Man sparks furious online debate after hitting out at passenger’s ‘rude and unaware’ plane etiquette

Getting through an airport and making it to your plane on time can is stressful enough on its own — so it's understandable that finding out you're sat near an entitled passenger would tip you over the edge.

Which is why one particularly frustrated passenger couldn't help but pull his phone out and snap a photo after reaching his seat and finding another passenger's jacket draped over the back of it.

The man then shared the interaction on Reddit, which promptly went viral as users debated who was ultimately in the wrong in this particular situation.

Being mindful of each other's personal space is crucial during air travel (Getty Stock Images)

In a now-deleted post, the man shared the image of a purple blazer perched on the back of his seat and explained that he found it there as soon as he boarded the flight.

"I can't believe how rude or unaware people can be," the original poster wrote, adding that the woman seated behind him made no attempt to move the clothing item once he sat down.

Going on to explain that he didn't feel comfortable confronting the passenger over the badly placed item due to it being a long haul flight, the man attempted to get the attention of cabin crew, but was unsuccessful.

"It was a super long-haul flight so I didn't want the bad vibes behind me," he said. "I tried making eyes with the flight attendants but nobody helped me."

The offending blazer (Reddit)

The man was able to avoid an awkward confrontation after moving to a nearby vacant seat, but this didn't solve the underlying problem of passengers not being mindful of each other's personal space on flights.

"Apologies to the person in the future who eventually has to teach her a lesson because I didn't want to deal with it." he said.

Naturally the dilemma divided internet users, with two camps quickly forming in the replies.

On one side, you had users who were shocked at the lack of plane etiquette shown by the woman, while others wondered why the original poster didn't politely ask the woman to move the coat.

"I want to know how people walk around through life with this kind of mentality. Are they stupid, or just entitled," one person commented, which prompted a second user to point out: "I think part of the reason is people don’t speak up, so they assume these things are fine to do."

"People are far more often oblivious than malicious, and 95% of the time if you politely point out something that's bothering you they'll apologise and your problem is solved," a third person added.

Other users chimed in with more constructive comments, suggesting that anyone in a similar position should mention it to a flight attendant, writing: "Next time a flight attendant walks by, say 'Sorry, someone forgot their coat on my seat' and hand it to them."

However if there's one takeaway from the whole situation, it's this: don't hang your jacket on someone else's plane seat.

And maybe don't shy away from sticking up for yourself either.