Compare the planes of today to those of yesteryear, and you’re going to be disappointed.
Back in the day, air travel involved spacious seating, meals with massive portions, and luxurious service. Naturally, this came with a high price tag—a transatlantic flight in the early 1960s cost around $600, which is over $6,000 in today’s money. Still, many compare images of that era to the sardine-packed flights of today and wonder where the industry went wrong.
Some say the contrast can even be seen in the planes themselves. Not only do there seem to be a lot of issues with airplanes lately, but some flyers are getting on board and discovering that the seat upon which they’re supposed to spend several hours leaves a lot to be desired.
Such is the case with Delta Airlines passenger and TikTok user @legitrealness, who recently shared his experience in a video with over 33,000 views.
What’s Wrong With This Delta Airlines Seat?
In his video, the TikToker shows an exit row seat on an international Delta flight.
“Y’all, please look at my seat when I got on board this Delta flight,” he shares. The bottom of the seat is fully detached, and the TikToker is able to pick it up and move it around.
“The seat was literally hanging off the bone,” he continues. In the caption, he says that the seat was “literally on the floor.”
In a comment, the TikToker states that he “had to put it back together” in order to sit for the flight.
Is It Normal To Receive A Broken Seat?
Finding that the “seat” part of your seat has detached isn’t exactly ideal—neither for you nor the airline. However, it’s actually fairly common.
First, many airlines secure their seat cushions with hook-and-loop fasteners. The Velcro website notes that its products are frequently used on plane seats, as they allow for easy installation and ease of cleaning, as seat cushions must occasionally be removed for proper sanitation.
Not only that, but the Federal Aviation Administration recommends that seats be designed to be easy to remove. A 2008 circular from the administration discusses how airplanes can improve their design in order to make necessary searches easier. One of their suggestions is the installation of detachable seat cushions.
Finally, some seats are designed to be removable. This is because they are intended to be used as flotation devices in the event of an emergency. This still occurs but is no longer as common as it once was. If this is the case with your flight, you will be informed during the required safety demonstration.
What Should A Passenger Do In This Situation?
In most cases, the seat is likely fine for flying if it is simply reattached via its hook-and-loop fasteners.
That said, there’s always a chance that the seat is not airworthy. In order to ensure your personal safety, experts recommend not attaching the seat yourself unless directed by the cabin crew.
Instead, one should inform a flight attendant of the issue. From there, they will be able to determine whether there is an issue with your seat and, if necessary, move you to another area.
If desired, one can also document the issue and submit a complaint to the airline. The airline may simply provide an apology, or it can offer compensation for the issue depending on its severity.
Commenters Say He Shouldn’t Worry
In the comments section, many users claimed that situations like these, while unpleasant, are fairly typical on airlines.
“That’s bc on international flights the cleaners that come on board have to basically rip the entire plane apart for security inspections and put it back together within like a 10/15 minute time frame,” alleged a user. “It’s likely one of them didn’t secure the seat back on all the way, but this is completely normal nothings wrong with the seat.”
“All of the seats do that so the plane can be checked properly after each flight,” offered another.
“Most likely your inbound plane came in from an international destination, so when they clean they rip up every seat and they probably didn’t properly set it back down on the Velcro,” suggested a third.
BroBible reached out to @legitrealness via TikTok and Instagram DM and Delta Airlines via media contact form.