A video of a windowless “window seat” on an Etihad Airways flight has gone viral on TikTok and has garnered 3.3 million views at the time of writing.
A video shared by TikTok user @farylcat showed passengers sliding across the floor across a row of three seats with their knees seemingly close together, before showing the wall to the side of the seat.
The message on the video read: “Glad we asked for a window seat [squirming face emoji] thank you #Etihadairways.”
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Air travel is rising back to pre-pandemic levels after being suspended following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the total number of travelers is forecast to reach 4 billion in 2024, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels, accounting for 103 percent of the total in 2019.
As recently as March 2022, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: “The trajectory of passenger recovery from COVID-19 has not been changed by the Omicron option. People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they will come back. There is still a long way to go before normalcy is reached.” , but the evolution forecast in the number of passengers gives enough reason to be optimistic.”
The latest viral TikTok video was shared with the caption, “#Etihadairways economy really gives new meaning to the phrase packed like a sardine can. [airline passenger seat, fish and squirming face emojis].”
According to the user’s later comments, they booked the window seat at an airport service counter at Bangkok airport. They ordered a window seat “toward the back” of the plane.
According to the Etihad website: “All seats are subject to availability. In almost all cases you will receive the seat you booked. However, there may be last minute operational changes which mean we need to allocate you a different seat. If this happens we will always we will try to choose a similar seat for
“If you have paid for a window, middle or aisle Economy Standard seat but have been assigned a different seat, you are entitled to a full refund. If you have reserved a seat (such as window, middle or aisle) and have been assigned a different seat, your you have the right to get your money back,” the airline said.
Newsweek has contacted Etihad for comment and has asked for details of the passenger in the latest TikTok video so the airline can “investigate the matter”.
Why are there ‘window seats’ without windows?
On some aircraft, some window seats may not have windows due to structural reasons that do not allow space for a window.
For example, all Boeing aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines have either no windows or partial window access in one or two seats on the left side of the wing.
“This is where Boeing places the A/C lift ducts from the belly space – where the air conditioners are located – to the cabin ceiling, where the air distribution ducts are,” said John Melvin, the airline’s director of fleet engineering. airline website.
“The vertical channels are located behind the sidewall panels of the cabin, and they prevent the installation of a row of windows on the left side. This is standard on all Boeing 737 aircraft, not just ours,” he added.
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Several users on TikTok sympathized with the original poster.
Amirah said: ‘I’m screaming’, while Mackenzie Gower said: ‘I’d be hyperventilating. [wide-eyed nervous face emoji].”
User ndopho wrote: “I’m claustrophobic [crying floods of tears emoji],” the original poster replied, “Yeah, it was a struggle.”
Faith D Collection wrote: “What in the world [frustrated frowning face emoji]” and the original poster replied: “It was a stressful 6 hours.”
Some said the original poster should have been more careful when booking a flight.
Patrick Biller said, “No window seats say ‘no window’ on the seating chart when you make a reservation,” to which the poster replied, “We booked it right at the counter. [laughing crying emoji].”
User neon33 said: “Almost every airline has these seats. Be more careful when booking your ticket and choosing your seat.”
Newsweek contacted the original poster for comment. This video has not been independently verified.
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