A woman with a bad back who paid extra for a more comfortable exit seat ahead of a seven-hour flight had no idea she was in for a nightmarish journey, all thanks to one particularly cross mum and her child.
According to this peeved passenger, she ended up paying quite a lot extra for her seat of choice. Unfortunately, she didn't end up feeling the benefit of it as she was unable to recline throughout the duration of the flight.
Every single time she attempted to recline, even a little bit, the "angry" mother seated behind her with "quite a big child on her lap" would swear at her furiously, making her feelings known.
Taking to Mumsnet, the now furious woman wrote: "I tried very gently reclining it a little at some stage ( before I had seen the child ) but she was angry and swore, so I put it upright.
"Who was unreasonable here? Or do we generally think anyone reclining their seat is unreasonable? I tend to recline my seat on very long flights, when the lights are dimmed for sleeping, as do most others on those flights. I don't recline on a short haul."
She went on to explain that, although the incident happened a few years back, she still gets frustrated thinking about it, and still isn't sure exactly which one of them was in the wrong.
One fellow Mumsnet user advised: "It's only socially acceptable to recline your seat on an overnight flight when the person behind you has also reclined theirs. Any other time means you'll burn in the fiery pits of hell.
"It's like cooking fish in the office microwave - just because you technically can, doesn't mean you should."
Another took a different view, commenting: "I would have reclined my seat, given no f**** at her swearing, and asked the air stewards to explain to her that if she chose to restrict her own space by not paying for a separate seat for her child then that was her lookout.
"I don't trade my own comfort for somebody else's penny-pinching. But, I'm good at speaking up for myself and appreciate not everyone is."
Do you have a plane-related story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
