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Travel Blogger Criticizes Passengers Who Don’t Observe Her Unwritten ‘Plane Etiquette Rules’, Stirs Discussion Online
In this world, there are not so many really eternal questions that instantly provoke discussions among their ardent supporters. How did our Earth appear, from which side should we break an egg, which operating system is better – iOS or Android… and should middle seat plane passengers get both armrests?
If you think that the last question is not that important, you have probably never flown in economy class. It’s actually damn important! And just recently, the internet split again after this travel influencer shared her own plane etiquette rules.
More info: TikTok (Part 1), (Part 2)
RELATED:
A travel influencer recently shared some of her ‘plane rules of etiquette’, sparking massive discussion online
Image credits: Jerry Zhang (not the actual photo)
“If you plan to fly in 2023 please don’t be the people who fill up an entire overhead cabinet with your jackets”
“And please keep them at your seat. It’s an absolute waste of space. They could sit on your lap or most airlines have hooks. Thanks.”
Image credits: @hillnpoo
Image credits: @hillnpoo
“Since people were really upset by my last rules of flying, here are 3 of my top favorites”
“Please wait to put your jackets in the overhead until everybody has their luggage off. Please stay in your allotted chair area and don’t spread like this. And if you’re in the middle seat you get both armrests.”
Image credits: @hillnpoo
@hillnpoo What are your top 3 airplane etiquette rules? #planerules #airplaneetiquette #flyingrules #hillnpootravel2 ♬ Little Things – Tiqta
Turns out, there are in fact two poles in opinions on whether the middle seat passenger should have both armrests and the experts are also very divided
Let’s start from the very beginning. No, of course, not from the first flight of the Wright brothers, but from the fact that there is a TikTok account, @HillnPoo, run by travel influencers Matt and Hillary, who also document their trips on Instagram. And so, in a recent video, Hillary asked passengers not to be the people who fill up an entire overhead cabinet with their jackets and keep them at their seats – since there are special hooks for clothes.
The video sparked massive discussion and it has already gained more than 260K views as of today, and in the comments, in addition to a frantic argument about where it is more convenient to put a coat on an airplane, there were requests to Hillary to name her three basic rules of “good manners” on an airplane. The kind that she and Matt stick to themselves, and expect the same from others.
The influencers willingly shared these rules – and the resulting video gained twice as many views, with the discussion flaring up with a vengeance. If you want to join the debate, here are these rules. Firstly, there’s the rule about coats and overhead cabinets. Secondly, according to the author of the video, one should stay in their allotted chair area, refraining from excessively spreading their legs. And the last but not the least – if you’re in the middle seat, you get both armrests.
However, opinions about the last rule, as you probably guessed, differ by about 180 degrees. “The middle seat armrests belong to no one,” USA Today quotes airline analyst Timothy O’Neil-Dunne. “It’s common space and you better treat it that way.” But according to travel expert Rosie Panter, recently quoted by News.com.au, “It’s universally accepted that the middle seat passenger has drawn the short straw, so they should get the luxury of both armrests.” So who do we trust now?
Also, opinions about armrests were divided among people in the comments. Some are absolutely sure that it is the person in the middle seat who should possess both armrests, but for others, this idea is completely unexpected and in some ways even heretical. Another, in an attempt to substantiate their point of view, even refers to primary sources. No, not the Wright brothers… “I got the middle seat armrest rule from a pilot so it is official,” one commentator proudly claims. And what do you think about this? Especially, of course, if your name is Wilbur or probably Orville… but anyway, feel free to leave your own viewpoint in the comments below.
People in the comments have both viewpoints as well, so one more heated discussion ensued
What do you think ?
