What causes passenger “95% discomfort” when flying economy sparks debate

A woman has sparked a debate online after revealing the annoying habit that’s become her “biggest pet peeve” when flying economy.

In a now viral TikTok video, user @morganonthemap_ shared a clip of the passenger in front of her reclining their chair for “an extra 5 percent comfort.” While that may have made the flight easier for them, it was problematic for Morgan, as the chair cramped her space and left her in “95 percent discomfort.”

The caption layered over the TikTok video added that passengers who feel its okay to recline their chair “should not be flying long haul in economy.”

Morgan’s “hot take” has certainly captured attention online in the days since it was posted. The video has already gone viral with more than 1.5 million views and over 68,500 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.

Newsweek has contacted Morgan via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the video.

The dos and don’ts of flying can certainly be contentious, and while there are some things that many people can agree on, this issue just isn’t one of them. A poll by YouGov revealed that 55 percent of Americans think it’s acceptable to recline, but 26 percent deem it unacceptable.

There was a stronger dislike of issues such as getting drunk on a flight or letting children play in the aisle, with 82 and 86 percent disapproval ratings respectively.

As a former flight attendant and now an international etiquette expert, Jacqueline Whitmore is familiar with this heated debate. She told Newsweek that it’s “every passenger’s right to recline” if they wish to do so, but it’s important to be mindful of others.

So, before pulling the seat back and getting comfortable (or trying to, at least), Whitmore encourages people to do the following.

“Always glance behind you when you are ready to recline, this will allow you to see if the person behind you has long legs or not. Always bring your seat back upright during mealtime, take-off, and landing. And when reclining, do it slowly,” Whitmore said.

For those who find themselves seated behind someone who reclines, it’s also acceptable to speak up—in a polite manner, of course. Whitmore suggests politely asking the person in front if they would mind pulling their seat forward “just a bit.”

“If that doesn’t work, find a flight attendant to help,” she told Newsweek.

Social media users are split on the right etiquette for flying economy.

With over 5,100 comments on the viral TikTok post so far, many people agree with Morgan and think it’s important to think of your fellow passengers before reclining. However, others argue that it’s perfectly fine to pull the chair back—it is a function of the chair after all.

Among the responses, one TikTok user wrote: “It’s a function of the seat, it’s meant to be used.”

Another person replied: “expecting someone not to eventually put their seat back on a long-haul flight is crazy.”

Other internet users agreed with Morgan’s take, as one commenter said: “reclining the seat does *nothing* for the person reclining and makes everything worse for the person behind them.”

While another comment reads: “Seats in economy should not recline. They need to remove the function.”

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