Man divides opinion by suggesting very tall passengers should pay extra to sit in premium seats

‘AITA for telling a 6’8” giant to upgrade his seating?’ asks traveller

Adequate legroom on flights isn’t a given (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A man has sparked debate online by suggesting that extremely tall passengers should pay more to sit in premium seats with extra legroom on flights.

The anonymous Reddit user posted on the forum’s AITA (Am I the A**hole) thread, in which people share stories to determine whether or not they were in the right.

He recounted an incident of being told he couldn’t recline his seat on a plane because the traveller behind him was too tall, titling the post: “AITA for telling a 6ft 8in giant to upgrade his seating?”

“Me (32M), I am 5ft 10in and I check into my flight the night before.

“I wanted a window seat, so I chose a window seat. It was not extra, but I had seen that the cost for extended legroom was about €20.”

He added that the flight between two European cities was 90 minutes long and was operated onboard a “larger” aircraft: “each side of the aisle had three seats - so window, middle and aisle. I didn’t feel the need to get more space because I intended to sleep and it’s [generally] sufficient space.”

The passenger in front reclined their seat, so the Reddit poster did the same; only to be chided by the man sitting behind, who said he was “too big and the chair reclines into his legs.”

The poster added: “This man seated in the middle is extraordinarily tall, and seated in the middle, so his knees extend into the space of both the aisle and window seats.”

Having agreed not to recline, the AITA poster told the man he should have paid extra for a seat with more legroom; the man responded that he was usually naturally upgraded by cabin crew on seeing his height.

“I respond that it isn’t the airline’s responsibility to give him a seat, and if he knows he doesn’t fit in a middle seat he could have chosen an aisle, as there was no charge to choose an aisle seat (I had seen the option the night before) or he could have upgraded for extended legroom seating for an extra €20.”

The tall passenger allegedly called the Reddit poster “selfish”.

“I respond by saying, ‘I’m not being selfish, I’m fine with having less space so you can be more comfortable, but pointing out that you’re the selfish one for not taking responsibility for others’ space and depending on flight attendants to put you in better seats,’” concluded the Redditor.

Opinion was split over whether the poster was NTA (Not the A**hole) or YTA (You’re the A**hole”).

“We all have our own burdens - for him it’s being well above average height,” commented one user.

Another wrote: “Whether or not it’s his fault that he’s tall, it’s his responsibility not to expect five other people to give up some of their comfort to improve his comfort.”

Overall, the consensus was that the original poster was “NTA”.