From reclining to shoulder surfing and hogging both arms rests, many have their own grievances and pet-peeves when it comes to sitting next to a stranger on a plane. Videos on social media regularly go viral when tensions flare on-board an aircraft with many unleashing on the long list of bugbears. Prof Jim Salzman of the University of California, Los Angeles, described how crammed airlines combined with passengers hoping to take up more space results in the inevitable.
He told the BBC : “[The airlines] are able to pass on the anger and frustration of cramped seating to passengers who blame each other for bad behaviour instead of the airlines who created the problem in the first place.” Another common gripe was armrest hogging, particularly for those caught in the middle seat. One flight attendant for a major US airline explained how she often ends up sitting between “two guys with both their arms on armrests” when she doesn’t get to opt for a specific seat.
“I wait until they reach for a drink and take the armrest. One [guy] kept trying to push my arm, and I just had to give him a look: ‘We’re not doing that today.’” According to a 2023 Skyscanner survey, nearly a third of UK passengers found those taking up armrest space annoying.
However, cabin crew member Boris Millan explained on Confessions on the Fly podcast that one benefit to the middle seat is the armrests. “They did a lot of research in the UK for some reason about this – when you sit in the.
