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Join Telegram ChannelA family travel blogger has revealed her secret to getting an entire row on a flight, but solo travelers seem to be against it.
Jess Darrington, the Idaho-based creator of Where is Briggs?, which specializes in travel tips for parents with kids under 4, shared a now-viral seat hack on TikTok that has attracted more than 8.1 million views.
Before sharing his airline seating advice, Darrington prefaced the video by saying that it “sometimes” works.
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Darrington said you can select an aisle seat and a window seat in a single row, leaving the middle seat empty, and hoping no one reserves the middle seat.
Jess Darrington, a family travel blogger from Idaho, went viral after sharing an airplane seat hack that seems to irritate some solo travelers. (Jess Darrington/@where.is.briggs)
In the viral video, posted under Darrington's handle @where.is.briggs, his family ended up booking four seats across two rows, and no one booked the middle seat, meaning they had the entire two rows of their 11-hour flight from Amsterdam to Salt Lake City to themselves.
Darrington said she's tried this trick several times over the years and gotten varying results.
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“The first time we tried it was when I only had one child, and he was a lap baby at the time. So it was my husband, me, and the baby on my lap, and we were all flying to Europe. And when I booked tickets, the flight was empty, like there was [was] “There's nobody there,” Darrington said.
Darrington said a traveler might buy an aisle seat and a window seat on a plane to leave the middle seat open in the hopes that no one else will book it, leaving both travelers with an entire row. (Jess Darrington/@where.is.briggs)
“So I thought, ‘I wonder if I put myself and the baby on my lap by the window, and then my husband in the aisle seat… if that middle seat will just stay open.”
Darrington and her husband checked the airline's flight schedule regularly to see if seats were filling up. They later learned that there were 50 seats left, and when it was time to board the plane, they were able to take advantage of the entire row.
“I took a little risk. But when we got on the plane, the middle seat was empty, and it was so nice because we had a little bit of wiggle room,” she said.
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Darrington said that while hacking is useful when it works, it doesn't always go as planned.
“If you are willing to take a little risk and check your odds to see how many seats are still available on the flight until the day, you might get lucky like we have done several times.”
“Families need to understand that this is not a guarantee. If you want to have a safe place for your baby on the flight, you need to buy one for them,” she said.
Darrington said if someone ends up booking the middle seat, you have to accept that you were unlucky this time and be a respectful passenger.
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“I also think that as a family traveling, you can't be mad or upset if the middle seat is taken, because that's what can happen. But if you're willing to take a little risk and check your odds to see how many seats are still available on the flight until the day of, you might get lucky like we have on several occasions.”
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An Idaho mom's hack for finding a plane seat has sparked debate online, with some families and solo travelers disagreeing and calling it a “risky gamble.” (Jess Darrington)
Darrington said she knows most people would say they don't like sitting in the middle of a flight, let alone on an international flight stuck between two strangers.
The best thing to do, she suggested, is to offer one of the two seats you have to the middle passenger so they can get an “upgrade” and you can sit next to your traveling companion.
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“I haven't met anyone yet who is frustrated that they don't have a middle seat anymore. You know what I mean?” she said.
“It is very important to be considerate on travel days.”
Not everyone seems to appreciate Darrington's airplane seating trick, especially solo travelers who find themselves stuck in the middle seat.
“I honestly can’t stand people doing this and then expecting me to move or change places,” one TikTok user commented on Darrington’s video.
“Here’s an idea. Just put seats next to each other,” another person wrote.
“I was waiting and sat in the middle seat and the family was mad at me??? I happily moved so they could sit next to each other but why get mad at me?” one woman commented.
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Travel creator Meredith Pierce, @meredithonthemap, shared a video on TikTok in which she expressed her frustration with couples who try this trick.
“As a solo traveler, it’s quite common to find yourself in situations where you’re sitting [among] “Couples and families traveling on a long flight. Couples will even book both the aisle and window seats in a row, hoping that no one will get the middle seat. And when a solo traveler gets that middle seat, it's unsettling,” said Pierce, a Georgia resident.
“In my opinion, the couple then has two options: either offer to swap seats with the solo traveler so they can then sit together, or be two and stick to their assigned seat.
Darrington and his family of four were able to travel on a plane with two entire rows to themselves. (Jess Darrington/@where.is.briggs)
Pierce said she experienced a flight where she found herself stuck between a couple who kept talking to each other and passing her snacks, which made for a “miserable” experience.
“If you decide to take a chance with this 'hack', you need to be aware of the possibility of someone moving in between you and be prepared to offer to switch seats or give that person the space and quiet they deserve. It's very important to be considerate on travel days.”
Rosalinda Randall, a California-based etiquette expert, said choosing airline seats in the hopes of getting “the perfect configuration” is like “throwing a coin into a fountain and hoping for the wish to come true.”
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“When I fly, I do my best to accommodate my needs within the confines of my limited space. What can I do to be comfortable without inconveniencing others?” Randall told Fox News Digital.
Some solo travelers are annoyed by this trick, as not all couples are willing to offer their seat to stay close to their travel companion. (iStock)
Randall said that if the middle seat is taken, there are “common-sense rules of courtesy” that other passengers should follow, such as not holding conversations with the person in the middle or disturbing their sleep so they can talk.
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“Airline passenger tantrums are becoming more and more common. Some of these incidents involve minor inconveniences,” Randall added.
This viral airplane seat hack for families and couples has created an online debate among solo travelers who don't like being stuck in the middle, literally. (Jess Darrington/@where.is.briggs)
Randall and Darrington shared some tips that might be helpful.
Both suggested trying the trick if you're booking at the back of the plane, as those seats aren't as ideal for solo travelers who may not want to wait long to get off their plane.
They also suggested trying this trick when traveling on less busy days.
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“Choose a route that is not as popular for the season you plan to travel,” Darrington said.