Woman Makes ‘Worst Realization Ever’ Before Boarding 15-Hour Flight

Traveling in economy for a long-haul flight can be challenging at the best of times, but what about getting stuck in a middle seat on a cramped flight with a budget airline?
One woman found herself in this very predicament on a flight from Europe to Asia in August. The moment was captured in a viral video shared by TikTok user @mal1na_, which has amassed over 144,000 views since it was posted on August 23.
The footage shows a woman looking into a camera, appearing frantic with her hand over her mouth, as it shows a boarding pass for an August 23 economy class flight with Scoot, a Singaporean low-cost airline. A message overlaid on the video says “Realizing they gave you the middle seat on a 15 hour (!!!) flight.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Which Airlines Have the Best (or Worst) Fees?
A caption shared with the post simply says “Please no.”
The passenger’s horror at the thought of being stuck in a middle seat is, of course, understandable due to the general inconvenience of it. But not having enough personal space on a plane can also have an impact on health, noted a January 2019 study published in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics.
The study, conducted among Spanish adult plane passengers, explained: “The increase of economy class airline seats is necessary because immobility on airplane flights can develop different pathologies, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism known as economy class syndrome.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel
The study said: “The increase in size (body mass and stature) and changing proportions of the human body over the past few decades should be considered in the ergonomic design of economy class airline seats.”
The results of the study, which measured 13 variables to “analyze the incongruity of the minimum space for seated passengers,” suggested “a minimum legroom between 68.1 and 70.1 cm, and seat width between 50.2 and 52.3 cm.”
More From Newsweek Vault: How Much Can You Expect To Spend on Travel Insurance?
The study advised that “an international law should regulate a minimum SP [seat pitch—the distance between two rows of seats], LR [leg room] and SW [seat width] for commercial airplanes.”
TikTok users could relate to the nightmare of the scenario in the viral post.
User @wheres.loz simply wrote, “I would cry.”
JustDigitalDom said it was “The worst realization EVER. Once I got middle seat, of middle isle. My seat was broken, so they put me in 1st class. One of the best moment of my life and I’m not exaggerating, 13 hour flight too.”
Montana | Travels wrote “Oh no girl! Praying for you.”
“That’s why it’s always best to pay for the seat. Horrible journey x,” said missfp1 and @user1468996654 agreed, saying “For 15 hours you NEED to pay for your seat. That’s nonnegotiable.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via [email protected] and your story could be featured on Newsweek.