If you’re traveling with an airline that allows you to select a seat ahead of time, it can be frustrating to find someone else in your spot.
But that’s what happened to Shannon Ella (@shannonella_), who said in a video posted to TikTok this past July that she recently encountered a “seat squatter.” This term was popularized in 2024 and refers to passengers who rob seats that were paid for and selected by other travelers.
Ella said she was traveling in Canada when she noticed a man stole her window seat. The woman, however, said she stood her ground and refused to give the other passenger her spot. Still, she was baffled he tried to take it.
“Is this a thing that people are doing on planes now?” Ella asked.
As of Monday, her video had amassed more than 215,200 views.
What happened to the flight passenger?
Ella said she was traveling between Toronto and Charlottetown, Canada, a roughly two-hour flight. When she arrived at her seat, though, she said another passenger was already there.
“When I said, ‘Hey, I think you’re in my seat.’ He looked at me and was like, ‘I don’t think so,’” Ella recounted.
Ella said the flyer eventually recognized he had an aisle seat vs. the window one, but initially refused to move. While Ella guessed that the man didn’t intend for her to insist he move, she said she did anyway.
“I am a window seat girl. I sit by the window. Get out of my seat,” she said.
Ella then asked whether this trend, known as “seat squatting,” is “something that people are doing on planes now.”
If so, she suggested that it’s in poor taste.
What are ‘seat squatters’—and what do they want?
Ella is not the first flight passenger who encountered a customer who refused to budge from a seat they didn’t pay for.
According to the Daily Express US, many Redditors have dealt with something similar. The outlet cited the story of one Reddit user who claimed to have witnessed three “seat squatters” on their flight, including one man who wouldn’t budge.
The New York Post, meanwhile, said some squatters are even trying to pose as first-class passengers to get free liquor.
Some passengers have luck asking others onboard the aircraft to simply switch seats with them. But in the squatter’s case, it looks like they just want to steal someone else’s seat for the fun of it.
Should you find yourself in this situation, California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall said to address the other flyer in good faith.
“If the seat squatter refuses to move, do not engage; do not recruit other passengers to rally,” Randall told Fox News Digital.
Rather, “immediately request assistance from the flight attendant,” she said.
@shannonella_ Has anyone else dealt with what I like to call plane squatters? apparently this is a thing now?? #flying #plane #airplane #travel #traveltiktok ♬ original sound – Shannon Ella
Viewers express astonishment at the audacity of some squatters
In the comments section of Ella’s video, several users gave additional advice for what to do if you find a squatter in your seat.
“Immediately call the flight attendant,” one woman wrote. “No drama. I’ll ask once. After that, I call reinforcements.”
“Just always get the stewardess. They can handle these people,” another said. “If it escalates, they can even have them removed if necessary.”
“I’m throwing hands,” a third viewer quipped.
Others shared stories of their encounters with squatters.
“This happened to me too,” one user said. “I booked an aisle seat and she said I can take the middle seat. No thanks.”
“Girl, this happened to me in first class on Wednesday,” another added. “Some girl in my window seat and when I said, ‘Hey, you’re in my seat,’ she was like, ‘What?! No, I’m not!’ They moved her… to economy.”
“This literally just happened to me! I had the window and [there were three people] sitting together in my row and so they refused to get up. The flight attendant came over and asked me if I would sit somewhere else and didn’t make them move,” a third user wrote.
And some fellow aisle-seat lovers said they understood why Ella wanted her assigned seat.
“Window seat gal for life,” one user said.
“As a fellow window seater, I would like them to move,” another echoed.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ella via TikTok comment.
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