A passenger is complaining about being reclined into on a flight, declaring that passengers who do this should “immediately be sent to prison.” I think they’re in the back of a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9? And they are clearly mistaken, although understandably uncomfortable.
In fact, commenters are overwhelmingly dunking on this telling the poster to stop whining, treat reclining as a normal, paid-for entitlement, and if you want more space buy it.
Guys who recline their seat in the back of the plane should immediately be sent to prison. pic.twitter.com/G26rbZhBcr
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) February 12, 2026
The internet did was not buying it.
“They have every right to recline”
“FULL RIGHT to recline whenever they want”
“Wtf is wrong with that”
“Such a dumb take”
“Sucks for you. Next time ride upfront.”
“Pay for a better seat cheapo”
Seat recline is important for passengers on long flights with poorly-padded seats. Recline works to distribute passenger weight and reduce back stress. Reclining is also a basic right when it’s a feature of your seat (certain airlines like Spirit and Frontier feature seats they call “pre-reclined” i.e. that do not recline).
- A passenger controls their own seat
- Airlines ban the Knee Defender device, which prevents recline – a device was designed to stop reclining. While their interest is prevent damage to the seat, they do not allow the passenger seated behind to interfere with the recline function
There is an etiquette to exercising your right to recline, though. Don’t recline during mealtime. Try not to recline unless it serves a real purpose (if it doesn’t actually benefit your comfort, don’t recline).
Ultimately you need to buy the space that you want, ask politely that passengers around you conform to norms, and if they don’t get a crewmember involved. You can also consider a Coasian solution: you each have an initial set of rights and they can impede on each other’s preferences, so find a (cash) bargain.
One good thing about social media, as well as people still wearing masks, it tells us who the morons are.
from the headline, it sounds like the angry passenger was wearing a red hat..
beyond that , it is true that the majority of passengers are inconsiderate, most out of selfishness.
they just lean back, or should I say SLAM back, their seat without any regard to what might be behind them.. they think they are in their reclining lounger at home..meanwhile they person behind gets their food, or computer launched at them.. it would be nice if people started using their brains before doing things.
@ George — Thanks for confirming that you are a moron.
This is why my middle school perfected simulated nuclear fart sound can alter the game
You probably should know some background on the person you are blogging about. He’s 6’7 and 300lbs. And of course he is going to tweet this as a somewhat tongue in cheek post. Also, he just got a boat load of money for his podcast, so either he didn’t have a choice and needed to be on that flight or he’s a moron for not flying private/buying first class.
I would pay extra for a seat into which no one would recline, and that’s in all classes. I want certainty about where I can open my laptop or not. In economy, it’s tough to even open a notepad on the traytable when the seat in-front is reclined.
I like the exit row for this reason…..the seat and experience are predictable..I don’t have to worry about someone slamming their seat into my laptop.
I empathize with the person in the 29″ pitch seat that loses even more space when the person in front of them reclines. I can’t even turn the page in a book without making adjustments. That seat it less than 6″ from my face, when reclined.
As for the comment, “There is an etiquette to exercising your right to recline” … good luck with that. Etiquette is few and far between these days. Every person for themselves, and entitlement seems to rule the day.