A frequent flyer has sparked fierce debate after revealing he got into an argument with a fellow passenger over reclining his seat.
The Reddit user has reignited the ongoing conversation about airplane etiquette, with an expert recently sharing the 20 rules you should follow while traveling.
Now a first-class passenger has revealed he was faced with criticism and frequent glares after reclining his seat.
He questioned if he was in the wrong in the Am I The A**hole? subreddit for putting his seat back despite requests from the person behind him to stop.
A frequent flyer has sparked fierce debate after revealing he got into an argument with a fellow passenger over reclining his seat (stock image)
The Reddit user has revealed he was faced with criticism and frequent glares after reclining his seat while sitting in first class
In his viral post, he began by explaining that he is a frequent flyer who is 6’3″ and 350 pounds.
‘Hotly debated topic, I get it. I fly 150k miles a year, so my routine is pretty frequent. Paid for first class, as I’m a big guy (6’3″ and 350 lbs) – after the ding at 10,000 feet, I look back to make sure the person behind me doesn’t have a laptop out or anything, then slowly recline my seat back,’ he explained.
‘Especially up at the front of the plane, usually no one has any issues at all.’
The traveler added that the flight was nearly five hours and he didn’t want to spend the entirety of it uncomfortable.
However, when he tried to make himself comfortable, he was met with backlash from the fellow flyer behind him.
‘This flight was about 4.5 hours cross the US, and within 20 seconds of reclining back, dude taps me on the shoulder and says “Raise your damn seat.”‘
The Reddit user was shocked by the man’s demands and decided to let a flight attendant handle it.
He continued: ‘Genuinely surprised, I moved it up to appease the guy, but called over the flight attendant and told her that I intended to move it back after meal service and asked her to give the guy a heads up.
‘She reassured me that’s my prerogative, so I didn’t worry about it.’
Once the meal service was over, the Reddit user decided to once again attempt to recline his seat.
‘After meal service, did my routine and reclined the seat. Dude taps me again and says “I asked you to move your seat up, man.” I turn and say, “You’re welcome to talk to the flight attendant about it,’ he said.
‘He called her over, and she reiterated that I was entitled to recline my seat.’
Many viewers rushed to the comments section and took the Reddit user’s side
The frequent flyer then revealed that things calmed down after that, however he did receive some glares as he was getting off the plane.
‘No big argument after that, things pretty much ended there. Guy was about my size too, but in first class there truly is plenty of room. He glared at me as we deplaned however,’ the original poster said.
‘Honestly I feel I was respectful about it, but I just wasn’t gonna sit up straight for 4+ hours after paying for a ticket in 1st.’
Many viewers rushed to the comments section and took the Reddit user’s side.
One person commented: ‘It frankly sounds like you were more considerate than most.
‘You checked for a laptop – which is a super considerate move that probably only frequent flyers would think of. That guy was being more than a bit entitled. First class has plenty of room.
‘You paid for a seat that reclined. The flight attendant backed you up. Who knows why that guy was acting like you s*** in his cheerios, but it’s not on you my friend.’
Another person added: ‘It doesn’t bother me much when people recline their seats, even though I’m a big girl, because it’s their right as paying customers to use any and all available features.
‘And you’re correct, there is PLENTY of room in first class so it shouldn’t have infringed on his space.’
A third social media user said: ‘You’re given the ability to recline your seat for a reason. Since he was near your size, it makes it even more so that he should understand why you reclined your seat.’
‘Each person has the ability to recline and gets to choose to or not. That’s it! If the person behind you decides not to recline they are choosing to have less space but they don’t get to tell you that you can’t do so,’ someone else wrote.
‘No matter where you are sat you paid for your seat and it’s full range of motion. Recline away,’ one comment read.
‘You’ve paid for a seat that has the ability to recline. You checked to be sure the table wasn’t in use and that you weren’t going to crash into the person’s knees. You did nothing wrong,’ another wrote.
Someone else said: ‘You were in first class with plenty of room and the guy behind you could have reclined his seat too!’
The frequent flyer then revealed that things calmed down after that, however he did receive some glares as he was getting off the plane (stock image)
One person added: ‘The seats recline so people can recline in them. It’s part of the service you are paying for. The flight attendant is correct—you are entitled to recline your seat.
‘That guy was rude about it, too. He could have asked nicely and likely gotten a better outcome.’
And while the majority of users on the social media platform agreed with him, others slammed him for not respecting others.
One person said: ‘I wouldn’t call you an a**hole but definitely annoying.’
This latest debate comes after DailyMail.com columnist Jaci Stephen explained her take on switching seats.
Jaci confessed she ‘absolutely refuses’ to swap seats, no matter how angry the passenger requesting to switch may get.
In her confession, she explained she travels a lot and carefully selects her seat way in advance, she noted she even choose which direction she wants to face when traveling.
Jaci added that in the past, she’s had many passengers yell at her, and glare at her in annoyance, but she doesn’t mind as she noted its her ‘right to refuse.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk