A TikTok showing a man holding his hands flat against the seat in front of him for an entire eight-hour overnight flight has reignited one of air travel’s most divisive debates: reclining seats. Posted by @heyimgazza, the Aug. 8, 2025, clip has racked up 2.6 million views and thousands of comments arguing whether the passenger’s anti-recline stance was justified, or just petty.
Featured Video“This guy sat like this for 8 hours on an overnight flight to stop the people in front from reclining,” reads the on-screen text.
Nearly 10,000 commenters participated in the ongoing war over reclining seat backs. The video was crossposted to r/TikTokCringe on Reddit where u/iafx summed it up with their comment. “I will make myself very uncomfortable, to stop the people in front of me from making me slightly uncomfortable.”
AdvertisementBut reactions to the post suggest the issue has become more divisive. Some people are in favor of reclining, but others consider it rude. A third category of commenters blame the airlines for packing people in like sardines. Although these positions represent a classic breakdown of the recliner debate, commenters with firm positions inspired confusion among those less sure.
@heyimgazza didn’t expect so many commenters from the anti-recliner camp to call the man with his hands up a hero. The TikTok user wrote he was, “kinda, very shocked” so many commenters agreed with the man in the clip.
It appears that the debate will rage on indefinitely.
@heyimgazza TUI can we ban people like this please? #fyp #flight #jet2holidays #tui ♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧Advertisement
“Can we ban people like this please?”
@heyimgazza called out the Dutch air carrier servicing the flight in the video’s caption that read, “TUI can we ban people like this please?” The TikTok user leveraged the oversized clown emoji and Jet2 Holiday meme sound in an attempt to underscore the passenger’s absurd behavior.
@coloredbubbles30 responded on the thread, “This is actually an interesting debate.” @smegatron03 replied, “Right, like I can’t even work out who’s side I’m on 😭.”
Advertisement“Not all heroes wear capes.”
“This is ridiculous, if people don’t want people to recline to this point they should just go in business class.”
Advertisement“Let’s focus on the real enemy here, which are greedy airlines trying to squeeze as many seats as possible together instead of providing humane space and comfort 😒.”
Is it okay to recline your seat on an airplane?
According to flight attendants—yes. The peacekeepers of the sky maintain that a reclining seat is meant to recline.
AdvertisementIn an opinion piece for CNN, Heather Poole, an author and flight attendant with a major US carrier, wrote, “A recliner is allowed to recline, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. If you kick the seat or threaten to punch someone in the face, you’ll be the one removed from the flight—not the person who moved their seat back two inches.”
Tips for surviving a cramped flight
Passengers griping about air travel on social media have come up with some additional tips for travelers. Reclining your seat is acceptable on long-haul flights, especially overnight. Recline slowly and carefully. It’s courteous to take a look behind you before reclining to make sure your seat back won’t cause a spill or a broken laptop.
Don’t underestimate the power of asking or letting the person behind you know that you plan to recline your seat. And it goes both ways—if the person in front of you majorly inconveniences you by reclining their seat back, you can always ask that they kindly reconsider.
AdvertisementAirlines are desperate to cut costs
Social media users on both sides of the reclining seat back wars have pointed out that airlines are the real problem. Airlines are so desperate to cut costs that some budget airlines are removing the reclining seat option altogether. It’s rumored that hard-up American Airlines saved $40,000 a year after removing a single olive from a business class food tray.
The reclining mechanism in air carrier seats adds weight, and 150 heavier seats will increase fuel costs for the airline. So some carriers are keeping seats locked upright, and others are charging fees for cabin space by the square inch.
Either way, airlines are packing passengers in to save money, and travelers have to figure out how to get along despite that. If all else fails, you can always shell out more money for a ticket with legroom.
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