A woman who purchased a seat in the front row on an airplane has gone viral after revealing that she ended up sitting in the opposite direction, facing the entire cabin and her fellow passengers.
Jess Smith, @jesssmith_36, posted a video on TikTok which has reached 15 million views. Smith captured herself in the video looking uncomfortable as she stared out into the crowd.
“When you book row 1 as a treat, it turns into you facing the entire plane,” Smith wrote on her video, while the caption read, “Never going to recover.”
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This seating arrangement may not be as rare as people think.
Zach Griff, senior aviation writer for the New York-based travel blog, The Point Guys, said several popular airlines occasionally have this set up for business class passengers.
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“In the U.S., there are two airlines that offer rear-facing seats: American and United. These rear-facing seats are only on a subset of the wide-body (twin-aisle) fleet in business class,” Griff told Fox News Digital via email.
“Internationally, airlines such as Qatar Airways and British Airways have rear-facing seats in business class. With all of these carriers, you’ll be able to find whether your seat is rear-facing by looking at the seat map during booking.”
Currently, 23 of United Airlines’ 945 aircrafts have optional rear-facing business-class seats available, a representative from United told Fox News Digital via email.
Both Griff and the United representative said that customers are able to review the seat map and identify which seats face forward and backward when they buy their ticket and select their seats.
The airline booked by Smith was not disclosed in her video.
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Most backward-facing seating options are for long-haul international flights, but it does exist on a few domestic flights.
Griff said rear-facing seats are extremely popular for fliers traveling internationally in premium cabins because they tend to offer passengers a more comfortable sleeping arrangement.
“When the plane is cruising, the nose of the plane is pointed slightly upwards. In a rear-facing seat, you end up sleeping with your head slightly above your legs, which generally makes for a more comfortable snooze. Aviation enthusiasts also like facing backwards because they get great views of the wing and engine. Some travelers also like rear-facing seats for the novelty.”
But this luxury style cabin Griff described is not what Smith experienced on her flight.
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Griff said that Smith’s video was probably taken from a smaller international airline that offered rear-facing seats in economy.
“There are a handful of small regional jets operating around the world with some rear-facing seats. I’ve seen this before on short flights within Africa and in Greece. These are usually not denoted in the seat map, and savvy travelers should ask their airlines before to see which seats face backwards,” he said.
Smith was not the only one who appeared to find this seating arrangement to be uncomfortable, as social media users quickly jumped to the comments section to share their thoughts.
“Omg… This happened to me once. I had a massive panic attack…my whole body malfunctioned.. Then they put me in this seat, where everyone glared at me, it was horrific,” one TikTok user commented.
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“I would legit ask to get off and cancel my ticket. my anxiety could never,” another person wrote.
“If you can get [through] a flight like this, you can get through anything in life,” one commented said.
Many people made a joke out of the flight experience.
“i would take out a pad of paper, stare at each person several mins then fiercely write notes, switching between giggle fits and angry scowls. If it’s going to be uncomfortable, I’m going down my way,” a TikTok user wrote.
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“This would be good exposure therapy for my social anxiety,” another user said.
“I’d start giving a speech or something, ‘So you probably wonder why I’ve gathered you here today,’” another person wrote.
Sometimes airline passengers are willing to switch seats in order to get comfortable, but based on the response from other TikTok users, it appears no one would be willing to give up their seat for Smith.
“Of course, in the economy cabin, facing backwards is no doubt an awkward experience,” Griff said.
“My recommendation for travelers stuck in these types of seats is to bring an eye mask and possibly also some reading material or other entertainment options to keep them distracted from what’s undoubtedly an awkward experience.”
Fox News Digital reached out Smith, American Airlines and British Airways for comment.
