Internet Sympathizes With Plane Passenger Seated Between Couple: 'Heck No'

A video of a woman's wild experience sitting between a couple on a plane has gone viral on TikTok. The clip was posted by @maliamakaila and has amassed over 132,000 views since it was shared on June 6. A message overlaid on the footage reads: "I'm on a flight sitting in an economy plus middle seat in between a husband and wife who purchased the aisle and window seat and they're just passing chips and drinks over me, having a full conversation." The footage shows a woman looking at the camera in disbelief, with her hand against her face. The clip later shows some hands passing drinks to each other over an open laptop on a tray table. A later comment by the original poster said the woman had asked the couple whether they wanted to sit together. "Meanwhile the guy in front of me pushed his seat so far back [that] I can't open my laptop and the wifi doesn't work," the note across the clip continued. A June 2023 survey of 1,000 plane passengers in the U.S. and Canada, conducted on behalf of the travel booking website Kayak, found that travelers had plenty to say about how to behave around other passengers. The survey said that passengers believe "you are allowed to talk nonstop with your seatmate" because 52 percent of travelers "don't mind chit chat." However, you're "not allowed to talk to friends in other rows" because 80 percent of passengers "don't care about your buddy." You're also "not allowed to climb over other passengers" because 90 percent of travelers "don't like your crotch in their ear," the survey found.

'That's Wild'

A caption shared with the aforementioned viral post reads: "I just googled 'how to get my own private jet by 2025.'" A voice is heard in the clip saying, "30 degrees below zero," as a note across the screen reads: "Now they're talking about the weather?" The woman in the video is shown looking into the camera again as a subsequent note reads, "I'm just wondering if there is such a thing as plane etiquette because I don't think they learned it?" before the clip ends. TikTok users backed the woman in the middle seat in the viral post. "I would've asked 'I'm sorry, did you guys want to sit next to each other?' if not, then I would tell them it's ridiculous to be interacting that much and being in my space. heck no," wrote ren_eee. Stephanie posted: "absolutely not and also I wouldn't know what to say!!!" "That's wild! Came home a week ago. Man in front of me put his bag under his seat onto my space for feet. I'm thinking are you all right," added cathrine.n05. Melissa Stefko posted: "Had this on a flight recently. It was so incredibly uncomfortable." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified. Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.