A controversial technique to avoid being assigned a middle seat on flights has been criticised by passengers, who warn it could lead to higher prices and delays. The method, shared by travel specialist Jorden Tually on TikTok, involves simulating the purchase of multiple tickets to block unwanted seats.
Tually explained that low-cost airlines often automatically assign middle seats to passengers who select 'random seat allocation', encouraging them to pay for window or aisle seats. His technique aims to circumvent this by tricking the airline's system. He advises checking how many middle seats are available on a flight, then pretending to buy that number of tickets on the airline's website, entering fake names and selecting all the middle seats. The system holds these seats for 10 to 15 minutes, during which the user can check in and secure a better seat.
While Tually claims the method is '100% successful', many online have criticised it. One commenter said: 'OMG, the self-entitled brigade again. If this does work, everyone will now try it, freezing up loads of seats and could stop genuine people wanting to book that flight.' Others pointed out that dynamic pricing could cause ticket prices to spike by 10-20% if the system thinks the flight is fully booked.
Another critic noted: 'Now you delayed your flight 10 minutes while they wait for the computer queue to clear so other passengers can select their seats.' Tually advises using a computer and performing the trick as close to check-in as possible for best results.
