Woman flies from Chicago to San Francisco. Then the woman behind her accuses her of reclining her seat—and takes revenge
Legroom on an airplane is one of the most sought-after amenities among travelers, largely because there’s so little of it.
That space has also shrunk since the 1980s. Air travelers have reportedly lost between 2 and 5 inches of legroom in favor of adding more seats, which allows airlines to maximize profits, according to Popular Science.
When passengers feel someone nearby is encroaching on their space, it can sometimes lead to confrontation. That’s exactly what one woman says happened on a recent flight, after the passenger seated behind her began kicking her seat.
What Happened During the Flight?
In a storytime video that has garnered over 36,100 views, TikTok creator Gabby Belsito (@gmbstyled) shared what she called a “flight horror story” on a recent trip home.
“On my flight home from Chicago yesterday, I actually got into an altercation with the lady behind me,” she begins.
Belsito says it was a four-hour flight from Chicago to San Francisco. For most of the trip, she says the woman behind her kept pushing against her seat.
“I give her the benefit of the doubt,” she says. “Maybe she’s rustling around, whatever. I’m not one to confront anyone. It’s fine.”
But about 20 minutes before landing, when flight attendants asked passengers to put their tray tables up and return their seats to an upright position, she says her behavior worsened.
“She starts kicking the back of my seat for like four or five minutes straight,” Belsito says. “And I’m like, I’m not doing this.”
She Decides to Confront Her
She says she finally turned around and asked, “Can I help you?”
According to Belsito, the woman began yelling.
“She was like, ‘Your seat’s reclined. You need to put it up. I have no room back here. I haven’t had any room the whole flight. I have no leg room. I have long legs,’” she recalls.
Belsito maintains that she didn’t recline her seat. “My seat’s not reclined. I don’t do that,” she says. “I hate when people do it to me, so I don’t do it to others.”
She says a flight attendant then approached the pair. “The lady was like, ‘Her seat reclined,’” she recalls.
Belsito claims the flight attendant checked and confirmed the seat was indeed not reclined.
“She tries to put it up. I mean, it’s not even back,” Belsito says. “And the lady was like, ‘It is reclined. It is reclined.’”
Even after that, Belsito says the woman continued pushing her seat.
The Argument Gets Louder
“So I turn around, and I’m like, ‘Can you please stop kicking my seat?’”
She says the flight attendant returned and once again showed the woman that the seat was upright.
“See? She’s pushing back,” Belsito recalls the woman saying, even though she insists she was “literally just sitting” in her seat.
At one point, Belsito says another passenger seated nearby intervened.
“The dad looks over and tells her, like, ‘Can you stop? She’s not doing anything wrong. She’s literally sitting in her seat.’”
But she claims the woman responded, “Mind your own business,” and continued causing a scene.
Eventually, Belsito says, the woman stopped.
“Luckily, once the flight landed, she just stood up with her suitcase ready to go,” Belsito says. “But I made sure I stepped in front of her and took my stuff down and made sure I get off the plane first.”
“I had never had to fight with someone on a plane,” she adds.
In the caption of the video, Belsito wrote: “If you need more room, book first class idk what to tell u girly.”
Commenters Are on Her Side
In the comments section, viewers had strong opinions about reclining seats on a flight, but were on Belsito’s side.
“Reclining your seat does not impact leg room, and it’s perfectly acceptable to recline your seat,” one commenter wrote.
“I book seats that recline because they recline,” another stated.
“You must have really good emotional regulation cause the way I would of lost it,” chimed in a third.
Is It Considered Rude to Recline Your Seat on a Flight?
The topic is entirely subjective and, as such, provokes strong opinions on both sides. While some travelers never recline their seats, or do so minimally out of consideration for the person behind them, others believe it’s a right passengers should exercise.
For some, it’s a bigger issue than for others. “I am a fairly tall guy and when someone reclines, I literally have no leg room,” one person wrote on r/askUK.
Others have more detailed rules in place. One Redditor on r/etiquette shared that they don’t recline during meal service or on flights under two hours, but will do so on longer routes.
There’s no clear rule, but many travelers agree that a little consideration can prevent conflict.
@gmbstyled If you need more room, book first class idk what to tell u girly #flight #storytime #flying #plane #flightstory ♬ original sound – Gabby Belsito
The Mary Sue has reached out to Belsito via email for comment.
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