A frequent flyer cozied up in his window seat on a Southwest flight to Tampa, Fla. He opened his eyes when he overheard a couple arguing with flight attendants to change their seats, causing the flight to delay for a whole hour.
In a video with over 711,000 views, TikToker Archer Hayes (@archerhayesofficial) sits with a gray hoodie and sunglasses on as the plane sits on the tarmac in Los Angeles, Calif. Then a man in the aisle says, “I want to sit next to my fiancée. So how do I get to switch?”
How Did The Couple Delay The Southwest Flight?
A flight attendant explains that he needed to book his seat next to his fiancée originally and that they can’t switch seats until the plane is fully boarded and in the air. The man pushes back, seemingly not understanding why he can’t bend the rules.
“That’s the only point when flight attendants can do anything is in the air,” the flight attendant reiterates. “On the ground we can’t do anything.”
The man seemingly sits down next to his fiancée anyway, and another attendant has to come by to check his ticket. He insists, “This is my seat.”
“Do you not hear what I’m saying, sir?” the flight attendant asks. “This is not an emergency you should not be in the aisle.”
The caption reads, “Traveling is already chaotic, and this couple was being inconsiderate to everyone on the plane, delaying us by an hour. Several passengers asked them to get off because people had connecting flights.”
Hayes says he only made his own connection with 5 minutes to spare.
Why Can’t You Switch Seats During Boarding?
Flight attendants get a plane manifest prior to takeoff, which details the exact location and identity of passengers on the flight. This manifest may not be able to change before boarding. If passengers don’t sit in their assigned seats, documentation during an emergency could get complicated.
There may be a reason Southwest passengers are confused. For 54 years, the airline operated with an open seating policy, which let passengers pick their seat during boarding. This policy ended in January 2026.
However, many Southwest customers are happy with the change. Travelers in a post on the r/aviation subreddit reacted to the change.
“I’ve always hated open seating, but having to pay extra to pick a seat is detestable,” one commented.
A second said, “Open seating was the worst. It was always extra anxiety when boarding. It was bad if you had a tight connection and they were already boarding. I’d rather know where I am sitting and be done with it.”
Customers who previously enjoyed the open seating may also face consequences if they don’t comply with the new policy. BroBible previously reported that one Southwest customer was almost booked from the flight for sitting in an empty seat that wasn’t on her ticket.
Some Viewers Blame The Flight Crew
In the comments, some viewers suggested that the flight crew should have booted the uncooperative couple from the aircraft to avoid a delay.
“I blame the captain and the FA. They let that go on for far too long,” one wrote.
Another suggested, “There needs to be a no nonsense policy. Meaning they only ask you once to behave or go to your seat. And if you don’t after being asked then you’re indicating you don’t want to fly in the aircraft at the time.”
A third said, “Ok that’s on fa for allowing this to make an hour delay. Thats wild.”
Other couples said it’s not a big deal to sit separately for a couple of hours.
“My husband and I had a connecting flight in Madrid to Naples and you know what our seats were 5 aisles from each other. What did we do? We took our seats and met up on the ground in Naples,” a viewer shared.
“My husband and I didnt get to sit next to each other on an 11 hour flight… we just went 11 hours not sitting with each other and the world didnt suddenly end,” a second wrote.
@archerhayesofficial Traveling is already chaotic, and this couple was being inconsiderate to everyone on the plane, delaying us by an hour. Several passengers asked them to get off because people had connecting flights. But all he seemed to care about was sitting next to his fiancée.🙂 Flight attendant did a great job in handling it. I made it to my connecting by 5mins to spare🤦 #traveling #airplane #flight #relatable #story
BroBible reached out to Hayes via TikTok direct message and comment and to Southwest via email. We will update the story when they reply.