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I’ve seen many debates on social media on the topic of plane seat etiquette. Whether or not you should give up your plane seat on a flight is a personal decision.
Just because someone asks, you shouldn’t feel obligated. You paid for your ticket just like the other person paid for theirs.
Maybe they were able to choose their seat or not. Maybe they were on standby and could only get what was available.
I might sound cold, but this has nothing to do with you.
Okay, and I get it.
Sometimes you get a ticket at the last minute. And you want to sit next to the person you’re traveling with.
You’re split up, and you direly need to sit next to your person. Not doing so could potentially ruin the whole flight for some people.
But sometimes life happens, and you can’t always have what you want.
Before I tell you that I don’t switch plane seats with people, I’ll admit that I’ve done it before.
I was a solo traveler on a domestic flight. A mother and her child were split up, and she asked if I could switch seats with her.
Well, I was one row behind the lady, and she offered to move me up to her window seat. I was totally cool with that arrangement.
I’d still get a window seat, and it was only one row away. Plus, she was very kind when asking.
However, it’s not always as smooth as this. Let’s look at my other experience.
A couple of years ago, I was on a flight to Hawaii. Again, I was a solo traveler and was sitting in the Economy Plus section.
I boarded the plane to find a man sitting in my assigned seat. When I told him that he was in my seat, he argued with me.
He claimed it was his seat. When I calmly showed him my boarding pass, he said he had booked the same seat.
Then he told me that he wanted to sit by his wife, so maybe I could go sit somewhere else. Wow.
Not only was he being rude, but he lied. He had planned this whole thing out.
He knew it wasn’t his seat, and assumed I’d just back down and go somewhere else.
And to tell me to find another seat? What kind of person was I dealing with?
A narcissist? I don’t know, but definitely a toxic person who thought the whole world revolved around him.
So what did I do in this situation? I told the flight attendant that some man was sitting in my seat.
And when the attendant asked him for his boarding pass, would you be surprised that he wasn’t sitting in the correct seat?
The flight attendant asked him to move, and finally, he got up and went to his assigned seat. What a jerk.
If he had asked nicely, would I have switched seats with him? Nope.
I had specifically selected that window seat for this flight. I made my reservation early and paid for that seat.
And unless he was going to switch me with something better, like business class, it wasn’t going to happen.
I don’t even think it’s a matter of plane seat switching etiquette. It’s a matter of common courtesy.
People shouldn’t assume they have the right to swap seats with anyone else on the plane. And if they must ask, it’s in their favor to be polite.
And maybe, just maybe, that person might consider it, or not.
Read More
- Speaking of flying, is TSA PreCheck really worth it?
- I’ll tell you how I evolved from minimalist traveler to overpacker.
- I got sick in Hawaii, and it nearly ruined my vacation.
Originally published: July 28, 2026
