Fiery plane passengers debate who deserves middle seat armrests

Debate has been raging online about the behaviour of the passenger in the middle seat — and people feel strongly both for and against it.

The internet is up in arms over this aeroplane etiquette question: Does the person sitting in the middle seat on the aeroplane get both armrests?

American NFL television show The Rich Eisen Show tweeted out the contentious personal-space poll on Thursday morning, racking up more than 107,000 votes — and sparking fierce debate from both middle-seat supporters and haters, the New York Post reports.

As seating space continues to shrink, it’s a topic flyers are passionate about.

does the person sitting in the middle seat on airplane get both armrests?

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) June 6, 2019

“Yes,” self-proclaimed “travel fanatic” Dylan Connolly tweeted back to the tune of 1100 likes. Plane etiquette, Mr Connolly said, clearly required the middle seat got both armrests since the window seat got to lean on the window and the aisle sitter could enjoy extra leg room and the left-hand armrest.

@KingLeonidas199 heartily agreed: “We live in a society were [sic] not f***in animals.”

“I hardly ever sit in the middle and I always yield my armrest to the middle seat passenger,” fellow Twitter user Crazy Diamond chimed in to much backlash.

They totally should they are the ones stuck between two people and that should be their added benefit!

— Ryan Mays (@theMaysShow29) June 6, 2019

They should have picked a different seat.

— Dustin Allen △⃒⃘ (@Ultimate_DA) June 7, 2019

I always try to equitably share armrests - with one person using the front and one the back of it. If my terms are unsatisfactory prepare for elbow wars.

— 👑 𝒱𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 👑 (@Quannoi) June 7, 2019

Yes. Plane etiquette rules are as follows: Left Seat: aisle with extra leg space and left armrest. Middle Seat: Both armrests. Window Seat: Window and place to lean against and right armrest. We are a society of rules, not animals.

— Dylan Connolly (@dconn91) June 6, 2019

Not if they're sitting next to me, that's for sure.

— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) June 6, 2019

For former NFL player Ross Tucker, the answer to whether or not middle seaters get the armrest was personal.

“Not if they’re sitting next to me, that’s for sure,” said the sports podcaster who stood at 193cm and weighed 140kg. Fair enough, the guy requires some space.

But some commenters just weren’t having it.

“No wonder why it’s the damn Wild West every time I get put in a middle seat,” raged @JDTNTC. “Have some respect people.”

At the end of the poll, the “No way” voters edged out the “Definitely” camp, but it was a tight finish, suggesting there’s no prevailing school of thought on this issue.

But there’s one thing that isn’t up for debate: Armrests are not for feet, as one little boy made clear to the woman behind him on a recent flight.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission