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An air traveler said they landed in an uncomfortable position aboard a flight after being “bullied” by other passengers due to a seat squatter situation.
A Reddit user created a thread on the forum r/unitedairlines detailing an apparent encounter with a seat squatter who attracted the attention of fellow passengers, but it was very clear whose side they were on.
“I walked over to my window seat to see a woman in my seat. I calmly explain she’s in my seat and she seems annoyed,” the Reddit user wrote.
“The other passengers around her suggest I sit in her seat and I say ‘no I want my seat.’”
The user said other passengers in the aisle became “agitated,” so the user moved into another row to allow the other passengers to board and find their seats.
The woman who was “squatting” tried calling her daughter since she was the one who booked the seat, the user added.
“The two people in her row loudly ask why I can’t just take her seat. I just keep telling them I want my seat,” the user wrote.
“Finally, the lady gets her stuff and moves while everyone else is glaring at me.”
The user said they remained calm and polite throughout the interaction but were left stunned by the response from the other individuals on the flight.
“I don’t get it I paid for my seat and it’s not my fault she was sitting in the wrong seat. I’ve never experienced such hostility from everyone around me,” the Reddit user wrote.
Other users on the thread shared their thoughts on the “hostile” travel encounter.
“Sounds like they were together and were trying to guilt you into their scam for not paying for the window seat,” one Reddit user commented.
The same user continued, saying the rightful seat owner should have said, “‘I’ll take my assigned and paid for seat, maybe one of these other kind people will give you their window.’”
Another user shared a story about their own experience with a seat squatter.
“This is exactly what I did last year. A woman was sitting in our row (I had booked 6 seats for my family and I to travel together). She refused to move saying I was wrong,” the person commented.
“’I calmly told her, ‘Ma’am, if you show me your boarding pass, I’ll direct you to your seat, since mine says XXX seat on it.’ I also showed her my boarding pass. She got embarrassed and moved but she was nice enough to acknowledge that she was wrong. I was very kind and courteous and made sure I didn’t come off like I was blaming her, or she did it intentionally. But if she kept playing dumb, I would’ve called the FA.”
Many users acknowledged the difference between someone who is an inexperienced flayer, someone accidentally sitting in the wrong seat, and someone who is “trying to pull a fast one.”
The rise in seat squatters on planes has continued in 2025, with more flight passengers catching people trying to rob their assigned seats.
Travel and etiquette experts have shared their concerns with the cheat hack, but just because someone is found in your seat, does not mean you should assume it was intentional.
Brandon Blewett, Texas-based author of “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes,” said that sometimes it’s understandable that people are found squatting, he told Fox News Digital previously.
“For example, if a family misses a connecting flight and gets rebooked with scattered seats, it’s reasonable for parents to sit together to manage a toddler — a setup most of us can sympathize with,” Blewett told Fox News Digital last month.
He also said that you can usually feel the difference between an incidental squatter and someone who is trying to self-upgrade if they are unwilling to show their boarding pass.
Fox News Digital reached out to United Airlines and the Reddit user for comment.
