A man has been praised for his reaction to a fellow plane passenger who was trying to invade his leg room space on a flight.
The holidaymaker took to social media forum Reddit to ask the online community if he had handled the situation in the correct way. In explaining the row, the man said he was on a four-hour flight, and given his 6'5" (196cm) stature, he was crammed into a seat on an economy flight.
When the woman in front of him tried to recline her seat, she realised she couldn't due to his knees being pressed up against the back of her chair.
After a dirty look and another failed attempt, he apologised to the woman and said he couldn't move his legs without "encroaching" onto the space of others.
She accused him of doing it on purpose and insulted him, saying he should "pay extra" for a seat with more leg room. He felt that those who recline their seats are "inconsiderate", and asked Reddit for their opinion.
Writing on the website, the anonymous man said: "I am around 6'5 or 196 cm, but my legs are long. Normally I purchase economy plane seats because I have no issue being uncomfortable for a while, especially for shorter flights.
"I should mention that I take care to never intrude on other people's space around me, although occasionally with another tall person with wide shoulders it can be tight.
"Last week, I was on a four-hour international flight with my knees crammed into the seat in front of me. The passenger directly in front of me tried to recline, but realized that my knees were preventing her from doing so.
"She turned around, gave me a dirty look, and attempted to recline again with more force.
"I was a little annoyed, but apologized and told her I could not move my legs out of the way without encroaching on the spaces beside me (i.e., moving my legs to the side into other people's spaces, freeing up space for her).
"She accused me of doing this on purpose just because I wanted more room for myself, calling me an a***** and saying that if I could not fit into a normal economy plane seat that I should pay extra for an emergency exit seat so that people around me can have more free space.
"If I'm honest, I feel that people who recline their seats in economy are annoying and inconsiderate, so I didn't exactly bend over backwards to accommodate for her.
"For more context, no, I did not check to see if this flight in particular had extra emergency exit seats. Like I said, usually I do not feel the need.
"I do not often run into issues with seats beside me, although this issue with people in front of me not being able to recline has occurred before, though not always, and has earned me some dirty looks from those in front of me in the past.
"So, am I the a******? Should I pay extra for seats with more leg room so that people in front of me can recline even though this is not always a problem?"
Many people rushed to the man's defence and claimed he wasn't acting in a harsh way by explaining his situation and not booking a more expensive seat.
One Reddit user said: "I'm a big guy and it's a common problem. They squeezed every inch out of those aircraft and it's uncomfortable. She should have been more understanding of reality.
"Maybe you could have gotten an isle seat but you paid for your seat as well and are entitled to your space."
Another said: "Nah. But reclining seats is a feature, and the passenger in front has every "right" to do that.
"Yes, tall travellers do get the short end of the stick here. The airlines are the a********."
And a third wrote: "It’s not your fault you’re too tall for her to recline."
However, not everyone was in agreement, as one Reddit user said: "I thought you weren't until I read this part and then you became the a******.
"My husband is 6'6" and all of that extra height is in his legs but we don't blame other passengers for the lack of legroom in economy, that's down to the airlines.
"We ask with respect and politeness if they would be willing to sacrifice use of their reclining seat so he is able to fit into the space. And are grateful if they do.
"But we also look to minimise this issue coming up by paying extra for emergency aisle or premium economy seats with extra legroom.
"The lack of legroom for tall passengers sucks but it's not the other passengers' faults either."
Another wrote: "You know the issue occurs. Seats are made to recline and people are allowed to recline them, otherwise why have the recline feature at all?
"People might have been travelling for ten or fifteen hours already and need to sleep. They may have arthritis or other serious back pain. Not all injuries are visible.
"You're the inconsiderate one. Let people use the features they've paid for, and pay for the extra leg room that you require."
And one added: "Why is it inconsiderate for people to use the seat as designed??? Your attitude is s****."
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