Weasel Wise 1 year ago
I take my fair share of plane trips and it never fails that if the person seated next to me just happens to be a large male (whether he's just a big dude or he's overweight), they notice that I'm a slender female, and allows attempt to crowd my space. Sometimes they try to take up my leg space or I've had men share the armrest but next thing I know they're elbows are in my rib cage. And then every single time, after they've made it clear that they are fully aware of their actions (cuz my knees is jammed in their thigh or I have an elbow pushing into my ribs), I'll politely ask them to put their body back into their own seat, and they' ALWAYS act insulted or put out! As if how dare I ask them to stop purposely rubbing themselves on me?! The nerve of me?! I'm a female, I'm not supposed to tell this man "no"!
lenka 1 year ago
I've asked men friends about leg space. None of them have ever experienced another man encroaching on their leg space. It seems men only do it to women because they think they are entitled to their space and can get away with it. When seated next to another man, they are perfectly capable of keeping their legs to themselves.
CatLady 1 year ago
If they start before the plane takes off, I pull out my tablet and post something very insulting about them on FB and make sure they can see it before I shut it off. They tend to shrink away after that.
Load More Replies...
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
Interesting that she's okay with taking pictures of someone's...er...spread legs. How about the etiquette of not taking photos of someone's private areas? Why would anyone be influenced by a "travel influencer"?
Nice Beast Ludo 1 year ago
What idiot thinks the middle seat gets NO ARMRESTS or it would be most comfortable ? David Deavers that is wrong. Also wrong for us even to be discussing this. The airlines are SO CHEAP they refuse to forgo ONE SEAT per row so everyone can have two ARMRESTS. It's ridiculous
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
I travel a lot for work and the spread legs rule is flight dependent. If there's space, stay in your area but be compassionate when someone tall gets stuck on a bad airlines. I have short legs so I usually have no issues. There have been flights where a 6 ft/1.54m (taller than me) person's legs just don't fit in the space in front of them because the distance is too short between rows. I was on a Spirit Airlines flight where my entire row (I was middle seat) sat with their legs in the seat to the right and the two legs in the aisle because the poor guy in the window seat was too tall to get even one leg just in his seat area.I've been on more than one flight where rows have to stand up to let the beverage cart by because it can't get by legs in the aisle. For those of you saying he should have paid to upgrade for an aisle seat - he was flying Spirit Airlines. If you can afford to to upgrade for a better seat, you aren't stuck flying Spirit.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
That'd be the one time to agree to swapping a window seat for an aisle seat. Win-win.
Load More Replies...
John Topper 1 year ago
Just do what I do. Fly naked. Saves time with the TSA check, no jacket to take up space, healthy breeze around the privates. Flying naked is the only way to fly.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Just don't order coffee if there's a chance of turbulance.
Load More Replies...
Leslie Harris 1 year ago
the only man i allow to man-spread into my space is my father on family trips. And that's due to back/knee issues. I normally set my legs/knees to the take my allotted space and no more than that. I get space is limited on planes, but my space is my space.
Julia French 1 year ago
If fat people are suppose to buy 2 seats or first class so should tall people! & the overhead bins are there for ALL passengers not just the ones who afford expensive specialized luggage!
crowspectre (he/they) 1 year ago
The 'don't spread' thing is b******t. Seriously what do u want me to do I have long legs
Amelia Schroeder 1 year ago
All y’all tall people who want to overspread, get the emergency exit aisle. My dad is 6 ft 9 and this is what he does. I get it, airlines suck and as someone who’s 6ft with disproportionately long legs I get it too, but come on, there are ways to do it, and other people deserve their personal space as well.
Sheena Leversedge Wood 1 year ago
I hope all these people saying they're going to spread whether people like it or not are offering to pay for the area that they are taking away from the person next to them. after all, everyone pays for their seat and the space associated with it. the person next to you doesn't have to have less just because you're tall. offer to pay for the space you steal off them. and what happens if you're sat next to another tall man? bet you don't spread your legs into his space then.
Islandchild 1 year ago
I've flown frequently since childhood, so six decades and it's only been in the last couple of years I've heard this middle seat gets both arm rests business. Clearly a decision made by middle seaters. Personally I don't care, I've got the window
Renegade 1 year ago
So you have an armrest AND a window. The outside has an armrest AND some extra space for being on the aisle. So what seems fair to you? FTR, I also prefer the window, but I've always given the middle person the second armrest as any polite person would.
