You might not really notice it, but there is a lot of chaos happening in airports all the time. However, decades of organizing and optimizing foot traffic, boarding, and many, many other processes that happen in an airport has made it possible for the various teams of staff on the premises to make sure order is kept.
And, so, if you think nobody’s going to notice you sitting down in first class, all nonchalant without actually having a ticket or hoping you'd get a seat upgrade just like that—you have another thing coming.
If you think you can sneak into first class without being noticed, think again as this flight attendant explains what's up
Image credits: Sabrina Schaller (not the actual photo)
"How often do people try to sneak into business or first class? And do you allow it?"
"Number one, we never allow that. If someone wants to switch cabins or even get an upgrade, that's to be dealt with with the gate agent. Flight attendants do not deal with any of that. And you can also get in a lot of trouble for doing that. Some people in my airline have told me that our airline considers it as stealing, because the passenger didn't pay for the ticket or get the upgrade."
Image credits: destanieaaa
First class is never empty by the time the plane lifts off as they hand out upgrades to passengers
"First, we board people with special needs or disabilities, and after, we board first class. So by the beginning of the flight, first class is usually already full. If first class is open, if you have a credit card, or if you have some status with the airline, they usually end up upgrading people by the time the flight is ready to take off. They'll even grab people from main cabin and be like 'Hey, you got an upgrade. Here's your new tickets'. Also, if you're working first class and it looks open, it will never end up being open, you'll always have a full first class to serve."
Image credits: Ardalan Hamedani (not the actual photo)
Despite it all, folks still ask to be seated in first class, usually using the most ridiculous tactics
"I always have passengers ask me if they can move to first class, say if someone's running late or if that seat doesn't get filled. And I just say 'Hahaha', and usually they're like 'Yeah, I'm joking, right?' There have been multiple times that men have hit on me thinking that I'm gonna move them to first class because they told me I was pretty.
Just a few months ago, this guy walked on the flight and was like 'You're so pretty, this is the most beautiful cabin crew I've ever seen.' I was like, 'Oh, thank you so much.' He's like, 'Yeah, also, I see there's a first class seat open, I would love to take it' and I literally just looked at him and said 'I'm not gonna take that compliment now, because I know you're just trying to use me for first class.' He's like, 'No, no, no, that's not what I meant' and I was like, 'Just kidding, bye!'"
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Exit rows are the next best thing after first class as, apparently, passengers there get free cocktails
"What people pull all the time, is they try to move to the exit rows. Exit rows are upgraded seats. And for my airline, you get free cocktails when you sit in the exit row. Sometimes after I brief my exit row, people will move.
One time, this guy moves and he literally argued with me back and forth. I was like, 'Hi, did you just move here?' He's like, 'Yeah, I'm also willing and able to assist in an emergency.' I said 'Oh, no, sorry, you can't move to this seat. It's an upgraded seat.' He was like, 'Is it really that big of a deal?' I'm like, 'Yeah, well, it's company policy. I'm just doing my job.' He's like, 'you're really going to make me move?' and I said 'Yep, this is my job, I have to do this.'"
Image credits: destanieaaa
"I'm very nice about everything. I'm so nice. People have to put their tray table up and I'm like 'Would you mind putting up your table, please'. Some attendants are not nice. I'm always nice until people try me and then I go like, 'No, I'm not asking you. I'm actually telling you.'"
You can check out the video in full below
Destanie is a flight attendant who often shares her experience and stories on TikTok. One of the more recent ones was a response to a commenter who asked how often do people try to sneak into business or first class, and whether she allows it.
Long story short, nope, that’s not allowed. It’s actually against company policy as it’s technically stealing. So, Destanie often has to handle unruly passengers who tend to nab seats like that.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
While the video did collect a modest amount of views, folks were still engaged
And folks online were engaged with this one. Netizens shared some of their stories of being upgraded, like this one mother who was traveling with a newborn and a flight attendant not only gave an upgrade to her, but was extremely helpful throughout the flight. OP wagered the attendant was a mother herself.
Others took a jab at that one person who said they can assist during an emergency just to have the exit row seat. Even more so, if cocktails are served to the exit row passengers, then how can they truly assist while intoxicated? Destanie explained that the flight crew keep an eye and limit passenger alcohol intake.
One gate agent was also in the comment section and expressed their great respect for the coworkers in the cabin as they often are stuck with all the troublemakers for hours. OP returned the sentiment, saying that she has compassion for the gate agents—they work their magic as well, after all.
While incidents on airplanes are on the rise, they aren't all that common in the grand scope of things, and seat swapping isn't even considered an issue
According to reports, the number of incidents reported is on the rise, with there being one incident every 568 flights in 2022, while back in 2021, it was one for every 835 flights.
Fortunately, physical threats during said incidents are not all that common, occurring just once every 17,200 flights. What is not fortunate about that stat, though, is that this number is a 61% increase from years prior to 2021.
The report doesn't mention seat swapping as being among the list of most common incidents. The most common ones remain verbal abuse, intoxication and non-compliance, with the last one being specified into such offenses as smoking, unfastened seat belts, carry on weight exceeding, and consumption of personal alcohol.
Still, don't swap seats without actually buying them, or you might become that statistic.
The video went viral soon after being posted, encouraging people to share their honest reactions and stories
