Photo: File: Getty
To recline or not to recline? It’s a question that’s plagued flyers for ages, and been the source of much debate on social media. But one passenger’s controversial take is going viral on TikTok.
The TikTok account @theLKshow known for sharing “unethical life hacks” recently addressed the issue of airline passengers who fully recline their plane seats witha video that has amassed over 115,000 likes.
“When you are on a flight and the person in front of you reclines their seat all the way and leaves you no room, turn on the air conditioner above you on full blast and point it at the top of their head,” the user writes.
While every flyer has the right to recline their seat, passengers also have control over the direction of their seat’s personal fan. So if one individual invades their fellow flyer’s space with a physical object, the poster feels invading that person’s space with an unpleasant jet of cold air is just as valid.
“The plane ride is so long when you get one of those people in front of you,” reads the caption on the video, which also includes the hashtag “annoyingpassengers.”
Viewers of the clip battled it out in the comment section about who was in the wrong.
“Unethical? I think this is completely reasonable,” one wrote. While another argued, “If my seat reclines…I’m reclining all the way back. Every time.”
Others argued for a collective recline, claiming if all the passengers take advantage of their seat’s range of motion, then no one would notice the squish.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines recently poked fun at reclining seats with an early April Fools' joke. The airline shared a fake commercial to Twitter advertising a reclining “alert system” that gives people a heads up the person in front of them is about to recline.
“KLM is proud to introduce a revolutionary new cabin feature: The Recline Alert System,” the airline tweeted, along with the video clip. “We’ve developed a sound effect that notifies passengers when the seat in front of them reclines. The new system will be introduced on all KLM flights from April 1, 2023.”
In the video clip, a passenger scrambles to clear all of the beverages and items off her tray table as the person in front of her reclines his seat with a smile.
Nearly 46 percent of people reported they think it’s rude and don’t recline. Nearly 28 percent of people reported thinking it’s rude but that they “politely ask if it is okay before doing so.” Just three percent of people admitted to reclining their seat without warning, even though they think it’s rude, and nearly 23 percent of people said they don’t think it’s rude to recline your seat.
source: people.com
