A man says he boarded a half-empty Southwest flight to Reno, then a flight attendant told him he couldn’t move one row up without paying

A passenger says a flight attendant told him he couldn’t move to a different seat on a half-empty Southwest flight without paying an upgrade fee. His TikTok video has split viewers amid ongoing complaints about Southwest’s updated seating rules.

As first highlighted by BroBible, TikTok user Kelly Wisner posted a video showing himself on a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Reno. The cabin appeared largely empty, with many open seats visible.

Wisner claims he asked a flight attendant if he could switch seats once the plane was in the air. “I said, ‘Can I switch seats when we get in the air?’ And the lady said, ‘No, those are up-charged seats,’” Wisner recounted in his video.

The seat he wanted was only one row away

Wisner added that he was told he could not move to the seat in front of him because it was a more expensive option, even though no one else was getting on the plane. In his caption, he called the situation “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” and suggested the airline would rather have an “old couple next to me listen to my snoring” than let him move.

Southwest changed its boarding policy in January 2026, moving from open seating to assigned seating. Passengers now need to buy a seat in advance if they want a specific spot on the plane.

The airline also introduced three seating categories, Standard, Preferred, and Extra Legroom, with the last two coming at an upcharge. The change has drawn criticism, with some customers claiming their higher-end seats didn’t deliver the promised perks and others alleging they bought seats only to end up on standby. One traveler also said extra legroom seats showed unavailable while booking.

Southwest’s website states that “with assigned seating, you’ll select your seat during booking for most fares, and it will be saved for you.” It also notes that passengers won’t be able to choose their own seat after boarding, while upgraded seats can be bought less than an hour before a domestic flight takes off.

Another viral video showed a woman claiming a flight attendant scolded her for moving to an empty row of seats. Wisner’s video drew a similar debate, with some viewers siding with the airline and arguing that passengers shouldn’t expect something they didn’t pay for.

“Why are you entitled to a product you didn’t pay for?” one user asked, while another added, “Everyone wants everything for free.” Many others supported Wisner, with one commenter writing, “Insane, and those defending this are also insane.”

Another viewer pointed out, “For everyone giving analogies… United and American have let people move around. Also, southwest use to let you move.” Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the flight attendant’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Wisner’s TikTok video.