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.
Continue reading: Qatar Airways Passenger Takes Absurd, Uncomfortable Revenge On Seat Recliner
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
(my best Yakov Smirnoff voice) "In Putin's Russia, foot rest uses _you_." Or something like that. Whatever 😉
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.
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
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.
I would've punched her right in the face a few times. Then she would never do that again.
Haha. Oh my. I definitely agree with you that she felt entitled and she was narcissistic.
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.
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.
"Sorry for linking to the New York Post, bleh" - what is that supposed to mean?
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.
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.
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.
That delusional, obnoxious clown should be permanently put on the no-fly list. Clearly has no manners and no respect for others.
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.
I’d say socioeconomic status is the controlling trait here instead of nationality. “Economy class, should you expect any better?”
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.
Hahaha Regis. You'd gain the same amount of information that you get from reading the NYP if you grabbed someone on the street and asked, "What happened today?"
And they're responded, "The Red Apple! Major congestion in midtown this morning, welcome to Mamdani's New York!"
You'd be like, "All right, thank you."
From an entertainment standpoint, it's great. 1890s style writing in a reactionary 1980s vernacular for people with the shortest attention spans on earth. It's almost like your very opinionated booze addled uncle read a better newspaper and is now trying to describe it to you. Doesn't have to be right. It just has to be short.
" So while it’s absolutely her right to recline, it’s also probably not a “best practice,” if you will. "
riiiight.... best practice. What a bs of a flower statement is that. You recline whenever allowed and there is nothing wrong with that.
Doubtful. QR doesn't do much for anyone if there's issues. Had a IFE screen broken for a long-haul; they said they'd deposit Avois; never did; still waiting for a response on a case. Oh well. Always good to download a bunch of content ahead of time, just in case your Oryx One is broken...
What does Putin have to do here? Such incidents can happen and do happen everywhere, on every airline. They do occur in the USA here and there. There is not a single country, an airline or a flight that comes with "no onboard idiot guarantee".
That's what she wants from you, a reaction. And you give them the ultimate prize, being the victim. You give them control and they play the victim.
Don't take the bait. What you do is neutralize the tactics she's trying to use on you. Read what I've written below.
It's more satisfying to crush their ego.
I wouldn’t say the pax behind “won.” She may have been flexible enough to get her feet up there, but it couldn’t have been comfortable.
@GRkennedy And guess what, I bet he just sat there sulking with his bruised ego while you watched with glee! FRA-SIN is about 13 hours or so, so I hope you enjoyed watching him sulk.
She was performing discomfort. From a physical and psychological standpoint, her "victory" was actually a self-inflicted punishment:
The "Spite" Factor: This is a classic case of "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face." She was so determined to stay in a position of defiance that she endured hours of physical discomfort. That isn't a "win"; it's a manic commitment to being a nuisance just to maintain her "power."
While there's no defending the passenger who has their feet on the headrest, I don't understand why the passenger working on her computer felt the need to recline her seat as much as she did.
"Read what I've written below."
Except you didn't write it. You copy-pasted from ChatGPT.
A. I didn't use ChatGPT. I used Google.
B. It's still works in this situation.
To recline is my right !!! - whyever can a seat be reclined?
POINT !!
And I'm a flight attendant working for a big german airline..
QR crew is by far too passive
Just another reason why I prefer airlines where the seats simply cannot be reclined.
Nope, she's allowed to recline except during meals. Foot space doesn't give you the doctor recommended recline for back comfort on long flights.
Because it reclines and that's what shecwanted. You have the right to use 100% of recline. That's it, buy first if you don't like that.
And you're welcome to them. But, if your behind me, you are on a carrier that has recline. I will recline. It doesn't 1bother me that the person in front of me reclines. It will make me happy you dislike it behind me saving my back.
It’s happened to me also, but in business class on AirFrance. The passenger behind me put her feet on the top of the video screen/my seat. The crew didn’t told anything and ignored my complain about it. I had to remove her feet with my hand.
Spoken like someone who is only capable of thinking of themselves. Just because someone has the "right" do something doesn't mean they should do it.
Well, he's controlled the education system during the years relevant for the individual.
So what's the best approach?
How about "I realise the airline allows you to recline, but I'd like you to know that doing so is rude, and so I hope that you soon suffer from somebody being rue to you" ?
Since when is Russia a race? I generally agree, derek h, that the issue here is not the background of anyone; it's the misbehavior, but, let's be clear, RG's comment was not 'racist,' so much as it was prejudiced and possibly xenophobic.
This comes to mind, while you often detest me, I happen to agree with you here; if there is an option to recline, one should be able to use it, within reason, ideally not doing so to purposely ruin a meal or laptop behind, but with care for everyone else around in a shared-space.
Misbehavior is not about class, background, etc. If you claim it is, then you are just being prejudiced on here, which shows your own ignorance. See Ben's recent post about the La Premiere incident (pay $10K for a seat, and still act a fool). There are ample examples at OMAAT, VFTW, Reddit, etc. of passengers acting poorly.
I'm no fan of Putin or what the Russian government has done lately, but, let's be clear, the misbehavior is the problem here, not the background of the individual. Less prejudice, please.
I wouldn't call recline a 'right,' it's more of an 'option' that can be used within-reason.
Anrec80, you're not wrong. Putin, Russia, the background of the individual isn't the issue. Jokes are jokes, and if it is prejudice, I suppose that can be harmful. So, yeah, idiots abound from all backgrounds. Wish QR had handled this better, too.
Mike, how's that grey-rock method working out for you? Shoe hitting your head on a flight... I think even the most disciplined among us are gonna 'react' to that.
Not sure those are meant for this, but, yeah, no one should behave this way on a flight.
Ben, the '1990' above is not me; feel free to remove it. Or, just allow me to note here that I would never advise any government to use agents to harm people in this way. ('Rod' or whatever you're going by, if you must impersonate me, please stay on-brand. C'mon.)
O.G. 1990.
So? Does American airline system never have any idiots boarding any of the US airlines? It does here and there too...
The rude Ruski is copying the TikTok behaviour so well documented in previous OMAAT articles.
Grey-rocking in this case would make you look like a pushover.
In this case as it violates your physical space, I would've asked politely first. If that doesn't work, the next step would get the cabin crew to step in. Nothing would be more humiliating for them than an actual figure of authority to crush their ego.
Punching them in the face is exactly what they want and you don't want to do. She wins getting a reaction out of you and a potential lawsuit; she has succeeded in becoming the victim, not just "playing" the victim.
Why not, friend? Call it out when you see it. Call me out, too. Speak your mind.
There is an impersonator (a fake '1990') below who has said a few off comments (apparently, to discredit me); I've called them out already.
Anrec80, is this your first time visiting any of the Boarding Area affiliated blogs (or Reddit?) There are ample examples of misbehavior on all US carriers, people of all backgrounds. The misbehavior is the problem, not the airline or the background of the individuals.
We have found most on board stewards and stewardess are way too soft to correct someone's poor behaviour.
Are they afraid? Are they not trained for it?
The flight attendant was far too lenient. Perhaps a flight officer should have been involved.
Reclining seats suck. Woman with flex didn’t harm woman in front of her. Big deal.
Wow..that's the problem with the left, the comment about NYP is saying that you only think woke minded people read your blog. I like your blog and I don't let your politics affect the way I feel about your non-political content but if you want only woke-cancel close-minded individuals reading your content then say so or drop more biased non-sense in your blog so we can all stop reading.