Woman Says Boyfriend Bought Third Seat So They Could Have ‘More Space’ On Flight. Then She Sees The Real Reason He Bought It: ‘An Excellent Use Of Free Will’

There’s hyper-fixation as one of the symptoms of ADHD, and then there’s hyper fixation as a lifestyle choice. One resourceful traveler took the opportunity to make an otherwise tedious flight into the gaming opportunity of his dreams.

Katy Koval, a fitness buff and frequent traveler, recently posted a TikTok of her boyfriend settled in for a 14-hour flight. The couple planned a trip to Hong Kong, and because airlines often feel very cramped, they paid for the middle seat too. It was, Koval (@__k80) explained in the caption to the video which has been viewed over 2 million times, “for more space.”

Air Travel Secret Unlocked

Anyone who’s ever been unlucky enough to get squeezed into the middle seat of an economy flight knows how uncomfortable it is. For everyone. But business and first class are often unaffordable. So Jake Boly (@thatfitfriend) took matters into his own hands: he reserved the center seat so he and Koval could stretch out a little bit.

But the stretch he was most interested in was the one with his mouse-controlling hand. Instead of zoning out for 14 hours on movies, Boly was on a mission. Or perhaps quest would be the more accurate term. Because he used the “extra space” to co-opt the middle seat’s table tray for his computer’s mouse. This enabled him to maneuver for his RuneScape marathon.

RuneScape is a fantasy MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) that was introduced in 2001 by Andrew Gower, along with his brothers Paul and Ian Gower. As a game, it is beloved. It’s also been spoofed in popular culture many times, but perhaps most notably by the Apple TV show Mythic Quest.

A Man On A Quest

The comments section is an interesting mix of questions about how exactly one goes about securing the third purchased seat (making sure it’s not “re-assigned”), and those folks who’re thrilled to reminisce about RuneScape.

“He’s playing RUNESCAPE!! I still play that game 20 years later, since 2006,” exclaimed Cynthia.

Meanwhile, Tomnijs6 noted, “This man has QUESTED, look at that spacebar.”

Others shared tales of extra seats bought and lost. To which Koval replied, “When he called them to purchase the extra ticket they said you have to pay for the seat, then you have to physically go up to the gate when you get there and ask them for the extra boarding pass. If you don’t have that second boarding pass checked, then they can give the seat away.”

TikTokjay also asked about the logistics of the purchase, “Was it just two tickets in one person’s name for the 3rd seat?”

“Yes,” replied Koval.

Why Now Just Fly Business Class?

One commenter asked why, instead of spreading out across three seats, the couple didn’t opt for the less logistically-challenged business class. So Boly replied: “Business class seat on this flight = $7,499. There are two of us. I ain’t got 15k laying around for biz seats, lol. This extra seat cost $750, much more doable,” he said.

So why is business class so much more expensive? Several factors play into the difference in prices between an economy fare and business class. The first one is space. Multiple sources report that a single business class seat (depending on configuration) can take up to the equivalent in three to six economy seats.

Additionally, the exclusive lounges often attached to the first and business class experiences are expensive to maintain. And those same sources report that the food is appreciably better, plus there are often security line perks too. This might not add up to thousands of dollars in value for the average traveler. But for those individuals who travel frequently, a more holistically civilized experience might actually be measured in dollars and cents.

There’s also the pervasive idea that in general, many frequent fliers don’t pay full price. Whether the cost is footed by their employer, or defrayed by their significant accrual of airline miles, the consensus seems to be that most of these travelers rarely pay full price.

For those who do, a 2025 report showed that “the price of business class flights is rising faster than ever – up an average of 18.2 per cent in USD terms compared to 2024.” Worth noting: “prices in the Americas experienced a 39.3% year on year increase.”

But even with prices climbing, amplified by geopolitical conflict in 2026, that same survey showed that “around half of respondents across all regions said they like to travel as much as possible and discover other cultures.”

So whether you’re discovering real or imagined realms, the best seat is the one you plan for. Preferably one with just a little more elbow room to wield a sword (via mouse).

BoardingArea reached out to Katy Koval via TikTok direct message and with a comment on her post. We will update this when she gets back to us.

@__k80 I got a trip to Asia, he got 15 hrs of uninterrupted RuneScape 🤝#longflight #bf #runescape #travel #international ♬ The Way I Like It – Party Pupils