I’m 16 years old and quite tall for my age—over 180 cm. Every time I board a plane, I know I’m in for an uncomfortable journey. My legs are too long to sit comfortably, and my knees often press against the back of the seat in front, which is really frustrating. My last trip, which I took with my mom after visiting our grandparents, was even worse than usual. We had to sit in economy class, where the space was so cramped it felt like we were in a small cage. I was prepared for some discomfort, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
The flight was delayed, so by the time we finally boarded, everyone was on edge. The plane was full, and you could feel the tension in the air. I sat down and tried to position my legs so it wouldn’t feel like I was stuck in a sardine can, but then something happened. The man in front of me, a middle-aged businessman, decided to fully recline his seat.
I have no problem with people reclining their seats, but it should be done with consideration. Maybe glance at the person behind you before doing it? Or perhaps don’t shove your seat into someone else’s knees when space is already tight? But no, he simply pushed his seat back until it almost landed on my knees! To my surprise, my knees were completely stuck, and I had to sit like that to avoid any pain.
Eventually, I politely tried to address the issue with him: “Excuse me, sir, could you please raise your seat a little? I don’t have much space here.” However, he didn’t even look at me and replied, “I paid for this seat, and I’ll sit however I want.”
Seeing that the situation wasn’t improving, my mom called over a flight attendant. The attendant came, listened to our complaint, and tried to explain the situation to the man. But she also dismissed the request. She told me that there were no rules prohibiting him from reclining his seat and suggested I purchase a first-class ticket if I wasn’t happy with the situation.
My mom tried to reason with the flight attendant, but it was clear she wasn’t going to help. At that point, I decided to handle the problem myself.
I grabbed a bag of pretzels from my mom’s bag and started eating, making sure not to let the crumbs fly everywhere. A few crumbs fell on the man’s head. At first, he didn’t notice, but after a few minutes, I saw him nervously trying to brush the crumbs off his shoulder and neck. I kept going, deliberately eating each bite noisily and messily to annoy him further.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He turned around angrily and asked what I was doing. I replied with an innocent face, “Oh, sorry, these pretzels are pretty dry. Seems like they’re making a bit of a mess.” He immediately demanded that I stop, but I just shrugged and said, “I’m just eating my snack. I paid for this seat too, you know.”
His face turned bright red, and eventually, completely frustrated, he raised his seat back up. I immediately felt relief as my knees were freed, and I could sit more comfortably again.
The flight attendant who passed by gave me a discreet “well done” look. My mom smiled and said, “That was clever. Maybe a bit mean, but clever.” I felt proud of my “victory.” The man stopped trying to recline his seat, and I was able to enjoy the rest of my pretzels in peace.
When the plane finally landed, I felt like I had won. The man didn’t even try to say anything; he just got up and left, clearly annoyed. My mom looked at me and said with a smile, “You know, sometimes it’s important to stand up for yourself, even if it means causing a little trouble.”
I nodded, and we walked together to the baggage carousel, feeling like, no matter what had happened, I had handled the situation.
