Row over reclining seat on flight divides opinion – but who’s right?

It’s the only button in economy that makes the flight a tiny bit more comfortable. But whether you should press it or not has divided the internet.

A woman has split opinion after a passenger told her not to recline her seat so she could use her laptop during a flight.

A TikTok user who goes by the name “leads.to.keys” shared her story while on a six-hour flight.

“So I recline my seat and the girl behind me IMMEDIATELY tells me that she can’t use her laptop if I recline (didn’t ask me to unrecline – more of a statement with the expectation.

“So I put the seat back to normal although I want it reclined for this six-hour flight. Let it go?” she said.

She did say there was a bright side, as the plane had a “pantry area with unlimited snacks”.

More than 620,000 people have watched the video, but TikTok users were divided about who was in the right, The Sun reports.

Stream your news live & on demand with Flash for $8/month and no lock in contracts. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Tired blonde casual caucasian lady napping on uncomfortable seat while traveling by airplane. Commercial transportation by planes.

Some people agreed with her – one person said: “If the chair can recline, then you can. It’s ridiculous to think you have to stay uncomfortable based on what the joker behind you wants.”

Another person wrote: “Once had a tall bloke demand I didn’t recline on an overnight flight to St Lucia. No chance. Pay for extra legroom or don’t go.”

A flight attendant also chipped in calling it “petty,” adding: “They have the right to recline. You can recline too. You want everyone to accommodate you?”

However lots of people slammed the TikTok user, saying it wasn’t fair on the person behind her.

Push button for seat recline on airplane

One person wrote: “Reclining chairs shouldn’t be allowed in economy! It is just a pain for the person behind you (especially people who are tall and have long legs).”

A frequent flyer agreed: “I never recline my seat out of respect for those behind me. The recline doesn’t make much difference for you anyway.”

Someone else also said: “Lmao you don’t need to recline for a six-hour flight. You will survive.”

Empty airplane seats in second class on an international flight during August peak season 2020

Lots of people agreed that the only time to recline is during long night flights to sleep, but not for the rest of the flight.

In 2020, a passenger was left fuming when his laptop was destroyed during a flight, after the person in front reclined their seat.

Etiquette experts have also explained when you should recline your seat, and when you should not.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission