Mom pulls off sneaky airline seat hack that has other travelers in disbelief

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Traveling sisters attempt hilarious flight hack to keep middle seat open

Haley Dreher and her sister, Tina, had passengers laughing as they tried a clever travel hack while aboard a Southwest Airlines flight leaving San Francisco.

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A mom flying with her family was able to “successfully” swindle an entire row of seats for her group as others weighed in on the move.

Posting in the "r/unitedairlines" forum on Reddit and using the title "Seat Shenanigans – advanced tactics," a user revealed in real time how he saw the mom hack the system.

"I preboarded (10C). Row in front of me is completely open. [A] family of four comes on in group 2. They take 9A, C, D and F. Mom says to kids, ‘Don’t unpack yet,’” the post relayed.

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The user then said the "mom is anxiously refreshing the seating chart in the app. I’m thinking they are waiting for the upgrade to Polaris (as am I). I check the app, see that row 9 is showing completely empty."

The user believed at first the family was given an upgrade — until he realized this was not about an upgrade.

In a viral post, a Reddit user revealed how a family (not pictured) strategically secured an entire empty row on a recent flight. (iStock)

"They're watching the seating chart like hawks, hoping the seats don’t get booked, waiting for the door to close, because they wanted to take over an empty row," the person wrote.

"Door is closed, and we’re taxiing. The seats are theirs! Well played, mom," said the user.

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Many Redditors took to the comments section to discuss the travel "win" and to weigh in on taking seats in this manner.

"I really think people should sit in the seats they paid for," commented one user.

"There was no doubt what they were up to."

Another user said, "The seat map is notoriously inaccurate, so that alone wouldn’t incline me to think shenanigans — but the mother’s behavior with telling the kids to not unpack yet and constantly refreshing her phone display is rather sus[picious],” the person wrote.

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"They were all smiles and high-fives once we started taxiing," the Reddit poster responded. "There was no doubt what they were up to."

Wrote one user, "Some FA’s [flight attendants] will enforce the walk of shame."

A mother (not pictured) on board a flight with her family monitored a seating chart in real time until the doors closed — then executed a controversial travel hack so that her group had an entire row to themselves. (iStock)

Another user shared, "I was on a half-empty plane once and the FA didn’t care where people [sat]. I asked if I could move to an empty row and she said, ‘Feel free to.’”

Wrote another person, "I don’t see the issue here. They waited until doors were closed to capture the seats. They knew they could be moved. I think it’s fine."

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Another user shared, "Lately I have seen FAs call people out and make them pay. A guy went full ‘man child’ when they told him to pay for the exit row he invited himself to or go back."

"You gotta admire their strategy. Not something I would do, but wow," said another.

"I really think people should sit in the seats they paid for," commented one user about the viral travel drama described online. (Getty / iStock)

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that some airlines have changed their policies regarding switching seats when flights are not fully booked.

"You used to be able to take any open seat in your cabin once the doors closed," he said.

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"You might move closer to the front, grab an aisle seat or head for an empty row in the back so you could stretch out."

Added Leff, "[Flyers] may not be able to get what they want from the airline when reserving seats, or the airline may want a fee for the seats they want and the passenger doesn't want to pay — so they’ll try their luck on board.”