Thelife- Another TikToker has gone viral for claiming she refused to swap seats so a child could sit with their family.
- Sabra Zaraa says she was seated in the enviable 1A seat and declined a flight attendant's ask.
A TikToker who says she was asked to move from her 1A plane seat during a flight has sparked yet another intense debate about flight etiquette on the app.
On July 20, Sabra Zaraa, a pharmacist and doctoral researcher, according to her LinkedIn profile, shared a short clip of herself aboard a flight.
"POV: Flight agent asks me if I want to give up my 1A seat so a child sits with their family," the caption on the post read.
Seat 1A is the first seat in the first row of an airplane, and is often in first class and considered the most desirable seat on the plane.
@lifewithdrsabra That’s a no from me dawg would you have given up your seat? Also they ended up finding a solution so no, i am not a terrible human being. Also the child was like 13.
♬ original sound - Sunshynelove21
In a written caption under her post, Zaraa said she declined to move from her highly-coveted seat, adding that the family ended up "finding a solution" to being separated, though she did not specify how. A popular TikTok audio of a person saying, "Girl, fuck them kids and fuck you too," accompanies the clip, which is often used by creators in situations where they're being asked to make sacrifices for other people's children.
The TikToker also said in her caption that the child in question looked like they were around 13 years old, and some commenters under the video responded by saying they thought a child in their teenage years should be capable of sitting by themselves.
This is not the first time someone has gone viral for being asked to give up their coveted seats — and loudly refusing.
Back in January, another creator named Surya Garg also said she refused to swap seats when a mom asked to sit with her teenage son who looked at least 16 or 17. It sparked a similar debate among commenters about whether the age of the child would impact their willingness to swap if they were put in that kind of situation.
@surya_garg for real like was I wrong #nyc #airplane #airplaneseats ♬ original sound
Zaraa's video received 2.5 million views and overwhelming support from commenters who said they thought she did the right thing. A number of people said they believed it is the responsibility of the child's guardians to plan ahead and ensure they've booked seats together, and that they wouldn't swap seats for the convenience of another family or person unless they were being offered an upgraded seat.
"Good for you! If they wanted their kid next to them they should've booked adjacent seats," one top comment on Zaraa's video read.
These arguments echo similar ones made on TikToks by previous creators. They've sparked fury among commenters who are frustrated by the social pressures they feel to move seats, particularly when it's for a family with children.
Flight etiquette has become a hugely popular debate on TikTok in recent months because of these videos, and creators who have specifically said they refused to swap seats in these scenarios have been praised for sticking to their guns.
@audreypeters No I’m not switching for a middle seat book your flights earlier babes #travel #traveltiktok #planetiktok #planes #parisfashionweek #paris #europe #plane ♬ original sound - Sunshynelove21
As this debate has gotten more and more attention, users have now begun posting parody videos poking fun at the subject. In one instance from February, an influencer's video claiming she was asked to swap seats led some viewers to believe she was talking about a real experience until she explained in a comment under her video that she was merely making a "joke" about the surplus of these TikToks.
Zaraa did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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