There are many conniving tactics that flight passengers have used to secure a better seat on airplanes over the years – some that have been hailed as genius and others that have been fiercely frowned upon.
Most recently, a United Airlines customer sparked a massive debate after they revealed they had witnessed a family making a bold play to get to sit in a prime row during a flight.
The traveler shared their findings on Reddit under the subreddit called Seat shenanigans – advanced tactics.
The Reddit user, who was sitting in seat 10C, said when they boarded the flight, they saw the entire row in front of them was ‘completely open.’
Soon after, they explained that a family-of-four came on and sat down in the empty seats.
However, the Reddit user said they then started acting strangely.
‘Mom says to kids, “Don’t unpack yet,”‘ the passenger recounted, adding that the mom was ‘anxiously’ refreshing the seating chart in the app.
‘I’m thinking they are waiting for the upgrade to [United’s Business Class] Polaris (as am I),’ they continued.
A United Airlines customer sparked a massive debate after they revealed they had witnessed a family making a bold play to get to sit in a prime row during a flight
However, when the traveler checked the app, they said they noticed that row nine on the flight hadn’t been booked, so they assumed the family got the upgrade they were hoping for.
‘Then it dawns on me: they’re not waiting to upgrade,’ they wrote.
‘They were watching the seating chart like hawks, hoping the seats don’t get booked and waiting for the door to close because they wanted to take over an empty row!’ they added in amazement.
The family’s technique worked out, with the plane doors closing soon after.
‘The seats are theirs! Well played, mom!’ the Reddit user applauded.
In a comment, the user theorized that the family knew exactly what they were doing.
‘Oh they were all smiles and high fives once we started taxiing,’ they shared. ‘There was no doubt what they were up to.’
The story divided the web, with some users slamming the tactic in the comment section and others praising it and even admitting that they have done the same – or will try it in the future.
The user claimed a family-of-four sat together in a row nine after noticing on the seating chart that the seats were empty
The story divided the web, with some users slamming the tactic in the comment section and others praising it (stock image)
‘You gotta admire their strategy. Not something I would do but wow!’ laughed one.
‘I was on a half empty plane once and the FA didn’t care where people sit,’ another passenger shared.
‘I asked if I could move to an empty row and she said feel free to, even to the E+ seats, as long as we don’t go near the business rows.’
‘I don’t see the issue here,’ chimed in another. ‘They waited until doors were closed to capture the seats. They knew they could be moved. I think it’s fine.’
Others criticized the parents for potentially displacing another person from their seat.
‘Cheap-a** parent and their kids purchase non-adjoining seats and GAs and FAs screw over everyone else to make them happy,’ one user raged. ‘Often the same for pets and so-called service animals.’
‘I’ve frequently had someone board and sit next to me in exit row near departure time despite app showing seat remaining empty,’ complained another.
‘Only twice have I seen an FA call them out. Usually, they are just too busy trying to get bags stowed/checked and ready for takeoff. Wish this was checked and enforced more often.’
Someone else agreed, writing: ‘Mom was hedging on the bet that an FA would see that brood of kids and probably wouldn’t say anything.
‘Not worth the hassle to enforce it, particularly during the scrum pre-flight prep.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .