‘The seat was hanging off the bone’: Man boards Delta flight and looks at his seat, what he found made him question how he was supposed to sit for hours

A Delta Airlines passenger recently posted a video showing his exit row seat cushion completely detached when he boarded his international flight. The TikTok user @legitrealness recorded the problem and his video got over 33,000 views.

In the clip, he showed how the bottom cushion was loose and easy to pick up and move around. He said the seat was “literally hanging off the bone” and noted in the caption that the cushion was “literally on the floor.”

This seems like a terrible way to start a long international trip. The passenger later said in his TikTok video that he “had to put it back together” before he could sit down for the flight. Most people would think a detached seat cushion is a serious safety problem, but it turns out this is actually a normal design feature on many planes.

Today’s flights feel much worse compared to air travel decades ago. According to Bro Bible, a transatlantic ticket cost around $600 in the 1960s, which equals over $6,000 today. That price included huge meals, spacious seats, and luxury service. Now, flights feel crowded, and problems like loose seats make it seem like airlines have gotten worse.

The detached cushion is actually part of the design

The good news is that the detachment is usually on purpose. Many airlines use hook-and-loop fasteners like Velcro to attach seat cushions. These fasteners let crew members easily remove cushions for cleaning and sanitation. Since plane seats need regular cleaning, this design helps with maintenance.

The Federal Aviation Administration actually supports this design. In 2008, the administration released guidelines saying airplane seats should be easy to remove. One suggestion was installing detachable seat cushions to make security searches easier. While this passenger’s experience was unsettling, other travelers have faced serious ticketing issues during holiday travel that caused even more stress.

Some seats, especially near exits, used to be designed to come off easily so they could work as flotation devices during emergency water landings. This feature is less common now, but if your seat has it, the safety demonstration will tell you.

If you find your seat falling apart, don’t try to fix it yourself like the TikToker did. You should not snap it back into place unless a crew member tells you to. The seat might have a real safety problem. Travelers should also be aware of customs regulations when packing snacks to avoid unexpected fines.

You should tell a flight attendant right away. They can check if it’s just a loose cushion that needs reattaching or if there’s a bigger structural issue. If needed, they can move you to another seat. You can also document the problem and file a complaint with the airline. Depending on how bad the issue was, they might apologize or give you compensation.