A video of a woman recalling "the audacity" of a dad's behavior on a plane has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by Alex Bennett (@justalexbennett) and has had over 294,000 views since it was first posted on March 11. The footage shows a woman talking into a camera saying, "I witnessed the most insane plane behavior on the way here."
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She said: "There was a guy behind us sitting in the aisle. A dad walks up to him with his two kids and says, 'Hey man. My kids have middle and window [seat] and I've got this aisle across. Do you mind just swapping me aisle to aisle?'"
The man said it was "no big deal" and that he was "happy to switch" seats, before asking "just to clarify, you have this aisle seat?" The poster said, "the dad pauses," and says "middle or aisle... yea, aisle," before later clarifying that he's in an aisle seat. So the other man got up and moved to the other aisle seat, while the dad sat down with his two kids in his new seat.
The woman in the video later says that the dad was found to be originally seated in a middle seat, after saying he was in an aisle seat before the swap. A message across the screen asks: "What would you have done?"
@justalexbennett Airplane etiquette is crazy #airplanes #airplanestories
♬ original sound - Alex Bennett
In a June 2023 survey, conducted on behalf of the travel booking website Kayak, travelers had plenty to say about the unspoken etiquette around plane seats, including swapping them.
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The survey, which asked 1,000 plane passengers aged 18 and over in the U.S. and Canada about how to behave when flying, found that passengers believe "you are allowed to ask to switch seats if you ask politely," because 54 percent of travelers "have a soft spot for common courtesy."
You are also allowed to ask to sit next to a family member, partner or friend because 58 percent of travelers have "a grain of empathy," according to the survey.
'Airplane Etiquette Is Crazy'
A caption shared with the latest viral video reads: "Airplane etiquette is crazy."
The poster said that, seconds after the man gave his seat to the dad, a woman approached the man who swapped his seat, saying she is meant to be in his aisle seat. The man replied: "Oh, I traded with that guy [the dad] who said he was the aisle seat."
The woman in the video said the dad was seen "just on his phone, not looking up" during the seat dilemma between the other two passengers. The man eventually gave the aisle seat to the woman and moved to the middle seat.
The woman in the video said, "the dad was the middle seat and I think he knew it," because earlier he was saying "middle, no aisle" when asked to clarify which seat he was in. The other man, however, did not say a word and "he could not have been nicer," she said.
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The poster said, "I totally understand that the dad wanted to sit with his kids," but the father should have revealed where he was seated. "I think you gotta tell the guy 'yo man, I'm the middle [seat]..." the woman said.
'The Audacity'
The latest clip has sparked debate among users on TikTok, with several criticizing the father.
MKP wrote: "I truly think I would have said something myself in your shoes! Can't let that slide. I'm sure the FA [flight attendant] would have found the nice guy a better seat, too. The audacity of the Dad (!!!)."
TwinningDaddy simply posted, "Absolutely not," and Elfincookies commented, "I pay to choose my seat. I'm not trading."
Jackson Stewart873 added: "That is actually insane...Not a chance in hell I'm moving to a middle. Plan better dad."
User miss marvel wrote: "That fact that he was 'pretending' to not hear was insane."
Christian Strobel, however, posted: "But at least he isn't sitting next to kids."
Carole asked: "Was it a short flight? If it was only an hour or so, I would sit in the middle but for a longer flight, nope."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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