The issue of space on planes is a constant source of discussion and clashes between passengers simply because it is a problem that comes up again and again — one estimate by passenger advocacy group Flyer's Rights found that, even as the average person grew heavier since the 1990s, an average seat on a U.S.-based airline dropped from 18 to 16 inches by width and 35 to 30 inches by length of the seat back.
Back in May, U.S. senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin even called upon the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to look into the size and space between airline seats to improve access for evacuations in case of emergencies.
Related: Plus-Size Traveler's 'Hack' For Getting Two Plane Seats Is Going Viral
And then there are the cases when no reconfiguration of the plane will correct some people's bad manners. Over the weekend of Dec. 2 to 3, travel TikToker Claire Zhu posted a video of the passenger in the seat across the aisle from her on a flight sitting such that his left leg was stretching across the aisle and into the space under her seat.
@claireandpeter GOODBYE
♬ Myaap Getting To It Unreleased - Myaa 🅿️
'Manspreading' video resonates, receives 4.5 million views in days
"The way this man took manspreading to ANOTHER LEVEL on my flight," Zhu wrote in the seven-second video flashing from her shocked expression to the man's leg in her foot space without revealing his face.
More Travel:
- A new travel term is taking over the internet (and reaching airlines and hotels)
- The 10 best airline stocks to buy now
- Airlines see a new kind of traveler at the front of the plane
The video quickly went viral and received nearly 4.5 million views over five days. Zhu and her boyfriend, Peter Ovendorf, normally run the "Claire & Peter" TikTok account capturing their travels around the world after quitting their jobs in corporate finance to travel for a year.
Manspreading refers to the way some men spread out their legs in a way that encroaches on others' personal space on transit and other public places. Given the debate and clashes that have been taking place around this over the last few years, Zhu's video resonated with many and was also upvoted more than 400,000 times.
'Going across the aisle into her own space? That's not normal'
Some sympathized with Zhu and jokingly encouraged her to "wear cleats" or "put your foot on his foot" but others defended the passenger by saying that larger people have a difficult time fitting into cramped airplane spaces.
"'He's just tall?!" one of the viewers wrote in response to comments about how the man may have just been too large for his own seat. "Bro's going across the aisle into her own space? That's not normal."
"He shouldn't intrude on your space but otherwise, as a person with too long legs, I feel him," wrote another commenter. "Planes give me knee pain every time."
This type of polarized response also frequently occurs when social media influencers bring up any issues around plus-size travel. Last June, travel influencer Jae'Lynn Chaney launched a petition asking the FAA to mandate an airline "comprehensive customer-of-size policy" that would provide two seats to travelers who need them.
While the petition gathered steam, it also received significant backlash from those who feel that this is something the traveler should cover themselves and unfair to passengers who do not require extra space.
