Photo: mikewdavis/TikTok

This Southwest Airlines Passenger Has a Hilarious Way to Keep the Seats Next to Him Open

Airports + Flying
by Matador Creators Jul 7, 2022

Between flight delays, cancellations, high prices, and over-sold planes, flying has been rough for a lot of people in 2022. If you’re flying Southwest and get to choose your own seat, a row to yourself is one small win. And one guy has a an interesting (read: awkward) way to make that happen.

@mikewdavis

How to keep seats open next to you on a flight 😂

♬ original sound – mikewdavis

Perhaps the people passing just needed more than two seats, or maybe they’d rather take their chances for their own row. But then again, maybe it’s the seat patting that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. In any case, the combination of lightly tapping a seat and, crucially, eye contact is enough to make some turn away entirely.

There’s are a couple of things to keep in mind if you want to give this a go. The first is that you should always check in early to your Southwest flight to ensure you board early enough to get a row in the first place. Second, come to peace with the fact that someone may actually be encouraged by your gentle patting and eye contact, and that’s just something you’ll have to live with. Lastly, if it’s a sold out flight, you’ll just end up sitting next to the last minute boarders if everyone else takes a hard pass.

Feel too awkward to try this out? Hopefully you don’t mind some row companions or you’re loaded enough to charter a whole commercial plane.

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