It's a 1,5 hr flight. Who needs to recline their seats for that short a flight? (I know, that is not the issue here). The rest has been said. Nog every booking place offers the same type of tickets. Maybe he was on a tight budget despite flying to an expensive town - even expensive towns have minimum wage people living/working there or needing to go there. Leaning to ESH - the airline firstmost, the guy for lecturing, but the tall guy - I didn't choose to have my private space/bubble invaded by your body. But the window seat is not an option and aisle might not also be - he needs his legs tucked in or the carts can't pass. Glad I have not had to deal with this situation.

As a tall person flying airplanes is just horrid. We didnt chose to be this tall, nor did we chose to sit in these cramped seats with next to no leg space. And yes we can ask or pay for an inch and a half of more space but that usually doesnt make it any better, nor do we get paid more because of our physique (well unless you're in the NBA) so its quite unfair also. Surely we do not want to harrass others with our height but I can tell you that when your knees are basically buried in the seat in front of you due to the simple fact that it doesn't fit, it does hurt quite q bit when the seat or the usual metal armrest is being slowly being jammed into your knee even further. You should try it, the average femur is around 18 inches long, try jamming that into a 17 inch space and then have someone make that even smaller with a metal object hinging into your flesh. It sucks. But yes, we are the asses to being tall, and you're not the a*s but being considerate goes a long way!

I'm on the "everyone sucks here" bandwagon. The airlines all suck, and I don't think that one needs an explanation; the long leg guy sucks because he expects everyone else around him to be uncomfortable in order to maintain his comfort; the OP sucks for going off on him and condescendingly lecturing the guy.

Once on a flight from Newark to Las Vegas I had window seat and in the middle was a guy easily 6'6" and 400 pounds. He oozed into the seats on either side. I had to lean forward the whole flight so I could breath without his arm in my ribs.

Someone said something about this "giant" making those 5 people give up some of their comfort for his own. Firstly, what? Do you really think this man was comfortable? Do you think he was happy knowing that no one had enough space because of him?

I'm relatively short, "manlette" (like mamlet, but slightly more feminine/non binary) height really. But yeah even my legs are pretty uncomfortable in airline seats. Those who are larger than me (either length or width wise really) must have it pretty hard when trying to travel anywhere or do much of anything in spaces that are ACTUALLY "optimized for the average person", let alone an airline that likes to smoosh people as tightly and uncomfortably as possible to maximize profits (let alone how they like to overbook flights in the hopes that some will cancel, really really limiting what people's choices actually can be. Especially lower income or with more space related needs in general. Including disabled people who use service animals, wheelchairs, or other mobility aids).

I’ve been in this situation before where I couldn’t recline because the person behind me was too tall and another occasion where they were using their tray the whole time. I hated it. I paid for my seat just like they did now I have to accommodate them for not thinking ahead. Ultimately yes it is the airlines fault for being greedy pieces of s**t and packing everyone like a sardine and expect everyone to be comfortable. I also hate the concept of first class/coach. It’s like a reminder the whole flight that there are people up there better than you and get to have a better experience because you’re poor and have to sit in the back.

How overly entitled of the guy. I must recline even if it causes you, another person physical pain and discomfort.

As a person who has had many surgeries I must get up and move during flights. It doesn’t matter the length. If I do not I’m in danger of getting blood clots, especially since I’ve had them before. I request an aisle seat, now sometimes I cannot get one here is where it gets iffy. I will explain to seat mates my situation and that I’ll have to get out of my seat at least once during a flight to move around. I always get a response of oh it’s no problem. Inevitably my seat mates fall asleep then become irritated when I say Im sorry, excuse me please I need to get out. Earning slight glares because I’ve woken them up. No matter what travel by plane anymore is unpleasant and a really difficult situation. I don’t travel that way if at all possible. BTW I am not large nor tall and these seats are not comfortable for me. I cannot imagine being oversized in any manner, it would be incredibly miserable.

As a short and slim person my personal space is always invaded by tall or fat people. They just think they can do anything because it's not their fault...

Ngl, I'm going with OP as the AH. They expected to recline their seat and sleep for a 1.5 hour trip. What, was this a red-eye flight or something? Cool that they didn't make a scene about that, but not cool to assume that the tall dude hadn't considered/tried the options mentioned. And to think that he had the money pay for upgrades or whatever just because they were flying to an expensive city. Wow. Just... wow. On the whole, though, the airlines are the biggest AHs for treating people like dollar signs and nothing more.

Japanese people on average are not as tall as Americans but all Japan airlines planes have sufficient legroom for very tall people even in economy. If all airlines went by this standard instead of being greedy there would be no worries. Asking someone to spend extra money just because of their height is a form of discrimination. The airlines should either provide reasonable legroom for all, or keep some rows with the same distance as Japan does on all their planes. Lecturing someone about being in the wrong Seat who can't afford an upgrade is like telling someone they're the wrong race to be hanging out in your neighborhood. If uou always want to recline maybe it is you who should upgrade, but really this is not the fault of any passenger when Japan can get it right and PAL and Cebu Pacific are able to offer $5 legroom upgrades while everyone else is charging $100-$

I think everyone needs to turn their anger towards the airlines in general! No reclining if the seat is going to go into the person behind them! Less profits isn't a bad thing considering what the airlines are charging!

