Plane Passenger's Seatmates Invading Her Legroom by 'Manspreading' Sparks Outrage: 'You Need to Say Something'

Mar. 15, 2025

A traveler is sharing her rather uncomfortable flight experience.

One of her male seatmates had their legs spread open to the point where his leg bumped against hers. The user captioned her video, “Why would anyone EVER need that much room??? I tried to get him to move but he wouldn’t.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

The woman later added the note: “I just want to clarify that there was enough leg space, I’m 6’2 and my legs could still fit, that man was at least 5 inches shorter than me, it was about him being wildly inconsiderate.”

“Girl you need to say something,” one person wrote. “They do not need to be over that much — if you’re nervous call a flight attendant.”

“The way I’d be screaming. Please stand up for yourself,” another advised.

Another person said: “Please just own your space. Take it. It is YOURS 🔥.”

Passengers on an airplane (stock image).Jodi Jacobson/Getty

Jodi Jacobson/Getty

Many shared their own experiences with manspreading, while offering tips for how they combatted it.

“Yep, this happened to me and I just [slung] my leg over the top of the stranger and he was very aware of space after that,” someone wrote.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

One commenter praised the passenger for demonstrating so much patience in such an uncomfortable situation. “At that point imma start acting like a toddler kicking the chair 😭. I admire your patience ❤️❤️,” they wrote.

Many people shared the consensus that passengers just need to speak up and not accept such inconsiderate behavior.

“Just a polite ‘excuse me would you mind scooting over a bit? I don’t have any room to move my legs. Thank you,’ " one commenter suggested.

source: people.com