Why TikTokers Say Think Twice Before Swapping Plane Seats With Strangers

It's not a new debate, but something that's talked about often - should you switch seats on a plane when someone asks you to?

Some TikTokers have shared their stories about why you shouldn't switch your airplane seat when asked by a stranger.

Switching airplane seats - do or don't when asked by a stranger? While it's not a new discussion by any means, it's one that sticks around no matter how many stories are shared.

Many have taken to TikTok to share their personal stories about why it's not ideal to switch seats with someone. One TikToker, Mark Roberts, not only shared his story but also had quite a few people stitch his video to share their own experiences.

"If somebody asks you to switch seats with them on a commercial flight, be cautious because they don't always have the best intentions and I would know because one time, somebody asked me to switch seats with them and looking back, I am so happy I said no," Roberts said.

"I was getting on my flight and I was one of the first to board because I have one of those airline credit cards which gives you the best group number. So when I sat down, I was like the only one in my row. Soon as I sit down, this random lady taps me on the shoulder and she's just like, 'Hey, my seat is right here,' pointing to the seat right next to me. 'But my daughter is a couple aisles up. Would you mind switching with her so we can sit next to each other?'"

Immediately, Roberts felt there were some "red flags" with her story, because he said he was sitting in "premium economy" and the only people who were in front of him at that point were in first class.

"Just to confirm with her, I was like, 'Can I see the ticket then?' She tells me that her daughter has the ticket and she goes on to describe her daughter. She's like, 'Oh, she's about 8 years old, brown hair, pigtails,' as if she wanted me to walk up the aisle of the plane and look for her so we could switch seats," he continued.

"I double down, I'm just like, 'I'd be more than happy to switch with you if you just show me that ticket.'"

That's when the lady got "super lethargic" and then put her bag into the overhead bin and takes a seat next to him. She then told him that "being a mother is so hard, I've been walking around all day," basically looking for sympathy.

This is when the story takes a crazy turn.

"Next thing you know, this random dude comes down the aisle and taps her on the shoulder and is just like, 'Ma'am, I think you're in my seat,' flashes his ticket to her just to confirm, and you could tell her blood started boiling," he continued. "She gets up in a huff, tears her bag down from the overhead and just heads towards the back of the plane."

Roberts looked back and noticed that her actual seat was "all the way in the back of the plane."

He concluded his story by admitting he still doesn't understand what the actual scam was, and wondered if he did leave his seat, would she then have a claim to it?

Roberts is far from alone when it comes to negative seat-switching stories. Another TikToker, Caleb Chronic, stitched Roberts' video to share his story.

"I switched seats with someone on an airplane once and it did not go well for me," he began his story. "A few years ago, I took a Spirit Airlines flight to Vegas. When I got to my seat, the person sitting behind me asked if we could switch seats cause he wanted to sit next to his friend. And I'm a nice guy so I said, 'Sure, whatever, we can do that.'"

Everything was fine until about halfway through the flight when the man in Caleb's original seat went to the bathroom.

"He goes to use the bathroom, comes back from the bathroom and an attendant follows him back. She approaches him and asks in a very hush tone, 'Excuse me sir, did you smoke in the bathroom?' And he says, "I hit my vape.' And she informs him that that's incredibly illegal to do and he's got to fill out a lot of paperwork mid-flight."

While Caleb was "giggling" at this point, that laughter wouldn't last long.

Caleb said once off the plane, he didn't think about the situation at all and had a great time visiting Vegas. But when it was time to go home, his entire vibe would change thanks to the man he swapped seats with.

"When I return to the airport to leave Vegas, my ticket won't scan. Immediately I take my ticket to the customer service lady to see what's going on, and she says to my face that my ticket has been canceled because I smoked on the airplane," he continued.

"And I immediately tell her no, I did not smoke on the airplane and then I realize I switched seats with the guy who did smoke on the airplane."

Caleb was told that there was nothing they could do and was banned from Spirit Airlines. He needed to find a new flight home but ended up being stranded in Vegas for three days while waiting for a new flight.

"And the kicker, Spirit got back to me and said that there's nothing that they can do. I am permanently banned from Spirit Airlines," he said. "So the moral of the story - don't switch seats with someone on an airplane, cause you don't know how dumb they might be.