Excessive entitlement causes chaos: bare feet, meal complaints. More reason to quit flying.
Your mission, should you accept it: travel from point A to point B by plane without causing an international incident or becoming the subject of a viral TikTok as an entitled individual. Sounds straightforward, right? Apparently, it isn’t. A significant 76.9% of the general population, as extensive analysis suggests, seems to find this task nearly impossible.
This phenomenon is hard to miss as there’s a continuous stream of headlines about airline passengers displaying sky-high entitlement. For instance, just recently, a United Airlines flight from Houston to Amsterdam had to divert to Chicago due to an unruly business class passenger. The reason behind the disturbance? Their preferred meal choice was unavailable. In my opinion, authorities should have rerouted the plane to The Hague. Being served chicken instead of beef may sound trivial to some, but when you’ve paid nearly $7,000 for your ticket, it feels like a genuine crime against humanity.
Around the same time as the Mealgate incident, there was another scene on American Airlines that inspired numerous memes. A passenger went on a rant, claiming that one of her fellow travelers was “not real,” and warned that everyone on the plane would “die” if they continued the flight.
While not all in-flight incidents make international headlines, countless examples of bad airline etiquette circulate on social media, becoming viral posts. Feet are a common issue; surprisingly, many people think it’s acceptable to expose their bare feet near others.
Another peculiar behavior some passengers find acceptable is pretending to need a wheelchair when they don’t. Referred to as “miracle flights,” numerous people request wheelchair assistance during boarding but then proceed to navigate the flight independently. TikTok has amplified this questionable trend, with users faking injuries to get wheelchair assistance, sparking others to follow suit.
However, the most contentious in-flight issue revolves around seat-switching etiquette. It’s a frequent occurrence for someone to post a TikTok video about a passenger in a middle seat, often demanding others to switch places so they can be close to their child, spouse, friend, or even their emotional support guinea pig. Alternatively, some passengers complain about others refusing to swap seats to accommodate their preferences.
Earlier this year, a Virgin Australia passenger sparked an online debate by ranting about wanting to slap a man who refused to switch seats so he could sit next to his wife. Similarly, an American TikTok user, Surya Garg, went viral for declining to give up her window seat to accommodate a mother and a teenager who she described as a “6ft-5 man.” Garg stood her ground, and the situation resulted in the woman next to her muttering profanities for the rest of the flight.
Another recent instance of the seat-switching debate occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight from Cincinnati, Ohio, to San Jose, California. Tammy Nelson, the CEO of a jewelry company, posted a viral TikTok explaining how she refused to swap seats with a woman who wanted to sit next to her two children. In this case, public sentiment mostly sided with Tammy.
Given the recurring question of whether it’s acceptable to ask fellow passengers to switch seats, it’s essential to make a public service announcement: No, it’s rarely appropriate. Unless there is a mistake by the airline that separates young children from their parents, just accept your assigned seat. Reunite with your spouse or friend after landing. It’s manageable, and you can enjoy your flight by strapping on your seatbelt, putting on your headphones, and minding your own business.
