Everyone wants to pick the perfect airplane seat, but it’s always a bit of a compromise. The aisle gets extra legroom (but can get bumped by people passing by). The window gets a wall to lean on, and a nice view (but it’s tough to go to the bathroom). And the middle seat is mostly screws.
But sometimes what looks like a winning seat turns out to be one of the worst options. Here’s how.
Passenger’s ‘Perfect’ Seat Kinda Sucks
In a viral video with more than 521,000 views, traveler Darrian (@darriandale) shared her unfortunate discovery about what appeared to be a premium seat.
“I thought I picked the only seat on the plane that didn’t have a seat in front of it….. instead I picked the only seat directly across from a flight attendant and had an awkward standoff for 2:30 hours.
When she pans the camera down, you can see a flight attendant’s black leather shoe just a foot away from her own feet. Close enough to touch if she wanted to.
“Worst seat ever don’t fall for it,” she warned in the caption.
The seat she’s talking about is a jump seat—a foldable chair flight attendants use during takeoff and landing—positioned to face passengers in certain plane configurations.
What To Know About Flight Attendant Jump Seats
According to Cabin Crew Safety, the jump seat is “definitely not the most comfortable seat on the aircraft.”
Jump seats come in various configurations (single or double) depending on aircraft type and cabin location. They’re mounted to the floor or a cabin bulkhead and often store emergency equipment like passenger safety demo kits, crew life vests, smoke hoods, and cabin torches.
Many also have cabin PA/handset systems mounted nearby for crew communications.
GlobeAir explains that these seats are strategically placed near emergency exits to facilitate crew movement and ensure rapid access to emergency equipment.
For passengers, seats facing these jump seats offer a double-edged sword. Yes, you get extra legroom with no seat in front of you. But you’re also positioned directly across from a crew member. There’s no tray table attached to the seat in front (because there isn’t one), limited under-seat storage, and you’re typically near high-traffic areas like galleys or lavatories.
Plus, you’re stuck making (or avoiding) eye contact with another human being for the duration of the flight. No pretending you don’t notice each other. No quick glances that can be played off as looking past them. Just two people, facing each other, trying to exist in the same small space for hours.
@darriandale Worst seat ever don’t fall for it
Commenters React
“Play footsie with him to make it less awkward,” a top comment read.
“We hate it too girl don’t worry and we’re not allowed to be on our phones so we have no choice but to make it awkward,” a person said.
“Honestly, he’s not there for 2 1/2 hours. He’s about there 20 minutes beginning of flight in 20 minutes at the end of the flight so you’re all good,” another wrote.
BroBible reached out to Darrian for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.