A window seat flyer got revenge after a rude middle seat passenger invaded her space on a flight. Photo / 123rf
A window seat flyer got revenge after a rude middle seat passenger invaded her space on a flight. Photo / 123rf
Revenge is a dish best served in the sky.
Heated discussions regarding airplane etiquette aren’t going anywhere. Just a few days after a canoodling couple caused mile-high discomfort, a new viral plane incident has emerged on Reddit.
Picture this: a passenger seated by the window, eager to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet, constantly annoyed by her middle seat neighbour’s attempts to close the shade without permission. Posted on the pettyrevenge subreddit, a plane passenger anonymously shared how she took revenge on her invasive middle seat neighbour after countless disrespectful encounters.
She titled the post: “Person next to me on a plane kept violating my personal space.”
In her account, the author shared that she was sitting in the window seat and was keeping the shade open as it was a noon domestic short-haul flight, and she particularly enjoyed looking out of the window.
Without as much as a courteous smile, the woman sitting beside her reached in front and closed the window shade.
Believing she had “window seat rights” due to the fact she was sitting by the window, the subreddit writer immediately reopened the shade, but the woman insisted on closing it without asking or acknowledging the window seat occupant’s wishes.
An awkward match of wrestle the window blind ensued.
The window seat passenger used the plane's reading light to her advantage. Photo / 123rf
This went on until the ranting user had enough of the middle seat occupant’s antics, and decided it was time to inflict revenge.
“So I pulled out my book and turned on the reading light, despite there being ample natural light from the open window for me to read. I then positioned my hands in such a way that my watch would reflect the reading light directly into her eyes.”
The window seat passenger kept reading in that position for an hour, jiggling her hand the entire time, making the light shine back and forth across the woman’s eyes.
You can feel how infuriating that must have been, but it sent the message clear enough: respect personal space and ask before closing the shade.
Upon landing, the frustrated woman confronted the author, expressing how she didn’t appreciate her rude behaviour, but our protagonist snapped back.
“Once we landed and she took her headphones off, I turned to her and said ‘Next time you fly, book a window seat if you want to control the window. Or at least treat me like a human and ask me before you violate my personal space. What you did is unbelievably rude.’
The “petty revenge” didn’t stop in the cabin, as the woman shared how she continued to antagonise the rude woman in the walkways and escalator by stopping in front of her and flipping her off.
The story struck a chord with many online readers who rallied behind the window seat passenger, arguing that whoever has the window seat should have control over the shade. Others emphasised the importance of simple courtesy, suggesting that a polite request would have sufficed.
No one wants to be branded as the most annoying passenger on the plane, but on this occasion, the jury is out as to who was the most irritating.
