One traveller was left reeling after a demanding passenger seated behind argued they should refrain from reclining their seat during their entire flight, re-igniting the never-ending debate of plane etiquette
The age-old debate of whether it’s ever acceptable to recline your plane seat has fired up once more.
Picture this: the seat belt sign has just switched off, you’ve just balanced your phone on the table, ready to binge Netflix for the next few hours – and all of a sudden the passenger in front of you is practically sitting on your lap. You are victim to the dreaded recline, and so therefore decide to inflict the pain on the person behind you (misery loves company, right?).
Of course, if you’re lucky enough to be served food on your flight, attendants should make sure everyone’s seats are upright – but many travellers think the option to recline to get some kip should be banned altogether, whilst others enjoy giving the person behind them absolutely no room. Wherever you stand on the issue, one traveller was left reeling after the person behind them demanded they stay upright the entire flight…
Taking to Reddit, the anonymous user claimed they were ‘tired and had a headache’ after experiencing ‘massive’ delays. So, once they were in the air, they reclined their seat with ‘the hope of catching a few minutes of sleep’.
“Immediately the person behind me tapped the side of my headrest (loudly) and told me I was squishing their legs,” the post reads. “I put my seat up, apologised, and then reclined again, but this time very little. I was trying to avoid squishing their legs, but also not sitting completely upright which is very uncomfortable for me.”
However, the passenger allegedly hit the headrest once again and told them to put their seat up, leaving the traveller ‘really frustrated’. “Once deplaned, the young lady sitting beside the person immediately behind me, came up to me and told me that the person had prosthetic legs and that I had caused them severe pain and that I didn’t seem to care,” the post added.
The Reddit user says they were ‘so angry’ they simply ignored the confrontation and ‘walked away’. They then argued that anyone with ‘challenges’ should book their flight ‘accordingly’.
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Swathes of users flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts, with many siding with the traveller. “The seat reclines. You paid for the seat, you’re allowed to recline,” one person wrote. “If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with the airline or book a seat in a position where it won’t be an issue.”
Another agreed, commenting: “As a very tall person, I get how a reclining seat is a pain. But you paid for it and you can recline. The person behind you should have either been more forthcoming as to what was going on or purchased a seat that more accommodated them.” While a third added: “If the person sitting next to them cared that much they could have swapped seats and let you recline.”
However, many slammed the passenger, arguing reclining on a short flight is ‘totally unnecessary’. “I never recline on a plane because I know there’s barely any space behind if I do,” one person said. Another penned: “The only good reason for reclining is if the person in front of you reclines, and you are stuck with no room yourself. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be reclining because it’s always more uncomfortable for the person behind you.”
Team recliner or team complainer: who do you think was in the wrong? Let us know in the comments section below
