Woman explains not switching airplane seat in viral TikTok video: 'Always plan ahead'

CINCINNATI − A woman has taken social media by storm after refusing to give up her airplane seat.

Tammy Nelson, CEO of global jewelry brand Conquering, posted a video on TikTok July 10, sharing her recent experience in which she refused to switch seats with another passenger. Nelson was reportedly on a Delta Air Lines flight from Cincinnati to San Jose, California, on June 19 when another woman asked her to change seats so she could sit next to her two kids.

According to Nelson, the other passenger tried to make the switch when she boarded the flight.

"When I got to the seat that I thought I had reserved, there was someone sitting in it," Nelson told The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. "I just assumed the woman sitting there had just also made a mistake. And so I said, 'Oh, I'm sorry. It looks like you're sitting in my seat.' And she said, 'Oh, you wanna sit here?' And I thought, 'Well, that's such an odd question.'"

Nelson said the woman wanted to switch to be next to her two children, who looked around 11 and 15 years old. She said she would've agreed to change seats, but only if it had been to another window seat.

But the other passenger could only offer a middle seat.

"I get motion sickness if I can't see out the window during takeoff and landing. I travel quite a bit, and I know that about myself. So I always plan ahead. I always book a window seat," she said.

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'You were 100% right'

Nelson also wrote in the video's caption that she had only gotten about 90 minutes of sleep the night before and needed to rest on the flight, as she was expected to give a presentation to over 500 people when she arrived at her destination.

"I desperately needed some sleep, so I did not agree to switch seats," she wrote.

Nelson said the other passenger begrudgingly returned to her original seat and proceeded to complain about the situation for the duration of the flight.

Despite the woman's negative reaction, many TikTok users have left positive comments for Nelson. At the time of this story's publication, the video had received over 2.9 million views, with comments ranging from "people should book flights together if they want to sit together" to "you were 100% right to not give up your seat."

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Nelson, who typically posts business-related content, said she decided to share her experience because she thought other TikTok users would find the story relatable.

"People have had similar situations when they've been on flights or have a feeling that it's kind of rude and that some people are starting to act or feel kind of entitled. So they were quick to defend and jump in and say, 'Oh my gosh, no, you shouldn't have given up your seat.'"

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Woman explains not switching airplane seat in viral TikTok