It’s an age-old dilemma: do you pay a fee to choose your seat on a flight, or check-in for free and risk being several rows away from your travel buddy?
Some decide to take their chances and hope they’ll be able to swap with another passenger once they board the plane.
It’s a topic Metro readers have been sharing their thoughts on, with many revealing that they would not move if they had paid for their seat.
Kerry Woodrow said: ‘Don’t expect people who’ve paid for seats to swap even if it involves kids, unless you’re gonna compensate the purchase.’ Pauline Singh agreed: ‘If I paid more money for my seat, I won’t move for anyone, they have the choice when booking to choose and pay extra.’
Anita Rowley pointed out: ‘These days we order food and drinks to our seat before boarding. So no, not going to move.’
Meanwhile, Mike Cleverley added: ‘I choose not to buy a specific seat. I’m happy to sit where allocated. But, once I’m seated in my allocated seat, I ain’t moving, except in very exceptional circumstances.’
However, some admitted they would be willing to swap if they were offered a seat they wanted to sit in.
Vanetia Mentor said: ‘[If] I’m stuck in the middle and you’re offering me the window or aisle if I wanted it… then fine.’
Similarly, Carolyn Uden said: ‘If it’s an aisle for an aisle no problem, but I always pay well in advance for my choice of aisle. So aisle to a window or middle, no thank you.’
Others shared that they are willing to swap when children are involved.
Alison George said: ‘I was once allocated a seat between a mother and her young child. Her husband was seated further down the plane with my husband! It is utterly stupid to randomly seat someone next to a minor. We swapped, of course’.
Meanwhile, on Reddit, travellers have been discussing this particularly controversial travel habit.
Infuriated users have shared stories about passengers sitting in the wrong seat and hoping no one asks them to move, leading them to coin the term ‘seat lice’.
Venting their frustrations on the r/Delta subreddit, user libertysyclone explained in a post titled ‘seat lice saga’ how they arrived at their seat to find a couple ‘already settled in’.
The couple offered the user the window seat instead, to which they replied, ‘No thanks, I would appreciate my aisle seat.’
libertysyclone went on to describe ‘the world’s biggest sighs, the slowest possible move, and three straight hours of under-the-breath complaining about how they deserved the seats more’.
They added in the post: ‘What is with the surge of seat lice feeling so entitled to something more than the next person?’
In the replies, users expressed frustration with airlines for tolerating the behaviour.
One user said: ‘I wish airlines would crack down on people thinking they can sit anywhere’, while another added: ‘I think the gate agents need to make an announcement right before boarding that seat switching will not be tolerated.’
More annoying passenger habits
‘Seat lice’ is not the first unflattering name travellers have come up with to describe annoying passenger habits.
‘Gate lice’ is (reportedly) the term some airline workers use to describe passengers who queue up the minute the gate opens, a habit so infuriating that American Airlines announced plans to tackle it last October.
As passengers scan their boarding passes at the gate, the new technology detects if they have tried to queue too early, and a noise will ring out, signalling that they must step aside and wait their turn.
Meanwhile, ‘aisle lice’ refers to those who stand up to queue down the aisle the minute the plane lands. The nickname has divided Metro readers, with some seeing it as poor plane etiquette while others have defended their desire to stretch their legs.
Is it ever ok to swap seats on a plane?
Metro spoke to Jay Robert, a senior cabin crew member for a major European airline, who explained that seat swapping isn’t always a problem, as long as you ask the crew for permission.
‘As cabin crew, I’m constantly looking out for open seats to offer to passengers if I see them cramped or uncomfortable, as I know many are just too shy to ask.
‘And when I travel as a passenger, if I’m stuck in a less desirable middle seat, I’ll scan for something better. But I always ask the crew for permission and let them know I’ve moved. That’s important, because there are several reasons why we need to know exactly who is sitting where.’
Robert explained that passengers switching into seats they weren’t assigned while boarding is still ongoing can create some major issues.
‘Every flight is balanced based on where passengers are sitting, where cargo is loaded, and other factors. On smaller aircraft, this is even more critical, which is why flight attendants are often strict about passengers remaining in their assigned seats. If we do move someone, we usually have to inform the pilots so they can update the aircraft’s balance numbers.’
He adds that seat numbers are used to identify passengers in the event of a medical emergency or if there is urgent information to relay. You could also be marked as a no-show if you sit in the wrong seat, which may end up in your return journey being cancelled.
‘Bottom line: just ask us. If there’s a seat available and it clears the safety and service checks, we’ll usually say yes. We don’t mind helping, you just have to let us do our job.’
How to ask to swap seats — and how to say no if you’re asked
But with the term ‘seat lice’ being thrown around, you might feel discouraged from asking to swap seats for fear of irritating a fellow passenger.
Etiquette expert Jo Hayes, founder of EtiquetteExpert.org, points out that it’s best to book seats together to avoid this situation completely. She adds, ‘the second best option is to speak to airline staff when checking in. Don’t wait until you’re actually on the plane to do this. They can reassign seats far more easily during the check-in process, rather than right before takeoff.’
However, if you do find yourself looking to swap once on board, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask the question as long as you remain calm and polite.
Hayes suggests phrasing the request: ‘Hi there, my partner/family member/friend is seated a couple of rows back — I was wondering if you would mind swapping with them, so that we can sit together?’
She adds that you should not pressure the other passenger and accept their response without argument.
What is the best seat on a plane?
The ‘best’ seat will often depend on the personal preference of the traveller.
- Seats near the front of the plane offer faster disembarkation
- Seats over the wing feel less turbulence
- Seats in the emergency exit row have extra legroom
- Aisle seats make it easy to get up and move around the cabin
- Window seats provide a view and a place to lean while sleeping
- Seats at the back of the plane are often quieter and may mean you are first to receive food and drinks services
Meanwhile, if you find yourself being asked to swap seats and would prefer to stay where you are, Hayes has offered a possible answer.
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One way passengers can turn down the request is by saying: ‘Look, I’m actually really happy in my window seat, and [the other seat] is a middle seat, so I’ll politely decline. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.’
She reminds passengers that they are under no obligation to swap, even if they haven’t paid for the specific seat they were assigned.
She adds: ‘It is not acceptable to brazenly claim or sit in another person’s seat, hoping they’ll agree to swap once they arrive to sit down.’
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