I have my friends do this when they travel with me. I tell them that if the gate agent says something, tell them you have a peanut allergy and need extra time to wipe the seat down. That line has worked every time.
"tell them you have a peanut allergy and need extra time to wipe the seat"
Another often overlooked travel tip is that you can park in handicap spaces to save walking 10 extra feet.
That's not a life hack thats deliberately lying to someone whose job requires them to accommodate you to sometimes great degrees. Like not serving peanuts to those around you.