

This is the gut-wrenching concept of "seat squatting," a phenomenon that has recently made unsettling headlines. Plenty of news outlets have reported on it, from Fox News to The New York Post. In some cases, passengers move up in rows and plant themselves in unearned seats multiple times. There may even be more than one seat stealer on one flight. Other stories cited frustrated Reddit users or referred to TikTok rants, each describing a similar scenario: Some oaf steals a seat and refuses to move. The rightful owner explains, coaxes, begs, or flashes a temper, but nothing works. The seat-stealer stays put, sometimes insisting that they simply switch seats. This isn't just breaking the unspoken rules of airline etiquette; it's robbing passengers of property they have paid for.

In theory, you shouldn't give in. Squatters have no right to steal your seat, and caving to pressure will only encourage these bullies to do it again to someone else. Suggesting that you're wrong, or that you should just switch seats (which, you can assume, will likely be a downgrade) shouldn't be acceptable to anyone. This is especially true if you paid extra to select your seat or purchased extra legroom.

Then again, tensions are often high on planes, and not everybody feels confident enough to fight about it –– especially when traveling alone. The solution? Ask a flight attendant. This is one occasion when it's absolutely warranted to press the airplane "call button." The moment a flight attendant requests to see the squatter's ticket, it'll be apparent that this person is in the wrong seat. Flight attendants are masters of diplomacy, and frankly, the plane won't take off until everyone is seated in the right place.

Seat-squatting is a grotesque trend, and it's infuriating to face off with such brazen, entitled behavior. But together, we can reverse the tide. While we're at it, here are Rick Steves' suggestions for preventing travelers from becoming "the ugly tourist."