A Flight Attendant Shared Tips For Swapping Seats On A Plane & There Are A Few Dealbreakers

If you’ve ever been in a position where you want to change your seat on a plane so you can sit next to your friend, partner or family member then this flight attendant's TikTok video might help you understand your chances of successfully swapping seats.

TikToker Jeenie, who claims to be a flight attendant and runs the account @jeenie.weenie, shared her experience on the most successful ways to change a seat on a plane, and you’re going to want to take notes.

Jeenie mentions six different scenarios in the video and shares the percentage change you have of successfully swapping with another passenger on a flight that's over four hours.

We're guessing the percentages aren't 100% scientific, but she's speaking from her experience, so she'll have an idea.

In the first case, if you are trying to do a same seat-to-seat exchange in the same zone on the flight, the success rate of it happening is "99.9%” according to Jeenie’s expertise.

“I've never had anyone say no,” Jeenie says.

But things take a turn if you ask them to swap seats into a different zone entirely.

“If it’s the same seat but you ask them to move zone; so they're at the front, and now you're asking them to move to the back? Hmm, it’s about 80%,” Jeenie says.

“Now, if you add close to a toilet or close to a crying baby, that goes down to like 40%,” Jeenie explained, which honestly makes a lot of sense.

In the next scenario, Jeenie says if you ask someone to give up their aisle or window seat for a middle seat, you might as well not even bother because the chances are “15% maybe 10.”

“No one wants the middle.”

Touché.

On the other end, “if you give up your window or aisle for them, your rate goes back up to 99%,” Jeenie added.

Lastly, if you’re someone that tried to change seats with someone in a different class, then you’re being very optimistic because it’s never going to happen.

“Please don't even try to ask someone who's sitting in the economy plus or business to take your economy seat,” Jeenie says. “Passengers pay a lot of money to upgrade. So unless you plan on paying them back your success rate will be negative 682%”

The last scenario is so obvious that one person commented under the video saying, “I love to see the face of the person who has the audacity to ask to switch seat with different classes. Does this ever happened to anyone?!?”

Jeenie responded to the comment by saying, “It just happened it was on the news and made the person in business feel bad for not switching. RUDE.”

“I only ask to trade if it’s even or if I’m giving them a better seat,” wrote one commenter, to which Jeenie replied saying, “THIS.”

One user joked and commented, "I tried to change seats with the pilot once, didn't work.”

“I booked ahead and pick my seats. Problem solved. Chances of me moving 3.14159265359%,” commented another user.

So there you have it! The next time you’re in a situation where you want to ask to swap plane seats, think back at Jeenie’s video and re-evaluate your chances of success before you even bother asking.

You might just be able to avoid becoming a TikTok story.