I’m a flight attendant – we have a trick to punish passengers who refuse to swap seats

A FLIGHT attendant has revealed she punishes passengers who refuse to swap seats – and you may not be happy about it.

Seat-swapping etiquette on planes has sparked fierce debate for years.

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Travellers who have paid for their seats feel nobody should have the right to request it.

Others believe switching seats under certain circumstances is understandable regardless of whether someone has paid.

A savvy air hostess has shared her tried and trusted method for getting unwilling passengers to swap their seats with someone who needs it – and she claims it’s perfect.

Mitra Amirzadeh, an Orlando-based flight attendant, explained that she’ll use her powers of diplomacy if a child is mixed up in a heated seat-swapping exchange.

She told the Wall Street Journal: “I have said before, ‘OK, so you’re going to watch the toddler?

“‘You’ll want their snacks and their colouring books then, because they’re going to need that’.”

This usually ends up in the passenger moving to make space for the family, according to Mitra.

However, the flight attendant clarified that she rarely gets involved in arguments over seats that don’t involve kids.

She added that passengers who have paid for their seats shouldn’t be forced to swap.

“The next time you feel yourself getting angry or getting frustrated that you’re not getting the seat you want, you need to remind yourself that you didn’t pay to pick your seat.”

These petty interactions are far from a rare occurrence for Mitra and her staff who claim seat-swapping disputes happened approximately on 80 per cent of her monthly flights.

It comes after an ex-flight attendant revealed some travellers often forget some seats aren’t free to take.

Most passengers who see an empty row on a plane might be tempted to swap seats.

Bobby Laurie, a former Virgin American flight attendant, explained that some airlines have designated rows “as premium or preferred seats”.

The cabin crew regularly check the manifest to see if any passengers are expected to be sitting there.

Unsuspecting travellers could see themselves kicked out of those seats.

He added that passengers are allowed to move, but the crew will say “when and where”.

It’s not just about the cost, but also the weight of the plane.

Bobby said the crew have to provide pilots with passenger counts in each section to work out the weight and balance of the plane.

If too many move, then this can cause problems with the figures.

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