Pringles plane ‘hack’ sparks heated debate

A woman who posted footage of her Pringles plane hack has left online users divided with some branding it “clever”, while others have labelled it “ridiculous”.

A woman has sparked a heated debate online after she used a Pringles tube to stop the person in front from reclining their seat.

The passenger, who goes by the name Clare Duggan on TikTok, recorded the footage from her plane seat of the packet wedged securely between the top and bottom of the tray table.

“This is the best life hack when you’ve got someone in front who is trying to put the seat down constantly,” she said in the short clip.

@clareduggan1982 @Pringles #traveltiktok #traveltips #lifehacks #pringle ♬ original sound - clareduggan1982

After just a week, her post has amassed 1.5 million views and attracted over a thousand comments from TikTok users divided over the act.

While many described it as a “brilliant” and “genius” idea, with some admitting they do the same, others weren’t so convinced.

“You know, the seats go back so people can relax,” one person commented.

“I would never do it,” wrote another, while a third added: “I’d just ask the cabin crew to see why my chair won’t recline.”

A passenger used a Pringles tube to stop the person in front from reclining their seat. Picture: TikTok/ClareDuggan

Others got fired up saying the move was “clever” but all passengers were “entitled to put seat back”.

“The seats are literally made to recline,” one person demanded.

“I never understand why people get annoyed about a seat going back. Doesn’t bother me,” said another.

Meanwhile, others branded it “ridiculous”.

“Quite frankly, you should be banned from flying bloody pathetic.”

Clare later explained in the comments that she doesn’t mind people reclining.

“But this guy was refusing to lift his up when I was eating even though politely asked. So this seemed like a fair way of dealing with it,” she said.

Others suggested she should have just informed the flight attendants.

“They’ll tell them to incline during meal service. It’s not that deep,” one person said.

But Clare said she acted after the flight attendant had asked for the seats to be put up while eating – and the passenger in front still didn’t comply.

The “hack” also sparked a conversation about when the best time to recline your seat is, with many saying it’s OK for long-haul flights.

“If your flight is less than four hours, it’s rude to recline imo, it’s also perfectly allowed for me to watch my movie without headphones but it’s rude so I wouldn’t do it,” one person said.

“They should just have set times when people can recline seats. It’s fine during restful hours, but the worst thing is if you’re eating your meals and someone recline,” said another.

Meanwhile, a third said: “I always respect the person behind me by asking if they mind if I recline the seat back. That’s called consideration but I love this hack, well shared.”