A new flight boarding hack has been making the rounds on TikTok, but in reality, it is not as simple as some influencers have made it seem.
According to the hack, flyers should attempt to board the plane last and then pick any open seat they want.
“Pros to boarding last: You can sit in any open row you see available without going to your seat first,” one TikTok user, @bengleason23, said in a video with more than 200 thousand views.
A TikTok travel influencer, @findusontheroad, echoed the hack, saying you should “always board your flight last.”
“That way, if they had you sitting next to someone, now you can choose any open seat if the flight’s not full,” the influencer said.
Some commenters have rebuffed this idea, saying the cons of boarding last far outweigh the pros.
Travel expert Gareth Llewellyn told LadBible that boarding last can mess with finding overhead space for your carry-on luggage, meaning flight attendants may make you check your bags at the gate.
He also warns you may miss the important messages about your flight that happen during boarding.
“While TikTok hacks can be useful, it’s important to consider the practicality of them. Boarding at the last minute might seem clever but the downsides often outweigh the benefits,” Llewellyn told LadBible.
Flight attendants denounced the hack even stronger, saying passengers would be better off just asking if they could change seats.
“I strongly recommend asking your cabin crew for permission before taking an empty seat,” Crystal Romo, a flight attendant for a mainline carrier, told Travel+Leisure. “We dislike it very much when passengers move to open exit row seats without speaking to the crew.”
Jasmine Khadija, another flight attendant, told the magazine attendants can give you the go ahead to move to a different seat as long as it is in the same cabin class.
Flight attendants also warned of the chaos that people trying to board after everyone can cause.
“Airline staff follow a strict schedule for boarding, so it’s important to be on time regardless of your seat,” Khadija said.
If you still want to attempt this hack, just make sure you are not too late, because, Romo warned, the plane will take off without you.
“The boarding door closes 15 minutes before departure, and after that point, boarding is no longer allowed,” Romo said. “Agents will be on the jet bridge completing the final boarding procedures, so they won’t be at the gate. If this happens, you may lose your reservation entirely and will need to be rebooked on the next available flight, though availability isn’t guaranteed due to full bookings.”
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