Extremely tall guy fights with another passenger on the plane over available leg room

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Dec 9, 2022 8:00 AM EST

We're inclined to say that everyone was awful here. Including and especially the airline for false advertising when it comes to lack of proper leg room on flights.

 

This thread was posted to Reddit's r/AmITheA**hole subreddit by u/Itchy-Smell8152, who was sitting in an economy seat when the person in front of them reclined. Perhaps that guy is to blame for what ultimately transpired (he who cast the first stone, am I right?). Anyway, when the original poster subsequently reclined as well, the extremely tall gentleman behind them expressed frustration. Now, to the Redditor's credit, this guy was 6'8 in a middle seat and was already invading the personal space of the people on either side of him. Where the Redditor went wrong was when they gave an entitled speech about all the other options at the disposal of the tall passenger. Lots of assumptions were made there that could just have been kept silent. Besides, as miserable as the leg room situation might be, a 1.5-hour flight is not the end of the world.

 

Keep scrolling below for the full details. For more stories like this, take a look at this post about a Karen who refused to move her bag on a train.

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  • 01
    Sky - "You're the selfish one for not taking responsibility for others' space and depending on flight attendants to put you in better seats."
    via Ross Parmly
  • 02
    Font - AITA for telling a 6'8 giant to upgrade his seating? Not the A-hole Context - Flight between two major European cities, flight cost about 60 euros. Flight time 1.5 hours. Me (32M) I am 5'10 and I check in to my flight the night before. I wanted a window seat, so I chose window seat. It was not extra, but I had seen that the cost for extended legroom was about 20 euro. This was a larger plane so each side of the aisle had 3 seats, so window, middle and aisle. I didn't feel the need to get
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 03
    Font - After takeoff, the person in front reclines their seat. No problem, I recline my seat, but the guy in the aisle behind, but in the middle stops me. Tells me that he is too big and the chair reclines into his legs. This man seated in the middle is extraordinarily tall, and seated in the middle, so his knees extend into the space of both the aisle and window seats. People on both side of him now have their space invaded by his limps, and the entire row in front of him can't recline their se
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 04
    Font - I say "Yea no problem, I won't recline my seat, but next time you can choose a different seat as to not inconvenience 5 other people". He explains that normally the attendants give him an aisle seat or upgrade him, but they couldn't this time. I respond that it isn't the airlines responsibility to give him a seat, and if he knows he doesn't fit in a middle seat he could have chosen an aisle, as there was no charge to choose an aisle seat (I had seen the option the night before) or he coul
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 05
    Font - He thanks me for my opinion sarcastically, and I sarcastically reply that I'm just looking out for his best interests. We exchange fake smiles. Honestly, what bothered me was the rent-seeking behaviour and the principle of it. Am I the / hole?
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 06
    Rectangle - French Onion_Drip · 23 hr. ago Anyone reclining their seats on an economy flight is TA 3.3k Reply Share
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 07
    Font - _mmiggs_ 23 hr. ago Pooperintendant [53] Airline seating (even economy seating) works just fine if nobody reclines, or if everybody reclines. It breaks horribly when the person in front of you reclines and you don't. 2.3k Reply S
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 08
    Font - Admirable_Ad5250 1 day ago NTA we all have our own burdens, for him it's being well above average height. We are all responsible for our own burdens, whether or not its his fault that he's tall, it's his responsibility not to expect 5 other people to give up some of their comfort to improve his comfort. 2.5k Reply Share
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 09
    Font - Dizzy_Yard7671. 23 hr. ago This, exactly. It's not that he couldn't get the extra leg room, he was just banking on his height being used to have the stewardess move him to a better seat, rather than spending a little extra or picking his seat early online or in person.
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 10
    Font - It sounds like he's just a cheap and wanted everyone to suffer because he didn't get what he wanted so he's gonna torture 5 people instead. If it was so important to him he could've scrounged up a $20 from somewhere. 735 Reply
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 11
    Font - Swirlyflurry 1 day ago Certified Proctologist [24] YTA You gave an unnecessary lecture telling this guy how he should pick seats on a flight, from upgrading to picking aisle seats. You also judged him for not already doing these things, when you don't know his circumstances or anything about him, really. Unsolicited advice is always an AH move. And you dished it out in spades. 2.1k Reply Share
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 12
    Font - peonypegasus 23 hr. ago NTA He should absolutely pay for additional legroom. As it stands, he is expecting everyone around him to settle for less space because he is unwilling to pay for more. It sucks for him that he can't be comfortable on planes without paying extra but that's a fact of life, just like how I can't reach high shelves without using a step stool. 786 Reply Share
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 13
    Font - TIMB Reticent Me 1 day ago YTA-You're acting like this dude CHOSE to be 6'8" and therefore chose to make everyone around him uncomfortable...mainly himself. Then you ASSUME he had the same options to choose a seat you did and then went about lecturing him on his flying choices. Don't you think he would have chose an aisle seat if he could? He could of had a different type of ticket that didn't offer him a seat choice or maybe had to make a last minute purchase due to a number of reasons t
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 14
    Font - Impossible_Zebra8664 1 day ago Eh, I am inclined to say YTA if only because you're making a lot of assumptions. You're supposed to keep the aisles clear for safety reasons, so even if he took an aisle seat, he shouldn't be stretching his legs out in them. And he might not be able to afford the extra costs to upgrade his seat. What really does suck is that airlines have shrunk legroom so much that even average-sized people are crunched for legroom and tall people have absolutely no hope of
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 15
    Font - Promotion Classic 78 1 day ago NTA - It's not your to make anyone else comfortable. He had options that he chose not to deploy. He spoke up first requesting that you modify your behavior to accommodate him, so you had every right to reply. You chose to accommodate him which was kind. The airlines are AH for putting seats this closely together anyway. 230 responsibility Reply Share
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 16
    Font - dnjprod 21 hr. ago He had options that he chose not to deploy And you know this how? Just because OP thinks there were options doesn't mean there actually WERE options.
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 17
    Font - Conscious Excitement9. 20 hr. ago Because the guy said that he is usually upgraded or given an aisle seat. He very likely had options but chose not to utilize them because he expected the airline to do what they always do instead of him making the proper arrangements for a seat that would work for him.
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 18
    Font - wombatIsAngry 20 hr. ago The AH here is the airline industry. They literally sell that space twice... if you look at the dimensions they claim for their seats, they count the reclining space both for the seat in front and the seat behind. It's literal fraud. Then they provide a recline button which apparently no one is supposed to use. They provide zero guidance on whether reclining is ok or not, and just leave the passengers to fight it out. Sure, you and the giant were both less polite
    via u/itchy-Smell8152
  • 19
    Font - Fainora 1 day ago NTA I have Muscle damage in my back I need to recline on planes I need to be able ot move around and fidgit. I pay extra for an isle seat in the extra leg room part of the plane so I am able to do those things. If you need extra space its your job to book a seat that has it. No way in hell should 5 people have to deal with his bullshit because he's too cheap to pay 20 pounds for a seat. Reply Share 148
    via u/itchy-Smell8152

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