'Fellow plane passenger made entitled request during 7-hour flight – I was fuming'

A plane passenger has ignited a debate over the proper ' flight etiquette'.

It comes after they were 'banned' from reclining their seat on a seven-hour flight by another traveller.

The passenger, who was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport to Munich International Airport in economy class, had hoped to catch some sleep during the journey to help pass the time.

However, their plans were thwarted by an 'entitled' woman sitting behind them who 'banned' them from reclining because she 'needed the extra legroom'.

Sharing their experience on Reddit, the passenger recounted: "When I got on the plane I was exhausted and wanted to sleep immediately, but waited until dinner service was over. I then reclined my seat. The woman behind me immediately tapped my shoulder and said 'Sorry, you can't'."

Assuming the woman was still eating, the passenger waited 20 minutes before attempting to recline again. That's when the woman began yelling at them, complaining that her legs were squished and in great pain.

The passenger continued: "I told her that this was an overnight flight and everyone was going to recline and sleep. She argued. It was infuriating. I waited an hour then reclined.

"I think she was sleeping because she didn't notice. When we landed and she stood up, I saw that she was around my height - 5'2 or 5'3. I couldn't believe it. There is literally no way that me reclining my seat was hurting her at all!"

One social media user expressed their indignation, stating: "I would've reclined as well. Your etiquette was on point waiting for the meal to be over." Another added: "If a passenger prevents you from reclining or harasses you for doing so just ring the flight attendant and let them know."

A third chimed in with: "I hate people reclining into me. Absolutely hate it. It makes it impossible to work and if my laptop isn't positioned correctly the screen can be damaged if no warning is given. So, what do I do to prevent reclining? I buy first, choose a bulkhead seat, or choose an exit row.

"If those aren't available, I hope for the best and keep my effing mouth shut if the passenger in front wants to recline."

Yet another user contributed: "I would've reclined too. Also, where did her etiquette go? How about being polite? If she wanted more legroom, she should have paid more for an upgraded seat."

In a previous discussion, a flight attendant defended passengers' right to recline their seats. Five out of six flight attendants, who were interviewed by Insider, confirmed that passengers have the right to recline, even if it does cause some tension.