A woman said she was forced out of her airplane seat after a couple on her flight decided to try out a new viral 'hack'.
Flying out of state can be a stressful and expensive experience, particularly if you're flying with your loved one or family members.
But booking seats next to one another in a family unit can often come with an additional cost, in a bid to spare some extra dollars or save a bit of legroom, some people have resorted to trying out a 'hack' to bag the ultimate deal.
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However, a baker from New York City said she became a 'victim' of this hack which ultimately saw her forced out of her seat.
Shreya said in a video on TikTok, that has surpassed more than nine million views, that it all stared when she was flying from SF to New York and discovered a couple had taken her seat, with a woman sat in the aisle and a man in her middle spot.
The TikToker said the couple explained that they were together and asked her if she would take the window seat, which she didn't want to do as she has a 'very small bladder' and can suffer from claustrophobia.
Shreya added: "Between a window seat and a middle seat, I would still prefer the middle seat because I only have to step over one person."
Videos on social media instruct wannabe hackers to book separate seats, like a window seat and an aisle seat, while leaving the middle seat free.
The theory is that no one will book a solo middle seat, giving the family extra leg room, or that the stranger sandwiched between them will swap.
Shreya then suggested the couple take the window and the middle spots so that they could sit together while she would feel more comfortable in the aisle.
While this solution seemed the most beneficial to all parties involved, that's not what happened next.
Shreya said the woman snapped back: "'Well I'm going to sit in the seat that I paid for'.
"And I was just like, girl, I am doing you the favor. You and your man didn't book seats next to each other and I'm switching my seat so that y'all could sit next to each other."
Despite protesting that she didn't want to step over two people to use the restroom, the couple refused to budge and said they would 'get up' out of her way whenever she needed to leave her seat.
As there was an 'angsty' queue forming behind her, she felt she had no choice but to take the window seat - and claimed the couple then refused to let her pass the three times she got up during the flight.
She continued: "I guess [it's] my karma for not giving up the seat immediately, but I was just flabbergasted that they were acting like they were doing me a favor and then got mad for not, like, receiving that well."
Shreya said she is now 'anti' these hacks, saying she and her boyfriend will 'never' subject others to similar tricks, but admitted it would've been fine if the couple had been flexible.
Hundreds have since commented on Shreya's ordeal, saying you should 'never give up your seat' and slamming couples who don't buy seats together.
A TikTok user wrote: 'This made me so mad for you' while others said they would have deliberately gotten up 'every five minutes' to irritate the couple.
Another added: "When she said she’ll sit in the seat she paid for you say, ok. Me too! And then you take the middle seat between them and turn up your music."
Topics: Travel, Social Media, TikTok, New York
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