Man flies Allegiant for the first time at Florida airport. When he sits down, he realizes something’s missing
Most people agree that air travel can be an uncomfortable experience. For hours, you’re sandwiched next to (or sometimes between) strangers, hoping no one invades the little space you have until landing. If you thought full-service legacy carriers were restrictive, budget airlines like Allegiant are even more cramped.
What Did This Man Notice On His Allegiant Flight?
While sitting on board a flight from Florida, travel enthusiast Jake (@jakepeterson114) zooms in on the Allegiant flight screen.
“Allegiant, I get travel is your deal, but not even a seat back pocket?!” he asks, shocked in the text overlay. Then, the camera jumps to the back of the seat in front of him, feeling around for the absent velcro seat pocket that can hold personal items. Instead, there is a condensed slot containing magazines. The video wraps up with the content creator shrugging.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop Jake from enjoying the flight. “Allegiant Airline doesn’t even seatback pockets for customers. Overall experience was great though.”
A Deeper Dive Into The Discovery
During an interview with The Mary Sue, Jake shared how he made this discovery.
“I wanted to put my soda in the seat back pocket like I normally do when I fly the larger airlines but I noticed there was no place to put my drink,” he revealed via Instagram direct message, before joking. “I knew Allegiant was a low cost carrier but I was thinking, ‘Wow this is really bare bones.’ So, I had to hold my drink the entire time. But I don’t recall the seat back issue on the other flight.”
Although there was a compartment holding various reading materials, it wasn’t large enough to hold larger items.
“There wasn’t really enough space to put any of your belongings in where the magazines were,” he said.
Regardless, the content creator plans to continue to fly with Allegiant for several reasons.
“I would book a flight with Allegiant again. I like that they fly to nonstop locations and you don’t have to waste time with a layover,” Jake stated. “Fun fact, that was the second time I flew them to Florida. The previous video I did with them about my flight almost getting canceled got 16 million views on TikTok. (This was March of 2025) the SAME flight attendant was on the previous flight and my most recent flight and recognized me right when I boarded. She said everyone at Allegiant had shared my previous video.”
Viewers Had Mixed Thoughts
The video garnered over 97,000 views. Many had differing opinions about the airline.
“We use them for very specific flight needs, long weekends where a duffle bag works and only want to pay less than $300 round trip. It’s much better than frontier or spirit and far cheaper than the rest,” one viewer commented.
“They are the best UlCC in the the United States. Their flights are usually always on time because they don’t fly too many legs each day,” another stated.
“Allegiant is great if you’re 5′ tall and 110 lbs,” a third remarked.
However, most agreed that the pockets weren’t necessary.
“What do you need a seat back pocket for? You’re just asking to leave things on the plane If you put something in that pocket,” a commenter said.
“If you saw what people leave in those you’d be glad there weren’t any,” a second concurred.
Should You Put Your Belongings In Airline Seat Pockets?
Most low-cost carriers don’t have seat pockets, but the spot Jake noticed on Allegiant could be considered one. Full-service carriers typically have this amenity located in front of the passenger, whereas Allegiant’s revamped seats have it at the top of the seat, per Airline Reporter. While this may be a convenient place to store your cellphone or other small items, there are pitfalls besides potentially forgetting your belongings in the void of darkness.
Typically, flight attendants do a light cleaning after each flight, but the thoroughness of it can be questionable, especially during quick turnarounds, according to Explore. Germs are lurking in almost every nook and cranny, including the notorious seat pocket. Previous passengers shoving their hands inside them, plus any leftover garbag,e creates a recipe for harboring bacteria.
@jakepeterson114 Allegiant Airline doesn’t even seatback pockets for customers. Overall experience was great though #traveltiktok #traveltips #allegiant #traveladvice @Allegiant Air ♬ Frolic (Theme from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" TV Show) – Luciano Michelini
The Mary Sue reached out to Allegiant via press email.
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