Phê Vé
April 8, 2026 • 3 min read
Every flight has its own unique stories, and sometimes they can be quite surprising. Who would have thought that seat 27E didn't actually exist on a flight to Lisbon?
On the Flight to Lisbon
Recently, a passenger boarding a flight to Lisbon was in for a shock when they discovered that seat 27E, printed on their boarding pass, was nonexistent. Ironically, they found themselves unable to sit by the aisle, leaving them in a state of confusion.
The Concept of Standing Seats on Planes
Looking back to 2012, Ryanair proposed the idea of 'standing seats' to increase passenger capacity and cut costs. Airbus even holds a patent for a 'double-decker' seat design. Unfortunately, both concepts remain theoretical and have yet to be approved for actual flights.
The Reason Behind the Mix-Up
This situation likely arose from a last-minute aircraft change. The plane the passenger was originally supposed to board had a seat 27E, but the aircraft they boarded did not. Their seat assignment may have changed without a new boarding pass being issued.
How to Handle a Seat Change
Typically, after a seat change, the system or staff will reassign seats for passengers. However, in this case, the passenger retained their old boarding pass with outdated seat information. It's possible that due to a lack of boarding pass printers, they were only given a receipt with their new seat upon boarding.
Aircraft Changes by TAP Air Portugal
Upon examining the boarding pass, it appeared to be from TAP Air Portugal, clearly indicating Lisbon. It’s interesting to note that if a TAP Airbus narrow-body plane switched to a regional aircraft like the TAP Express Embraer, this would make sense (reducing from 6 seats per row to 4).
✈️ Tìm chuyến bay giá tốt
Đặt vé ngay với giá ưu đãi từ các hãng hàng không
The Issue of Seats vs. Passengers
However, if there are more passengers than seats on the plane, that presents a different problem. The airline would need to seek volunteers, and any refusals to board would require compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
Passenger Compensation Regulations
Unlike in the U.S., compensation regulations apply not only to overbooked flights but also to operational changes like aircraft swaps. Compensation is set at 250 euros for flights under 1,500 km, 400 euros for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, and 600 euros for longer flights.
Reduced Compensation for Early Arrivals
If passengers arrive at their destination earlier than expected (by 2, 3, or 4 hours depending on the distance), their compensation may be reduced by 50%. There have been numerous instances where passengers boarded without assigned seats, meaning the number of passengers exceeded the number of seats, yet the flight still took off.
Stories from Other Flights
A family on a TUI flight was assigned seats 41 D/E/F, but when the aircraft changed, those seats were no longer available. The flight was overbooked by two seats, and while one child got a real seat, their parents were left sitting in standby.
Reports from Other Flights
Recently, on a Transavia flight, a woman and child were seated in the cockpit area as standby throughout a 6-hour journey. A similar situation occurred on a Delta flight where 182 passengers boarded a Boeing 737-900 that only had 180 seats.
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