Load More Replies...
Jenny Mason 1 year ago
These arbitrary rules make me so glad that I'm medically not allowed to fly.
lenka 1 year ago
They are not arbitrary. They are social constructs that have evolved to ensure that everyone can be as comfortable as possible with limited resources without devolving into fights mid air. They are no different to other social constructs such as wait in line for your turn and always offer your seat to the elderly.
Load More Replies... Anony Mouse 1 year ago
This has been covered over and over in articles, listicles, and on every site. Why post a tiktok person doing the same content?
Fantastic Mr Fox 1 year ago
It’s strange airlines don’t make rules for who gets the middle armrests. Would avoid conflicts.
Dan Holden 1 year ago
Or they could (I know this is a crazy proposition) just provide everyone with two armrests.
Load More Replies...
J.Lomax 1 year ago
I don't have much say on this matter; I've only been on 4 planes on 2 journeys to Stockholm and Genoa respectively.
Vi B 7 months ago
This travel blogger definitely has some controversial opinions, but I applaud the fact that she has the confidence to share through the internet. Blogging is so cool! I actually just created my own blog today. If you want to check out my very first entry, you can go here: https://sites.google.com/view/vis-vault/51824-i-made-a-blog?authuser=0
CatLady 1 year ago
I always pay extra for the exit row. I like the leg room. Dude beside me was spread way out, and there was more than enough space for him to keep his knees in front of him. The plane hadn't taken off yet, so I used my tablet to post on FB about this dude's spread legs and wrote something like "I can see his hands. There's no way his junk needs that much room." I said nothing to him, but my tablet is large and I just happened to have it tilted in an angle he could see. I shut my tablet off. By the time the plane started moving, he had his thighs glued together, and they remained that way the whole flight. He didn't so much as look at me. Nice and peaceful.
Weasel Wise 1 year ago
I take my fair share of plane trips and it never fails that if the person seated next to me just happens to be a large male (whether he's just a big dude or he's overweight), they notice that I'm a slender female, and allows attempt to crowd my space. Sometimes they try to take up my leg space or I've had men share the armrest but next thing I know they're elbows are in my rib cage. And then every single time, after they've made it clear that they are fully aware of their actions (cuz my knees is jammed in their thigh or I have an elbow pushing into my ribs), I'll politely ask them to put their body back into their own seat, and they' ALWAYS act insulted or put out! As if how dare I ask them to stop purposely rubbing themselves on me?! The nerve of me?! I'm a female, I'm not supposed to tell this man "no"!
lenka 1 year ago
I've asked men friends about leg space. None of them have ever experienced another man encroaching on their leg space. It seems men only do it to women because they think they are entitled to their space and can get away with it. When seated next to another man, they are perfectly capable of keeping their legs to themselves.
CatLady 1 year ago
If they start before the plane takes off, I pull out my tablet and post something very insulting about them on FB and make sure they can see it before I shut it off. They tend to shrink away after that.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
Interesting that she's okay with taking pictures of someone's...er...spread legs. How about the etiquette of not taking photos of someone's private areas? Why would anyone be influenced by a "travel influencer"?
Nice Beast Ludo 1 year ago
What idiot thinks the middle seat gets NO ARMRESTS or it would be most comfortable ? David Deavers that is wrong. Also wrong for us even to be discussing this. The airlines are SO CHEAP they refuse to forgo ONE SEAT per row so everyone can have two ARMRESTS. It's ridiculous
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
I travel a lot for work and the spread legs rule is flight dependent. If there's space, stay in your area but be compassionate when someone tall gets stuck on a bad airlines. I have short legs so I usually have no issues. There have been flights where a 6 ft/1.54m (taller than me) person's legs just don't fit in the space in front of them because the distance is too short between rows. I was on a Spirit Airlines flight where my entire row (I was middle seat) sat with their legs in the seat to the right and the two legs in the aisle because the poor guy in the window seat was too tall to get even one leg just in his seat area.I've been on more than one flight where rows have to stand up to let the beverage cart by because it can't get by legs in the aisle. For those of you saying he should have paid to upgrade for an aisle seat - he was flying Spirit Airlines. If you can afford to to upgrade for a better seat, you aren't stuck flying Spirit.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
That'd be the one time to agree to swapping a window seat for an aisle seat. Win-win.
