'Seat squatter reverse' is surprising air travel plot twist triggering reactions on social media
The "seat squatter" trend has been dominating social media with posters sharing their encounters with airline seat thieves.
The term "seat squatters" has been used to refer to those who rob the seats that were selected and paid for by other travelers.
In a post that reads quite differently from recent "seat squatter" tales, one flyer shared a twist involving an encounter with a fellow passenger.
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The traveler shared an experience on Reddit in the "r/delta" forum with the caption, "Seat squatter reverse ["UNO"]?"
"The squatter sat and got settled into the comp+ seat. The rightful person showed up shortly after and called the FA [flight attendant]," the user wrote.
The post continued, "Turns out the squatter was supposed to be in first and didn’t want to move so the rightful ticketed pax of the comp+ got the squatter's first class seat."
Fox News Digital reached out to Delta for comment.
"Don’t mind me while I sit here dumbfounded for the rest of this 3 hour flight," the post concluded.
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The post garnered more than 2,000 reactions.
Reddit users took to the comments section to discuss the plot twist.
"Maybe just being a nice guy and paying it forward? Sounds like a good human," said one.
A user questioned, "Maybe there was someone they didn't want to sit near up in FC [first class]? Or they were already settled and didn't want to get up again? Odd."
"I had something kinda similar, wife got upgraded to first, husband didn't and they'd rather be together in C+," shared one.
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Another added, "That is stranger than fiction."
"They want to live like Common People," a user joked.
Another said, "I love that you shared this story."
"If you're going to ask someone to move, you're much more likely to get what you want if you offer the person the better seat," commented a user.
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Another user wrote, "Something similar happened to me. Wife and I in C+ 2 guys took our seats said they needed to get work done and didn’t want to sit by their boss in 1st class."
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital that although the person with the ticket is entitled to the seat, sometimes flyers can try their luck on board by simply asking others to swap.
"Have a compelling reason that will resonate with the person you're asking," said Leff.
Leff added that if you "have something decent to offer in return, it isn't as much of a hardship for the person to give you what you want."
"You need decent trade bait! Don't offer a middle seat in the back in exchange for an extra legroom aisle," he said.