A travel expert has weighed in on the ongoing debate over whether plane passengers should give up their seats so families can sit together, following a viral TikTok video. The clip, posted by a solo traveller under the username @myconquering, showed her refusing to swap her window seat for a middle seat when asked by a mother of two.
The passenger, who had only slept 90 minutes before a big presentation, found the mother already in her window seat. When challenged, the mother reportedly said she thought they could switch because her children were sitting next to her. The solo traveller offered to swap for another window seat, but the mother was assigned a middle seat behind her. The passenger declined, noting the children were aged around 11 and 15 and within arm's reach.
The mother complained loudly for 15 minutes, but another passenger defended the solo traveller. Social media reactions were divided, with some supporting the solo traveller's stance, saying 'poor planning is not your responsibility,' while others argued they would always say yes to such requests for good karma.
Travel expert Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel told People that passengers should choose seats ahead of time to avoid such situations. She added that if someone declines to swap, 'it's no longer that one passenger's responsibility,' and the airline and flight attendants should handle it.
