Have you ever gotten onto a flight, only to discover that someone is in your seat?
Usually, this is just a mistake that can be resolved by one of you moving over. However, one woman says that, after reaching her row on a recent Delta flight—and seeing someone sitting in her way—the flight attendant tried to resolve the situation with one unbelievable request.
What Happened On This Woman’s Delta Flight?
In a video with over 40,000 views, TikTok user @thefloraldame recounts a strange experience she had on a recent Delta flight.
According to the TikToker, she entered the plane and made her way down the aisle to her seat. When she got to her row, she saw that a man was already sitting in the middle seat.
“I say to him, ‘Hey, sir. This is my seat in the window. I need to get in,’” the TikToker says. “He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me, doesn’t move.”
Confused, the TikToker flagged down a flight attendant.
“[The flight attendant’s] like, ‘Oh yeah, this man is immobile. He’s paralyzed from the waist down,’” the TikToker says. “I go, ‘Okay, well, I need to get into my seat.’”
In response, the flight attendant said that, if she wanted to get into her assigned seat, the TikToker would need to “climb over” the man.
What Happened Next?
Taken aback, the TikToker flatly refused.
“First of all, that seems like a huge liability,” she says. “Like, I am a 5-foot-10 woman. Imagine me climbing over this, like, 90-year-old, 90-pound elderly man.”
After she refused, the flight attendant went to find his caregiver, who was seated in the back of the plane. Allegedly, the flight attendant asked, “How immobile is he?” The response was that he could not move his legs.
Following a bit of discussion, the TikToker suggested switching places with the caregiver, to which the caregiver agreed.
“[The caregiver] literally said to me… ‘We asked for a relocation to this seat this morning because we wanted to get close on the plane, and they moved us apart. They reallocated us so that we wouldn’t be seated next to each other,’” the TikToker shares.
How Could Delta Have Handled This Better?
After all of this, the TikToker said that Delta managed the situation in a “terrible” way.
To start, she says that the airline should have realized that someone who is immobile who boards early cannot be placed in a middle seat, as someone will inevitably need to get into the window seat.
Next, she says that if this situation were to occur, there should have been a flight attendant present to explain the situation.
“The expectation that I was gonna climb over his body to get to my seat is just so incompetent of the flight staff,” she says.
“I have status on Delta. I love Delta, but, like, this was just extremely unacceptable and a huge liability for everybody,” she concludes. “And so. I will be asking for a full refund.”
Did Delta Do Anything Illegal?
The Air Carrier Access Act dictates that airlines must provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. As part of this law, it is noted that “the assistance airlines provide to passengers with disabilities must be performed in a safe and dignified manner.”
One could argue that the airline’s suggestion—that the other passenger simply climb over the man with disabilities—is neither safe nor dignified.
Depending on the request made by the passengers, the airline may have also violated regulations around allowing people with disabilities to sit in specifically allocated seats.
That said, it’s unclear whether this experience entitles the TikToker to a refund. Delta’s resources regarding refunds make no mention of whether an in-flight incident like the one described entitles a passenger to a refund. However, the TikToker can still submit a request with supporting documentation.
@thefloraldame I love you @delta but you have to do better in these situations. #delta #flightattendant #flights #unacceptable
Commenters Are Shocked
In the comments section, users could not believe that a Delta flight attendant would make such a request of a passenger.
“Please contact Delta and ask to file a formal complaint and send you documentation of it. That was an outrageous request for both you and that gentleman,” said a user. “An incident like that doesn’t need to be repeated.”
“And how about protecting the dignity of that poor man? Thank you for refusing to climb over him! Also, what was their plan in an emergency?” added another.
“This is exactly why seats are typically saved in the bulkhead to assign last minute for instances just like this. You should not be asked to climb over anyone,” stated a third.
BroBible reached out to Delta via media contact form and @thefloraldame via email.