Load More Replies... John Topper 1 year ago
Just do what I do. Fly naked. Saves time with the TSA check, no jacket to take up space, healthy breeze around the privates. Flying naked is the only way to fly.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Just don't order coffee if there's a chance of turbulance.
Load More Replies... Leslie Harris 1 year ago
the only man i allow to man-spread into my space is my father on family trips. And that's due to back/knee issues. I normally set my legs/knees to the take my allotted space and no more than that. I get space is limited on planes, but my space is my space.
Julia French 1 year ago
If fat people are suppose to buy 2 seats or first class so should tall people! & the overhead bins are there for ALL passengers not just the ones who afford expensive specialized luggage!
crowspectre (he/they) 1 year ago
The 'don't spread' thing is b******t. Seriously what do u want me to do I have long legs
Amelia Schroeder 1 year ago
All y’all tall people who want to overspread, get the emergency exit aisle. My dad is 6 ft 9 and this is what he does. I get it, airlines suck and as someone who’s 6ft with disproportionately long legs I get it too, but come on, there are ways to do it, and other people deserve their personal space as well.
Sheena Leversedge Wood 1 year ago
I hope all these people saying they're going to spread whether people like it or not are offering to pay for the area that they are taking away from the person next to them. after all, everyone pays for their seat and the space associated with it. the person next to you doesn't have to have less just because you're tall. offer to pay for the space you steal off them. and what happens if you're sat next to another tall man? bet you don't spread your legs into his space then.
Islandchild 1 year ago
I've flown frequently since childhood, so six decades and it's only been in the last couple of years I've heard this middle seat gets both arm rests business. Clearly a decision made by middle seaters. Personally I don't care, I've got the window
Renegade 1 year ago
So you have an armrest AND a window. The outside has an armrest AND some extra space for being on the aisle. So what seems fair to you? FTR, I also prefer the window, but I've always given the middle person the second armrest as any polite person would.
Load More Replies... Jenny Mason 1 year ago
These arbitrary rules make me so glad that I'm medically not allowed to fly.
lenka 1 year ago
They are not arbitrary. They are social constructs that have evolved to ensure that everyone can be as comfortable as possible with limited resources without devolving into fights mid air. They are no different to other social constructs such as wait in line for your turn and always offer your seat to the elderly.
Load More Replies... Anony Mouse 1 year ago
This has been covered over and over in articles, listicles, and on every site. Why post a tiktok person doing the same content?
Fantastic Mr Fox 1 year ago
It’s strange airlines don’t make rules for who gets the middle armrests. Would avoid conflicts.
Dan Holden 1 year ago
Or they could (I know this is a crazy proposition) just provide everyone with two armrests.
Load More Replies... J.Lomax 1 year ago
I don't have much say on this matter; I've only been on 4 planes on 2 journeys to Stockholm and Genoa respectively.
Vi B 7 months ago
This travel blogger definitely has some controversial opinions, but I applaud the fact that she has the confidence to share through the internet. Blogging is so cool! I actually just created my own blog today. If you want to check out my very first entry, you can go here: https://sites.google.com/view/vis-vault/51824-i-made-a-blog?authuser=0
CatLady 1 year ago
I always pay extra for the exit row. I like the leg room. Dude beside me was spread way out, and there was more than enough space for him to keep his knees in front of him. The plane hadn't taken off yet, so I used my tablet to post on FB about this dude's spread legs and wrote something like "I can see his hands. There's no way his junk needs that much room." I said nothing to him, but my tablet is large and I just happened to have it tilted in an angle he could see. I shut my tablet off. By the time the plane started moving, he had his thighs glued together, and they remained that way the whole flight. He didn't so much as look at me. Nice and peaceful.
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