Flight passenger reveals how to outsmart seat squatters, sparking online debate

A flight passenger is taking a unique stance on seat squatters by encouraging others to test their luck in hopes of avoiding travelers who rob seats.

In the "r/unitedairlines" forum on Reddit, one user posted a screenshot of a barely-booked flight. 

"The seat squatters can't ruin your flight if you do it to yourself," the post was captioned. 

"If seat map shows the row is empty, I'll book the window and to prevent a seat squatter, sit in the middle while everybody else boards," one person commented.

"LOL I was once on a flight where my husband was on the window and I got the aisle and the guy offered to switch with one of us. I was like "nah, I'll see him when I land," another person said.

One Reddit user defined a seat squatter as "someone who sits in your seat and tries to send you to their, pretty much always, worse seat. They don't ask. They just take."

"I play the window/aisle game when I travel with my wife. No one ever says no to a window/aisle from middle. However, we don't care," another person commented.

"It's certainly true that picking an undesirable seat will make it less likely you'll deal with seat squatters, you will then wind up in... an undesirable seat," he added.

The Reddit user's flight appeared to not be entirely booked, and there may have been a possibility for him or her to switch to an open seat on either side.

"So you are a seat squatter then," one user wrote.

"If you are lucky with the flight not being fully booked you will have a higher chance of a free chair between the two of you," said another.

Leff said that airlines have changed policies regarding switching seats when flights are not fully booked.

"You used to be able to take any open seat in your cabin once the doors closed. You might move closer to the front, grab an aisle seat or head for an empty row in the back so you could stretch out," he said.

Leff said he still recommends seeking assistance from flight crew if you encounter a seat squatter.