Air travel really brings out the worst in some people. It’s not uncommon to see passengers placing their feet in areas where they really shouldn’t be on planes (like on arm rests, or using toes to control the inflight entertainment), though I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.
In this post:
Qatar Airways passenger uses headrest in front as footrest
Video footage is going viral of an incident that happened on a recent Qatar Airways flight from Doha (DOH) to Moscow (SVO). The flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, and involves the passengers who were seated in 23C and 24C, which are the aisle seats on the left side in the first two rows of the second economy cabin.
It appears that what happened is that the person seated in front reclined her seat, which the person seated behind wasn’t happy about. So she decided to take revenge by placing her feet on top of the headrest of the seat in front. I’m not sure whether to be more dismayed by her pettiness, or more impressed by her flexibility.
Fellow passengers filmed the situation, with quite some commentary (translated from Russian):
- The woman seated in front says “this is freedom, you just don’t get it… freedom other people take away”
- A bystander jokes “this is business class,” due to the way that the woman stretches her legs
- The woman seated across the aisle says “I returned to my homeland earlier than I had planned, this can only happen in Russia”
- The woman seated in front then says “as the saying goes, you can take a person out of the dirt, but the dirt doesn’t come out of the person”
A flight attendant can then be seen kneeling down next to the passenger, presumably asking her to knock off what she’s doing. However, she refuses to stop.
Throughout all of this, the woman in back remains silent, and her only additional action is that she “claps” her feet together, when she sees the camera pointed directly at her. You can see the video for yourself below (sorry for linking to the New York Post, bleh, but it’s the best version of the video I could find).
A few thoughts on this bizarre Qatar Airways incident
First of all, the woman seated in the back is behaving completely inappropriately, and there’s no justification whatsoever for her behavior. I just don’t understand what goes through someone’s head when they behave this way…
It can’t actually be comfortable to sit this way (at least for extended periods of time), and she’s just making a fool of herself, while trying to prove a (losing) point.
Next, unfortunately this is probably an area where Qatar Airways flight attendants are a little too passive, and aren’t very good at being firm. This is a case where we need an American Airlines crew, who are going to yell at the passenger, have the captain announce the flight will be diverting, etc… or something.
Lastly, the woman seated in front probably isn’t being terribly considerate either. It’s quite simple — seat recline is a right and not a privilege, but we should still try to be respectful to fellow passengers. The woman seated in front is in the exit row with infinite legroom, she’s working on her laptop, and they’re seemingly going to start the inflight service shortly.
So while it’s absolutely her right to recline, it’s also probably not a “best practice,” if you will. That in no way excuses the behavior of the woman in back, but it does seem like this is a case where deescalation techniques also weren’t prioritized.
Bottom line
A Qatar Airways passenger wasn’t happy when the person in front of her reclined, so she decided to place her feet on top of the headrest of the seat in front. While that shows an incredible amount of flexibility, it also shows an unbelievable level of disrespect and pettiness. While the crew tried to speak to her, she seemingly continued with her antics.
I’ve seen a lot of situations of passengers putting their feet in places where they don’t belong on planes, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this.
What do you make of this Qatar Airways “footrest” situation?
Seats have a recline function for a reason. Expect it to be used.
Russian. Should you expect any better?
I’d say socioeconomic status is the controlling trait here instead of nationality. “Economy class, should you expect any better?”
That delusional, obnoxious clown should be permanently put on the no-fly list. Clearly has no manners and no respect for others.
This is why we cannot have nice things in public culture anymore when inmates are given the right to act like humans and then proceed to act like savages.
I think the QR cabin crew was at fault here for essentially tolerating bad behavior, not to mention that if the aircraft hit turbulence, the passenger with her legs up wouldn't be able to properly fasten her seat belt. On many flights out of Doha, I have seen many members of low royal family status try to upgrade themselves and every time they refuse to obey the cabin crew, they get the captain involved and...
I think the QR cabin crew was at fault here for essentially tolerating bad behavior, not to mention that if the aircraft hit turbulence, the passenger with her legs up wouldn't be able to properly fasten her seat belt. On many flights out of Doha, I have seen many members of low royal family status try to upgrade themselves and every time they refuse to obey the cabin crew, they get the captain involved and I'm yet to see a case where the captain failed to send them back to economy.
"Sorry for linking to the New York Post, bleh" - what is that supposed to mean?
It's trashy tabloid reporting.
Cheap shot. NY Post has more journalistic integrity than the NY Times.
"NY Post has more journalistic integrity than the NY Times."
LOL!
It's right-wing nut jobby.
It's like if Fox "News" were in print form. Nobody takes it seriously, and smart people use it to pick up dog shit, clean up cat vomit, and line bird cages.
That why there are "no fly lists".
