Are you willing to switch seats if you are asked to do so on the plane? Do you feel more comfortable sitting by the window, or does it not matter to you? One of the stories on TikTok aroused the interest of users of the social network.
USA Today spoke about the situation in which Surya Garg found herself. The traveler posted on TikTok her dialogue with another passenger and asked for advice.
“I remember there was a big debate on TikTok about me lately. If you’re sitting in a chair and someone comes up to you and says, ‘Hi, are you switching places?’ or ‘Are you switching or not?’ said the girl in the video message, revealing her story.
According to her, another passenger asked the girl to move from her window seat, for which she paid extra, to a middle seat so that another woman could sit with her teenage son.
The topic was actively picked up on TikTok, and Garg’s video gained over 1.2 million views.
“I said, ‘Look, I’m sorry, I paid extra for this place.’ Was I wrong? Tell me your opinion.”
Users left about 4.4 thousand comments under the video and put more than 186 thousand likes.
“No. This is your place,” wrote one user. Another added: “No, you are not to blame for anything here.”
There is another attitude: “You’re alone… Who cares where you’re sitting? Just give up your seat. Is it really that hard to ask? What are you really missing here? Don’t be selfish.”
Should you change seats on the plane when asked to do so?
Travelers shouldn’t feel compelled to transfer, said Diana Gottsman, national etiquette expert and founder of the Texas School of Protocol.
@surya_garg for real like was I wrong #nyc #airplane #airplaneseats ♬ original sound – Surya Garg
“If someone paid extra for premium legroom on a particular flight and you ask to be moved to a seat where they won’t be comfortable, then don’t be surprised at the refusal,” Gottsman said.
The expert recommended kindly to say that you would prefer to stay in your place, because the exchange is not obligatory.
“If you yourself want to switch seats with someone and you have an aisle seat and he has a window seat, the other passenger may not want to move to your seat,” comments Diana, adding that the exchange should be comparable and mutually beneficial. : “I think most people want to help and do the right thing, but it really should be, whenever possible, a comparable exchange.”
The publication cites as an example a survey in which more than 1,000 American adults took part. More than 35 percent said they would move from the window or aisle seat they paid for to a worse seat so the family could sit together.
Slightly more than 10 percent will switch places so that a couple without children can sit together, and another 30 percent will make an exchange in both cases. About 25 percent said they would do neither.