A TikToker sparked debate with a 'poor man's first class' flight hack to buy an entire row of seats and then get a refund before the trip

• A TikToker went viral with a hack he's calling the "poor man's first class."
• He told viewers to buy a full row of plane tickets, then get a refund for two before boarding.

A TikToker has gone viral with a "flight hack" for how airplane passengers can sneakily get an entire row of seats for themselves. While some thought it was clever, it received backlash as viewers debated how ethical or effective it was.

In the video, shared on February 22, the creator @ndainternet advises viewers to buy an entire row of fully refundable tickets — and then refund two out of the three 45 minutes before boarding. According to his logic, airlines won't have enough time to resell those tickets and the customer will have a luxurious empty row to themselves.

"This is called a 'poor man's first class,'" he says in the clip, which has amassed over 1 million views and 40,000 likes. "There's no catch. Just make sure the two additional tickets are fully refundable."

While there's a plethora of flight hacks for scoring the best deals, viewers aren't so sure about this one. People were quick to say this hack would be short-lived because airlines would soon take notice.

"The catch is the airlines will stop offering refundable tickets and the rest of us suffer," one top commenter said.

"They'll ban you from buying tickets if you keep refunding most of them," another said.

People also reminded the creator of standby lists. Someone who gets their ticket refunded may just free up space for passengers who didn't have a seat before.

"There's always a standby list. They will always fill that seat," one commenter wrote.

A person who said they frequently flew standby "thanked" the creator for offering more standby seats with this hack.

Others said they simply thought a method like this to game the system was ridiculous: "I bought all refundable tickets and had the whole airline to myself!" one person quipped.

The TikTok user @ndainternet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The TikToker has uploaded other videos on airplane-related tips, including one on how to use Google's flight-search function to find the cheapest flights, as well as a method for flying on a private jet at a low cost.

Flying and airplane etiquette continues to be a hot-button issue on TikTok.

Earlier this month, an influencer went viral after she refused to swap seats so a family could sit together on a flight. While some thought her refusal was impolite, many cheered her on for standing her ground.

In November, a TikToker was praised for asking a passenger to switch seats because she offered him a better seat option than he had.