Airplane seat-stealing and entitlement are major disruptions in the skies today. However, this latest first-class standoff takes mid-air audacity to a whole new level.
An American Airlines passenger took to social media on July 20, accusing a fellow traveler of taking his first-class seat because hers wouldn’t properly recline. The 27-year-old passenger, identified as Justin Escalona, said the incident occurred during a flight from New York City to Los Angeles. Escalona made the accusations in an Instagram video, which has now gone viral with over three thousand comments. Escalona said he was aboard AA flight 171, sitting in first class for the five-and-a-half-hour flight thanks to an upgrade. However, he was abruptly awoken from a snooze by another passenger.
He said he thought it was because the woman "wanted a better view or something." But no. The woman wanted his seat because hers wouldn't recline. In a subsequent Instagram post, Escalona clarified that he would have been willing to give up his seat for the woman for a sentimental reason, or if the woman possibly wanted a better view.
However, when he discovered that the woman simply didn’t like her chair, he thought, “no thank you!” According to Escalona, the woman didn’t even say please or thank you. She just bolted over to his chair and wouldn’t get up, he said. He wrote that he would’ve probably said, "whatever, just take it I’m feeling nice," had the woman been polite about it. Sadly, that was not the case.
The woman, who hasn't been identified, allegedly told everyone that Escalona had to move because he didn’t pay for his seat. Escalona said he’s an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member. So, he scored the upgrade to first class because of that. In the now-viral video, the woman is seen refusing to get out of Escalona’s seat, clutching her forehead. The woman told Escalona that his seat was reassigned. But Escalona said no.
He told the woman, "My boarding pass says 6A, yours says 3F."
The video eventually shows the woman gathering her belongings and snarking, “you are such a…” before getting cut off. A passenger across the aisle quipped to Escalona, “bro you almost got robbed!” after he returned to his seat.
While this woman ultimately agreed to move, other viral incidents have ended much worse. Many seat-stealers flat-out refuse to budge. So, what should you do if someone steals your seat? Experts say instead of confronting the passenger, you should report the situation to a flight attendant. You can make a quick, polite attempt to check for an honest mistake. That said, you should never argue or try to force someone to move.
Rosalinda Randall, a California-based etiquette expert, warns against fighting back. She notes that if a "seat squatter" refuses to move, you should "not engage." You should not recruit other passengers to rally either. Instead, she says you should "immediately request assistance from the flight attendant."
