A woman who was recently traveling on an airplane said she experienced a difficult seating situation after a man invaded her legroom.
Erin Rempel, 21, recently took a 1.5-hour flight from Winnipeg, a city in the province of Manitoba, Canada, to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to visit family.
After sitting in her assigned seat in the middle of the Flair Airlines flight, the man in the window seat spread his knees wide, intruding into her personal space and “spreading out,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“I tried to push his legs slightly towards him to hope he would get my hints,” she said.
In a TikTok video that has garnered over 17 million views, Rempel showed the man’s legs crossing in his space and captioned it, “Why would anyone need that much space???”
A woman has posted a TikTok video, which has now been viewed more than 17 million times, to show how a male passenger spread his legs so wide that they exceeded his legroom during a flight. (@erinrempel/TMX)
Rempel said she eventually reached out to grab something and pushed her knee toward him more aggressively.
She said the passenger may or may not have been asleep, but he was awake enough to react when she pushed his leg away.
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She said he “moved and moved into a different position.”
Rempel said she was 6’2″ and that because the “older man” was shorter than her, he didn’t need to be in her space.
Rempel said the man on the plane (not pictured) immediately spread his legs when she sat down in his middle row seat. (iStock)
Comments on Rempel’s TikTok video revealed a mix of opinions, with many people saying Rempel should have spoken out while others said they should have just “cried.”
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Some TikTok users asked Rempel why she didn’t pay for an upgraded seat in the first place.
But Rempel told Fox News Digital that her flight only cost $90 and she was trying to stick to her budget.
“I honestly didn’t want to upgrade because I was just trying to visit family last minute on a budget, so the flight wasn’t worth spending the extra $20,” she said.
Rempel said she chose not to tell a flight attendant about the manspreading because of the short duration of her flight. (iStock)
One user reacted to the story, saying, “Please own your space. Take it. It’s yours.”
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Another user said: “This gives me claustrophobia.”
Other social media users asked her why she did not speak, either directly to the other passenger or to a flight attendant.
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Rempel said she “didn’t think it was worth causing a scene during an hour-and-a-half flight.”
In an emailed statement to Fox News Digital, Flair Airlines said, “We do not believe we should intervene in this disagreement between two customers.”
The TikTok video taken by a passenger (not pictured) went viral as commenters debated what she should have done to handle the flight passenger who stretched his legs into her space. (iStock)
Rempel said she recommends other passengers speak to a flight attendant if this happens to them during travel.
“Having a second set of eyes on it is always a really good idea,” she said.
Jacqueline Whitmore, a Florida-based etiquette expert, told Fox News Digital via email that “it’s important to respect each other’s personal space on an airplane.”
“If you plan to bow, do it slowly (to avoid crushing your knees).”
She added: “This means keeping your arms and legs to yourself and avoiding leaning into your neighbour’s space.”
Whitmore also suggested that travelers with very long legs request an aisle seat or a seat with extended legroom.
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“If you plan to recline, do it slowly (to avoid crushing your knees) and check that the person behind you is not using their tablet, especially during meals,” she said.
“When watching a movie or listening to music,” she added, “always wear headphones and keep the volume low.”
Fox
