A first-class seat dispute on an American Airlines flight has taken off online.
A passenger on an American Airlines trip from New York City to Los Angeles claims a fellow traveler tried to take over his first-class seat because her own seat would not recline properly.
Justin Escalona shared the allegations in a now-viral Instagram video, describing what he says happened Monday aboard American Airlines Flight 171.
Escalona, 27, said he had been upgraded to first class for the roughly five-and-a-half-hour flight and was asleep when another passenger suddenly woke him up.
According to Escalona, the woman asked him to switch seats because hers was allegedly malfunctioning.
“I thought it was because she wanted a better view or something,” Escalona said in the video. “But no, it’s because her seat doesn’t recline.”
Escalona later explained on Instagram that he might have considered changing seats if the woman had a sentimental reason or wanted a different view, but once he realized the issue was that “she didn’t like her chair,” his answer was essentially “no thank you!”
“She didn’t even say please or thank you! Just bolted over to my chair & wouldn’t get up,” he later wrote.
“Even if she was polite about it, maybe I would’ve said whatever, just take it I’m feeling nice. Sadly not the case.”
The unidentified woman allegedly told everyone that because Escalona didn’t pay for his seat, he had to move.
Escalona said he scored the upgrade to first class because of he’s an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member — the highest publicly available elite status tier within the airline, showing a screenshot of his boarding to back it up.
In the now-viral video, which has amassed almost five million views, the woman is seen clutching her forehead, refusing to get out of Escalona’s seat.
“She’s like, it’s somehow my fault? And she won’t get out of my seat. She’s just in it. Like what?”
The woman let out a sigh and said she is “going to UCLA,” to which Escalona joked, “I went to USC so that makes it even worse.”
“You gotta get out of my seat, this is crazy,” the dumbfounded traveler pleaded with the woman.
“You are holding up the entire flight,” he added.
The traveler told the 27-year-old that his seat was reassigned — which Escalona vehemently disputed.
“My boarding pass says 6A, yours says 3F,” he told the seat hog.
Eventually, the woman started to gather her belongings and snarked “you are such a…” before the video cut off.
Escalona was able to return to his seat and the passenger across the aisle quipped to him, “bro you almost got robbed!”
The Post reached out to American Airlines for comment.
