Ben Thompson
The saying 'Hell is other people' is never more accurate than when you're flying on a plane.
Whether it's because you're fighting for space on the arm rest or they forgot to take a shower, close contact on a flight is never much fun.
The dream scenario is usually to have a free seat next to you, so you can dump your bags there without having your foot space crowded.
However, one man came up with a rather bizarre scheme to secure himself a little extra space.
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He was flying with Southwest Airlines, an American airline which has an open seating policy. This means that you can choose where to park yourself once onboard, unlike many airlines which assign you a seat.
"Once onboard, simply choose any available seat and stow your carry-on items in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you,” a statement on Southwest Airline website reads.
The messaging is pretty clear - get to the gate early if you want your pick of the seats.
One bloke went a step beyond to secure himself a free space, by constructing a 'mannequin' out of a jacket and a cap.
It certainly wouldn't have fooled anybody on close inspection, but to the average person walking up the aisle, it may appear to be a fellow passenger at a glance.
Whether or not the man was caught out is not clear, but this is certainly not the first time somebody has concocted a scheme aboard a plane.
Nobody likes sitting next to a screaming child on board a long-haul fight, do they?
One TikTok couple took advantage of this aversion and pretended to be cradling a child in their arms.
This 'child' in reality was a folded up flannel shirt.
In the comments beneath the video some people praised the couple for their ingenious plot, one person dubbing the move 'brilliant' and another 'a keeper'.
"He's a genius, I'm taking notes," another TikTok viewer wrote.
Others poked holes in the plot, claiming the trick would not stop them from hopping into the middle seat.
"How's that gonna work when someone has to sit there? Because if my ticket says 26-B next to you, I'm sitting in 26-B!" one person pointed out.
Another added: "That's the seat I look for. I know parents don't want to be split up so they'll inevitably give up the window or aisle."