Traveller rant about swapping seats on a plane goes viral on TikTok

The TikToker gained praise from viewers when she defended a woman being pressured to swap seats on a flight. Photo / TikTok, Unsplash

One woman’s tirade on TikTok about asking to change seats on a flight had had millions of people thinking about the classic travel question; is it acceptable to ask someone to swap seats on a plane?

Arleen, who posted the TikTok video under the username @not.cristinayang, vented about a recent experience, where a stranger was being pressured to move by another traveller, who wanted to be next to their friend.

The video was in response to a user named Monica, who had commented on one of Arleen’s previous videos, writing: “I never give up my seat. Flying is a preplanned event. Someone’s failure to plan isn’t my problem.”

Arleen replied with a story of seat-switching requests, which has been viewed more than 3.4 million times.

“Let me tell you another story about seat switching, or not, for that matter,” Arleen said at the beginning of the video.

Arleen explained how was on a flight from Hawaii to Seattle, which takes more than four hours, in premium economy, when a woman approached the row. She proceeded to ask the woman beside Arleen, in row 8, if she would swap seats with her, in row 26.

The passenger being asked to move was “a little Asian woman,” Arleen said, adding she thought she could have been Japanese.

“I wanna sit next to my friend”, Arleen recalled her saying to the passenger.

“And she looks at the Asian lady next to me and says, ‘Let’s switch seats. I’m back in row 26′”.

Arleen added that this would not have been a typical seat swap either. The woman from row 26 was offering a window seat but the passenger from row 8 had the perks of a premium seat.

“Mind you, we’re in premium economy, okay? We’re in like row eight, with unlimited drinks and snacks,” she explains.

According to the TikToker, the “soft-spoken” woman beside her appeared hesitant, but when faced with the demanding traveller, agreed to move. It was then that Arleen decided to step in and pretend as though they were travelling together.

“She starts getting up, and I’m like, NO!” Arleen said in the video. She told the woman they were travelling together, and told the Asian lady “sit down, Connie!” despite not knowing her real name.

“And she sat down,” Arleen said. “I guess I was meaner than the other lady”.

@not.cristinayang

Replying to @mixedchick132 the audacity of some people #flying #assignedseats

♬ original sound - Not it

Arleen joked that since they were both Asian, it probably looked like they knew each other. As a Chinese American, Arleen began talking to her seatmate in Cantonese, with the hope she would play along and was thrilled when she replied in what sounded like Japanese.

The lady from row 26 appeared to be irritated and sensed it was a trick, but the two new friends stood firm.

“Row 26 is not premium economy... it’s like, you can smell the toilet back there,” The Tiktoker explained.

“So why don’t you go back to row 26, where you belong? Because if you wanted to sit next to your friend, you should have booked a ticket next to her!” she said. “Not 20 rows behind.”

Those who commented on the video tended to agree.

“When someone says ‘it’s basically the same seat’, I say ‘if that’s true take your original seat then’,” wrote one viewer.

“Or her friend could have moved back to sit with her. You don’t ask someone to downgrade for your convenience,” another pointed out.

Others just applauded Arleen for defending the less confident traveller.

“May your coffee always be hot, green lights on your drives, and close parking spots in the parking lot,” joked one person.

“I love you !!! May God bless your flights always,” another wrote.