Let's face it, no airline seat is truly comfortable. Not unless you can splurge on the upgraded first-class seats. However, if you are like most people and toughing it out in the economy, you are no stranger to discomfort. Cramped legroom, non-cushy seats, and sharing armrests are all part of your reality. Most people accept this without complaint, but the internet is in a tizzy over this new flight seat feature. It was so strange that many accused it of being some kind of torture device.
What Is This Bizarre New Flight Seat Feature?
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Introducing the "cheek splitter", yes, you heard that correctly. The NY Post shared a Reddit thread revealing details about this bizarre new flight seat feature. A flier shared a photo of the seat adjacent to them, showing off the strange new addition to the seat. The airline had placed a wedge in the center of the seat. Therefore, if anyone opted to sit there, their bottom would be split on either side of the wedge. Hence the name "cheek splitter."
Under their photo, this user shared the following caption. "Flew on an older 738 today and found this seat next to me. Would anyone know the reason for this seat deletion? I'm a bit perplexed." Clearly, this individual was not familiar with this unique flight seat feature. Luckily for them, the internet had the answers, along with some jokes.
The Internet Chimes In...It Is Not Torture
Despite looking strange and torturous, and its horrendous name of "cheek splitter," there was a valid reason for this flight seat feature. Apparently, many airlines use this wedge to signal that no one is to sit in that seat. Several users commented something to this effect underneath the post. Here are some examples of those comments.
- "The likely reason is that something is broken with the seat. Every airline has its own ways of showing a seat as inop. This airline decided the Cheek Splitter 9000 was the most appropriate method."
- "It will be something to do with certification. e.g. the number of flight attendants is dictated by the number of seats, not the number of passengers. If the number of seats is reduced by a certain amount, then the airline can potentially fly with one less flight attendant, saving money. You can't achieve that by simply not selling a ticket for the seat. It has to be done physically in some way."
However, some could not miss the opportunity to make light of this humorous situation. Here are some of the joking comments that were left under the thread.
- "Oh thank goodness, it's a huge upgrade from the Cheek Splitter 6000! The 6000 was pretty traumatic!!"
- "Tag line: "You'll be praying for turbulence."
- "Hostile architecture ?"
- "I bet someone out there would pay extra for it."
