'Seat squatting' is the biggest mistake you can make on a plane - are you guilty?

After a long wait at the airport, that moment you finally board your flight will have you breathing a sigh of relief - especially if you're taking a late-night journey or have suffered an unfortunate delay.

Book in one hand, coffee in the other, you'll be looking forward to settling into a couple of hours of doing nothing at all.

But what if at that precise moment, out of the corner of your eye, you spot a cheeky customer right in the window seat you reserved in advance?

'Seat squatting', a term that has risen to prominence on social media, is when someone incorrectly sits in your plane seat, leaving you in the awkward situation of having to ask them to move.

It can range from inconvenient - having to ask the offender to get out of your spot - to downright unpleasant, often requiring cabin crew to intervene if you find yourself face to face with an adamant traveller set on your seat.

Seat squatters rank among the most hated of airline passengers.

In many situations, the motivations of seat squatters are harmless: they might want to sit next to a friend or partner, or they might prefer an aisle seat but were assigned a window.

In other cases, it may have been a cheeky way of dodging seat reservation fees on budget airlines, in the hope they can make a swap with a fellow passenger - or lie their way out of a bad seat.

Most of the time, an awkward conversation will rectify the issue. 

But sometimes, you may need to inform cabin crew - especially if the conflict escalates.

It's also poor etiquette.

Etiquette expert Laura Windsor told Metro: 'Questions like “can I sit here” or “is it okay if we switch seats” should be redundant today. 

'If people want to sit together, they should have booked accordingly.

‘Someone’s holiday shouldn’t be ruined because certain people don’t have manners.

'People shouldn’t feel as though they can do whatever they want. Also, people shouldn’t really have mixed opinions about this. It’s incredibly clear.' 

Passengers have taken to social media to share their anger at 'seat squatters'.

One wrote on TikTok: 'The only person I would give up my window seat for is my kid. No one else. Just sit in your seat sir.'

Another added how to handle the situation: 'Immediately call the flight attendant. No drama. I'll ask once. After that I call for reinforcement.' 

A third chimed in: 'I had this same thing happen to me last time I flew. I asked them to move and they acted like they didn't know which seat was which. I then said I paid extra for that seat and they moved.'

'Seat squatters' fall alongside 'barebeaters', those who listen to music or a video out loud, without headphones.

Other bad habits include having loud conversations, as well as eating hot or strong-smelling food. 

'Gate lice', those who cluster around the gate before it is even their turn to board the plane, are also among the most annoying travel habits - as well as 'pocket pilers', who don't empty their pockets before security at the airport.

Meanwhile, 'aisle lice' is the nickname that has been given to passengers who jump up the second the plane arrives at the gate - even, in some cases, before the seatbelt sign has turned off.