Lolol, this guy isn't even that bad of an a hole. I think it was unfortunate that the giant guy has to deal with all that but he has been giant his entire life. How is he gonna act like this is new for him? "I'm 40 years old and this is the first time this has ever happened". Looks, I believe people should stand up for what they believe in. He decided to confront the guy and they had their conversation. At least he tried. Imagine sitting on a flight and you have a guy in front of you, laying in your lap in HIS declined seat but you have to just sit there and stare at it. I can see how both parties could have handled themselves better but I don't really see an a hole in this situation.

I think everyone is inconvenienced by the lack of space on airplanes. I don't really care who is the a*****e in this situation. I would personally choose to just deal with it since the flight was so short. If it was hours long, maybe I'd feel differently but there's few things I can't handle for an hour and half.

Hate these AITA threads. Not every situation is divided into a-***e and non a-***e. It's assuming any and every situation has a good guy and a bad guy. Most interactions are more complex than that

NTA at all! You were such a gentleman by not recline your seat. It is this guy’s problem if he feels upset when you express your opinion, and state the fact that it should be his responsibility to make sure he gets some extra space (paid or not) and not to bother other passengers. Good for you!!!!

Absolutely NTA. It is not discrimination for the airline to request he fly business, first class or at least a seat in the front row. If they can make a wide person buy 2 seats they can ask an excessively vertical person to be accommodated the same way

I love how so many people are pissed off that he rudely spoke his mind, and then rudely speak their mind to this guy. The OP graciously accepted the criticism. Y'all are really the AH's. Lol

What irritates me is people who think they are entitled to recline their seat. When you recline your seat, you infringe upon someone else's space. You could also cause drinks and food end up in someone's lap which is especially dangerous if they have a hot beverage. I have also heard of people getting their laptops destroyed by a sudden recline. The polite and unentitled course of action is to ask the person behind you if they are ok with you reclining. If they say no, respect that, and realize A. The world doesn't revolve around you. B. The person behind you is entitled to the space they have. C. The world won't end if you can't recline.

YTA. Just for the lecture and attitude. He's ta for not being responsible for his size and getting the appropriate seat. I as an overweight person am required to purchase two seats so as not to inconvenience others. So your not wrong in how you feel. Just wrong for engaging the man in the manner you did.

Nta, if it's the seat directly behind his then yeah, but this was diagonally behind and the guy was already crowding the seats by his. Also OP had the person in front reclining into their space.

This is not the problem to be put on a tall passenger. This is the fault of the airline that has been consistently putting in another row of seats to sell. The width of each seat and leg room has been getting narrower and shorter all in the name of installing another row of seats for sale. Why blame a person for something that they don't have any control over, such as their height and width? Put the blame back to the airlines who are squeezing out a profit out of every inch of the plane. Shrinkflation by any other name. Sitting in an aisle seat doesn't allow the person with long legs to stretch their legs into the aisle. The airline company should have the seats screwed to the floor in a minute increasing legroom per row, starting at the back with very narrow rows for people with short legs and ever increasing in width for people with longer and longer legs. This way the short people will understand how uncomfortable and unfair it is for tall people to be cramped.

The answer is… everyone PAY for a seat that fits you and don’t inconvenience anyone else! What would have happened if the guy said no? Pay for an aisle or upgrade and stop asking others to not do what they pay for!!

Ur the a hole...I accepted s****y seats when my kids were young as they were not allowed in the more spacious exit rows....it's just a d move to taller people...get over it and be better

If I were to fly, I wouldn't even know if I needed a seat with extra room until I was on the plane. I would have just assumed that I paid for a seat that accomidates my needs and would be shocked that i couldn't fit in my own space. From what I read, I will never fly.

Honestly, the airlines should make extra space on planes instead of trying to squeeze everyone in so tight and/or have seats reserved for tall people. OP sucks for an unwarranted lecture. As for the tall guy, he may have tried getting one, but couldn't, especially if they're all booked. He may legitimately can't afford the extra 20. He may have had to attend a funeral or had someone in the hospital. Just because someone is going to an "expensive city" doesn't mean they're necessarily going there for a fun filled vacation. He shouldn't have to give you a reason for why he sat there. There's plenty of legitimate reasons why he couldn't get a seat with extra leg room. OP was TAH for opening his mouth and just made a bunch of assumptions.

YTA I am 6'2" and have bad knees so it really sucks when someone leans back into my lap. I get the whole "I paid for my seat I'm gonna use it" attitude but sometimes it's just like why be a jerk when you really don't have to. The seats honestly shouldn't recline. I always try to buy an exit row on the right side of the plane. I will switch dates and plan trips around flights to do so. Two out of the last three times I have had my plane switched by the airlines and my seats changed, when I have had the seats booked for months. I do everything I can to make it so I'm not the inconvenience but there is only so much a person can do. If first class wasn't literally triple the price I would go that route but at the price its really not feasible.

I agree with the NTA group. Yes each passenger could have been a little less sarcastic, but here's the issue: 20 euros for extra legroom would have solved everything. We must assume this wasn't a business trip, so if the 6ft 8in passenger knew about his trip in advance, it is HIS responsibility to pay for the extra leg room. He should do what most of us must do: save for it. No, it isn't his fault he grew to be 6ft 8in tall but other passengers around him should not be guilted into accommodating him when 20 euros more would have made this entire feed a moot point. I'm all for helping out in an emergency or when the situation can't be helped. That wasn't the case here. The ultimate AHs are the airlines. These tighta$$es are posting record profits, all at the expense and comfort of their passengers! Shame on them.

Airline issues are always a tricky issue as it's the greedy @sshat airline industry that is ultimately responsible. I find 99% of these Am I the @sshole stories cut and dry. That one percent almost always has to do with airline seats....

Tall man is the AH. Take a bus.