If you’ve ever been on an airplane, you are familiar with the “sardine packing” sensation that is flying. Recently in the news, there have been a lot of issues with passengers invading each other’s personal space. Today, CNN reported on an incident aboard an American Airlines flight where a disgruntled flyer was promptly escorted off the flight by police, and then charged with assault. What sparked this air rage? A reclined seat.
According to the criminal complaint, when Brian Dougal reclined his seat, Tomisalv Zelenovi, forcefully bumped Dougal ‘s chair. Words were exchanged between the pair, and ultimately the argument ended with Zelenovi shaking the back of Dougal’s seat, and continuously pulling on Dougal’s ear until his glasses fell from his head.
As cabins increasingly shrink, incidents like this have sparked a whole debate on whether reclining airline seats is a privilege or a right. Right now the debate is split. Many travelers believe that reclining is a right that comes with purchasing a seat, while others say it’s a privilege, and doing it is disrespectful.
As the debate continues it will be interesting to see how far airlines will go to avoid further scuffles. But until then, feel free to stretch out, break out those promotional travel items and go to town!
Lauren
Multimedia Coordinator