Woman yelling at plane passenger kicking her seat sparks debate about reclining during flight

What is acceptable behavior for one person on a flight can be rage-inducing for another, as passengers found out in the latest viral plane etiquette video.

Over recent months, the internet has been chock-full of debates about the dos and don't of air travel.

Anything from opening closed window blinds, asking to swap seats, and not wearing headphone when watching TikTok videos could quickly make you very unpopular with your fellow passengers.

And, of course, there's the ever-present debate over if it's OK to recline your seat.

A clip circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows a woman arguing with another passenger.

She's accusing the other passenger of pushing the back of her seat for the whole flight, while the other passenger seems annoyed she chose to recline her seat.

It is not clear from the footage when the incident took place or with what airline.

The short clip appears to conclude in a stalemate, but social media users were quick to jump into the debate and add their own views.

Since being posted today (November 1), the video has been viewed more than six million times, with people divided over who's in the right.

Many social media users said the woman had every right to put her seat back, a point she herself yells at the other passenger.

But not everyone was in agreement.

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“They should NOT allow people to put their seat back IMO. It's just ridiculous how little space one has on a plane to begin with, to have even less of that is SILLY,” one social media user wrote.

“It’s always the tiny people. As a big dude in both directions I try to accommodate others as much as possible when I’m unable to fly first class,” one X user commented.

“I do not recline because it undoubtedly intrudes on the other person's space. Being on a plane primarily sucks, a little consideration goes a long way.”

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“The seat at its most reclined is still that person's space,” another user commented in response.

“That’s for them to do so if they wish. You expecting them not to is you encroaching on their space.”

One X user attempted to offer up a system that may help keep everyone happy.

“If the person behind you is small lean it back, if they are big, don’t they are already uncomfortable enough. But people only think of themselves, a little bit of kindness and consideration goes a long way.”

Topics: Viral

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.