A flight attendant on TikTok is warning travelers to avoid switching seats on an airplane. And there’s a deadly serious reason for her advice.
In an April, Leanna (@leannacoy) posted a video about a time when she agreed to change seats with a fellow traveler on an airplane. But, she says, the decision had her on edge for the rest of the trip.
“You have to keep in mind, if the person you switch with does anything to act up on the plane, that can now come back on you,” she says in the video. “I know that sounds dramatic. But I’ve seen what goes down on the planes. If this lady now decides to go smoke in the bathroom or something, that can come back on me because my name is going to be on the manifest there.”
What is the flight manifest?
The flight manifest details the ticket and personal identification numbers of everyone on the flight. So if something is to happen in the air, there’s a record of who is present. There is also a record of where they are supposed to be sitting.
Of course, she was on a United Airlines flight. “If you know anything about United’s service, if you want to buy drinks or anything, you have to put your card onto the app ahead of time. Which I’ve done before, so my card is stored on the app,” Leanna says.
This made Leanna wonder: Could the person she switched seats with order drinks on her tab? According to the flight attendant she asked, the answer is yes. If a flight attendant happened to not double check the name of the traveler with the card, Leanna says she could be inadvertently charged for another person’s drink.
“Now, do I think this lady I switched seats with was trying to scam me out of money on my card?” she asks. “No. But that’s just something to be aware of. And I fully support you if you don’t want to switch seats. You are entitled to the seat you chose.”
@leannacoy Just beware! Even if the person’s not doing it intentionally, this would be a very easy slip up #flightattendant #planeetiquette #flightattendanttips #airplanes #traveltips #flightattendantlife ♬ original sound – LEANNA ✈️ Flight Attendant
How do flight attendants prevent this?
Viewers who were familiar with United policies weighed in to say that there are guidelines in place that prevents flight attendants from charging the wrong passengers.
“United gate agent here! please never switch up seats without telling the gate agents/flight attendants, for the exact reasons you said and we can get in trouble for the manifest being wrong,” one said.
“Usually we ask for last names for inflight purchases!” another said.
“My airlines policy is to ask them to confirm last name before using a stored card. If they don’t know your name, I wouldn’t charge it,” a third shated.
H/T New York Post
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