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There is no greater satisfaction than boarding a plane and finding rows of unoccupied seats; you have surpassed the overcrowded flights and can enjoy some tranquility away from the chaos of a fully booked flight.
What if you are one of the few people on the plane and someone sits directly behind you?
The situation described above has caused controversy following a viral post on X. The post featured a man sitting in a nearly empty plane with another passenger seated directly behind him, and has received approximately 37 million views.
It is uncertain if the person in the photo is Anthony Thomas, a prosperous chef, as he was the one who posted it.
“Picture the indulgence of boarding a flight with just two passengers. From all the available seats, observe where he chose to sit,” he wrote alongside the photo.
Many X users seemed to agree. The comment section was flooded with people bewildered by the other passenger’s decision to sit right behind the other man.
A user compared sitting closely to another passenger to someone parking next to you in a mostly empty parking lot, while another mentioned experiencing this frequently on trains.
A different user noted that the other passenger, whose head is visible peering down the rows of the aircraft, “received the message.”
On the other hand, some individuals supported the actions of the unidentified passenger. According to one user, the passenger may have simply been waiting for the flight to depart. They also mentioned, “I typically go to my assigned seat before searching for a potentially more comfortable empty seat.”
In this instance, however, it appears to be a Southwest flight from the picture, which operates an open seating policy, yet other airlines may still require you to pick an assigned seat.
Another individual suggested that the passenger may have a fear of flying and being near another person provided a sense of comfort and security for them.
Although each airline operates differently, individuals who select their seats online before traveling may have a specific reason for doing so.
One user stated that they choose their seat when booking a flight. If the flight happens to be empty and they end up sitting right behind you, it does not change the fact that they wanted that specific seat.
During the heated discussion in the comments about whether the passenger displayed proper flight etiquette, one user shifted their attention to potential activities that could be done on an empty flight.
“I definitely wouldn’t be stuck in economy. I would have requested to sit in First Class.”
Source: independent.co.uk
