Airplane etiquette is something many people struggle with. From people going barefoot on their seats to parents letting their kids misbehave, and even those who think they can steal someone else’s seat, the entitlement never seems to end.
And truthfully, there just seems to be something about the stress of flying, or potentially missing a flight, that brings out crazy human behavior in such a tightly confined space. Whatever the reason, this behavior actually affected a woman on Threads, who shared her experience with a male “Karen” who audaciously decided he owned her seat. And this is what readers had to say about it.
Flying is quite a stressful situation for many, and plenty of people use it as an excuse to unleash their inner demons
yaroslav-astakhov- / Magnific (not the actual photo)
A woman shared her experience with an entitled passenger after he decided to kick her feet from under her seat
DC Studio / Magnific (not the actual photo)
DC Studio / Magnific (not the actual photo)
DC Studio / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Generally, the space under an airplane seat does indeed belong to the passenger sitting behind it, but the seat structure itself doesn’t
While reading the story, it’s quite easy to immediately pinpoint the culprit: the male “Karen.” But in reality, both parties were wrong to some degree. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), passengers should generally place personal items beneath the seat in front of them. So, in a way, the man wasn’t entirely wrong in claiming that the space was part of his personal bubble.
And technically, he was also right that he, much like everyone around him, needs more space. According to several aviation analysts, economy-class seat pitch, the distance from one seat back to the next, has shrunk from an average of 35 inches (around 90 cm) in the 1970s to roughly 28–31 inches (71–79 cm) today. Seat widths have also become smaller.
Research shows that men in public transit disputes will generally use confrontational language if the other party is a woman
Nonetheless, his behavior was unacceptable. But actually, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that spatial compression and the physical environment of airplanes can make people more irritable and prone to physical outbursts, often because they feel their personal space has been invaded.
But what should the woman have done when the man first became aggressive? While her son managed to nip the situation in the bud, the FAA recommends that passengers contact a flight attendant when situations become disruptive. Flight attendants are trained to de-escalate conflicts and can enforce the appropriate protocols. That said, what would you have done? Would you have called the man out or simply moved your feet? Let us know!
Readers’ opinions were mixed, with many defending the woman, while others said she should have put her feet under the seat in front of her