I really feel sorry for the white woman in the story. Hope she gets adequate compensation (e.g., possibly another compensatory flight on QR (in same cabin) for this miserable onboard experience caused by some moron. I look forward to any follow-ups on the story.
I would've punched her right in the face a few times. Then she would never do that again.
Sure you would have. Don't try to act tough.
The usual suspects…. at least they are in coach.
This reminds me of my CI flight from Taipei to New York. This woman seated in front of me was in the emergency exit row but she reclined her seat quite a bit. She did that for the whole flight. She even did that during the meal times and every time a flight attendant had to remind her. And she even had the audacity to be mad at me for asking a flight attendant to...
This reminds me of my CI flight from Taipei to New York. This woman seated in front of me was in the emergency exit row but she reclined her seat quite a bit. She did that for the whole flight. She even did that during the meal times and every time a flight attendant had to remind her. And she even had the audacity to be mad at me for asking a flight attendant to tell her to put her seat upright during the meal service. She had so much room in front of her but she was being greedy for more space. Very rude and disrespectful attitude from her.
That behavior hits the narcissistic "trifecta": a complete lack of empathy, a warped sense of entitlement, and narcissistic rage when called out. She wanted power, control and basically wanted to dominate you.
Haha. Oh my. I definitely agree with you that she felt entitled and she was narcissistic.
She was seeking narcissistic supply.
Manufacturing Conflict: For someone with high narcissistic traits, a quiet flight is boring. By creating an uncomfortable situation, she forced the passenger behind her and the flight attendants to center their attention on her.
The "Win" in the Reaction: If the passenger gets angry, she can play the victim ("Why are you attacking me for just sitting in my seat?"). If the passenger stays silent and suffers, she "wins"...
She was seeking narcissistic supply.
Manufacturing Conflict: For someone with high narcissistic traits, a quiet flight is boring. By creating an uncomfortable situation, she forced the passenger behind her and the flight attendants to center their attention on her.
The "Win" in the Reaction: If the passenger gets angry, she can play the victim ("Why are you attacking me for just sitting in my seat?"). If the passenger stays silent and suffers, she "wins" by successfully dominating their space.
Controlling the Emotional Climate: She wanted to be the one who decided if the person behind her got to eat comfortably or not.
In a situation involving a passenger with narcissistic tendencies, the goal shifts from "winning the argument" to neutralizing the power play and protecting your own peace.
You see what I'm saying?!
Next time, it's not about "winning", it's neutralizing the power play they try to force on you.
So the key is not to win, but to neutralize the power play. If you try to win, you're basically giving them a "win" of supply. And that really crushes their ego, which is more satisfying to watch than them getting a "win".
For someone addicted to power and control, being treated as an "irrelevant procedure" is a fate worse than being yelled at. Narcissists thrive on being either the hero or the villain—but...
So the key is not to win, but to neutralize the power play. If you try to win, you're basically giving them a "win" of supply. And that really crushes their ego, which is more satisfying to watch than them getting a "win".
For someone addicted to power and control, being treated as an "irrelevant procedure" is a fate worse than being yelled at. Narcissists thrive on being either the hero or the villain—but they cannot stand being unimportant.
The Loss of "Main Character" Status: When you ignore their provocations and calmly let a flight attendant handle it, you are effectively telling them: "You aren't a formidable opponent; you're just a broken seat mechanism that needs fixing."
Exposure to Authority: Narcissists hate having their behavior witnessed by people who have actual power over them. Being "scolded" by crew members in front of a silent, calm passenger makes them look childish rather than powerful.
The Failure of their "Trap": They set a trap by being rude, hoping to lure you into a fight. When you don't step into it, they are left holding all that negative energy with nowhere to put it. This often leads to narcissistic injury, where they feel an intense, hidden shame because they couldn't dominate the situation.
And if you're just going to tolerate such behavior, you'll be a pushover all your life.
Likewise on an LH flight from FRA to SIN. We were sitting on the last row (no recline) and the pax sitting in front of my pregnant wife reclined right during service. I politely asked, in his refusal, but didn't insist, called the crew, they put him straight. End of it.
You did the right thing, you neutralized his power play right from the start. You involved authority early. Good for you mate.
Also, hallmark example of narcissistic tendencies if not a full-blown diagnosis.
-"Main Character" Syndrome
-Lack of Empathy
-Sense of Entitlement
-Disregard for Boundaries
-Defiance and Control
-Me First" Mentality
Some people have no etiquette. I've seen people put their feet on the trains. It's still the crew's workplace, so you would still want their place of work to be treated with respect. Whether you work on a desk or elsewhere, would you want someone to treat your place of work like garbage?
I've had a lady behind me put their feet up on my armrest on a CX flight to LAX, and had a child kick the seatback. It was horrible.
(my best Yakov Smirnoff voice) "In Putin's Russia, foot rest uses _you_." Or something like that. Whatever ;-)