A TikTok user, identified as Mark Roberts with the handle @mmarkroberts, recently shared a frustrating encounter he experienced on an airplane, sparking a debate about seat reclining etiquette. In a video featuring Roberts, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark blue fleece jacket, he addressed the camera directly, asserting that passengers do not need to ask permission to recline their seats. On-screen text in the video also reads, “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but clearly it needs to be said.”
Roberts recounted the incident, which he said occurred on one of his flights to Germany, where he was currently located, gesturing to distinctive “funky windows” behind him. He claimed that about an hour into the flight, after cabin lights were dimmed, he attempted to recline his seat, believing it was a suggestion to nap. Roberts stated that someone then tried to stop him, which he found “frustrating.”
As he reclined his seat “to get into nap position,” Roberts said he was “met with this woman’s face standing over me from behind.” He described locking eyes with what he referred to as a “random German lady,” who purportedly complained, “Hallo, you didn’t ask permission if you could recline.” Roberts said he responded, “Hey, I didn’t know we needed to ask permission if we wanted to recline.” The woman reportedly insisted, “yes, you must ask permission to recline. Don’t have much space back here,” to which Roberts asked, “well, why don’t you just recline, too?” He recounted that she then gave “a huff” and “slowly leaves my frame of view,” which he described as “comedic.”
Flight attendant intervenes after passenger’s complaint
Roberts stated that he thought the situation was over, but it was not. He claimed that “not even five minutes later,” he heard a flight attendant speaking with the woman. The woman purportedly complained to the flight attendant, saying, “Oh yes, he reclined his seat and now I don’t have any space.” Roberts said he realized she was complaining about him.
Roberts maintained his composure and listened as the flight attendant purportedly “put this lady in her place,” telling her, “Yeah, like, I can’t do anything about it. Like, he’s allowed to recline his seat.” Roberts claimed the woman then “throws a hissy fit,” exclaiming, “Well, I don’t have any space, and how am I supposed to function without any space?”
The flight attendant then offered to ask Roberts if he would un-recline his seat for the woman, an offer she reportedly accepted. Roberts said the flight attendant then approached him, described as “super nice, super kind,” and asked, “hey, the woman behind you is super uncomfortable. Would you mind un-reclining your seat to make her more comfortable?” Disputes over shared space on planes don’t stop at reclining, as one woman said a fellow passenger moved her backpack from the overhead bin without asking, then sat 8 rows away.
Roberts said he asked the flight attendant, “do I have to?” The flight attendant purportedly replied, “no, you don’t have to.” Based on this, Roberts stated, “then I think I’m gonna stay reclined.” He claimed the flight attendant responded, “all good, stay reclined.”
The flight attendant then returned to the complaining woman to relay the information. Roberts recounted that the woman “throws another hissy fit,” but this time, he “could not tell what she was saying because this hissy fit was in German.” Roberts stated that the “most annoying part” was when he turned around during her outburst and observed that “she is reclined in her seat, yet she wants me to un-recline my seat.” This revelation purportedly “P—-d me clear off.”
Roberts concluded his story by claiming the woman “was kicking my seat the entire rest of the flight.” The video’s public caption states, “reclining plane seats exist for a reason SO YOU CAN MAKE YOUR airplane seat recline LOL.”
The video has garnered numerous comments, reflecting varied opinions on airplane reclining etiquette. Some users expressed empathy for the woman’s lack of space, with one comment reading, “well imagine you got reclined on and you have zero space.” Another user stated, “i kind of agree with the woman tho, you already have very little space and if the person in front of you reclines that person is almost on your lap, besides it being really uncomfortable you can’t do anything. i don’t agree with the rest she did.” Cabin discomfort takes many forms in the comments section and beyond, such as when a woman gets violently sick on a 10-hour flight and accidentally unlocks first class.
Other comments supported Roberts’ stance, with one person saying, “If you want more space you pay for a seat with more space.” Another commenter wrote, “Why is everyone in the comments disagreeing, just recline your seat too if you no longer have space?” However, some comments suggested that while reclining is permissible, it may not always be courteous, such as one that read, “you can but it is not ethical. it’s just rude.”
