TikTok video creator and flight attendant Leanna Coy explained why she doesn’t like to switch seats whens she is flying as a passenger, arguing that doing so is risky business
A flight attendant has warned that seat switchers on planes are risking it all.
Leanna Coy recently published a TikTok video titled ‘ Why you shouldn’t switch seats on the plane’ that explains exactly that. The commonly touted reason flight attendants typically tell off-seat switchers is that the plane’s boarding plan is designed to put an even number of passengers on each side of the plane.
Too many on one side, and the aircraft can be a little trickier for the pilot to fly.
However, Leanna Coy has a whole different reason. The American flight attendant was recently asked to switch seats with a passenger on a United Airlines flight.
“Normally, I am absolutely 100 per cent against changing seats. Your lack of planning should not constitute me having to move,” Leanna explained. However, on this occasion, the flight attendant couldn’t think of a good reason not to swap, so she obliged.
READ MORE: Glastonbury Festival hits out at luxury trend they ‘absolutely don’t condone’
She immediately began to have doubts about her decision. “I’m already on edge about it,” she said.
According to Leanna, if the person you’ve switched with does anything to “act up” on the plane, the behaviour would be associated with her seat number. That means any breach of the aircraft’s rules, such as vaping in the bathroom or throwing snacks at fellow passengers, could wrongly be pinned on her.
Leanna argued that such a thought was not as far-fetched as one might think. “I see what goes down on the plane. If this lady decides to go smoke in the bathroom or whatever, that could come back to me,” the world-weary flight attendant explained.
“I realised I’m flying United. If you know anything about United’s service, if you want to buy drinks or anything, you have to put your card onto the app ahead of time, which I’ve done before.”
This means that the passenger who swapped with Leanna may be able to access her card to pay for items. The off-duty cabin crew member asked one of her colleagues if that was indeed the case, and they confirmed that it was.
READ MORE: ‘I’m the King of Sunbeds – one habit will get you thrown into the pool’READ MORE: Eurostar to launch new UK trains direct to two of Europe’s most iconic cities
“‘Now, do I think this lady was trying to scam me out of money on my card? No. But that’s just something to be aware of. I fully support you if you don’t want to switch seats. You are entitled to the seat that you chose,” Leanna said.
It is not a rare occurrence for chaos to break out on a flight or for passengers to indulge in a bit of bad behaviour. At the end of last year, a passenger caused chaos after allegedly attempting to open the emergency door mid-flight. The incident took place on a Copa Airlines flight on Tuesday night. Footage of the incident shows a man being restrained in a headlock while a crew member tried to attach plastic handcuffs to his wrists.
Two passengers – Marcelo Ribeiro and Everaldo Torres – reportedly helped to restrain the man, according to local reports. Marcelo attempted to reason with the passenger when he noticed him trying to open the door, which ignited a brawl.