Vegetarian Receives Backlash For Complaining To Flight Attendant About Passenger Who Ate A Burger Next To Her

Feb 03, 2023 by apost team

Going on a long flight means being prepared for different challenges – including a potential feud between you and the person seated next to you. Unless, of course, you are traveling with a group where you can choose the people you are going to be seated next to or business class where you can somewhat have your own space, there’s really no assurance that it’s going to be a smooth flight. For one, you can never control what the person next to you might do. Of course, that doesn’t give the other person permission to do whatever they want. Then again, the person seated next to you isn’t permitted to make any judgments or make complaints against you unless you violated specific flight rules or made inappropriate actions toward other people.

In a Reddit community where people share their experiences and ask if they are in the wrong for doing what they did, one person with the username u/Flightstatus0 shared in December 2022 her story about eating inside a plane.

The original poster (OP) shared that the woman sitting next to her started to glare at her while making “passive-aggressive comments under her breath.”

OP said that they decided to buy food during the stop during an 8-hour connecting flight because both flights won’t serve heavy meals. But since they won’t have time to eat, given the short amount of time needed to transfer from one end of the airport to the other end, OP decided to buy food instead.

“I have an 8-hour flight with a short connection. The 1st flight only served a small cracker pack and the 2nd will be the same,” OP said. 

During the connection, I only had barely enough time to run from one end of the airport to the other. Once I got to my connecting gate, I found out I had enough time to order food but not eat it,” OP added.

OP also made it clear that they asked the person manning the gate if they were allowed to bring food before buying some fast-food meal.

“I checked with the gate agent to see if I can bring food onboard and she happily reassured me that I could. I went and got a burger, fries, and a drink,” OP remarked.

But when OP finally decided to eat the food they brought inside the plane, the woman seated next to her told her she could not stand the smell of it because she doesn’t eat meat or fried foods.

“When I was allowed to put the tray down, I did and started to eat. This is when the lady sitting next to me told me she doesn’t eat meat or fried foods and the smell of my burger and fries are making her sick,” OP said.

While OP initially ignored her at first, the woman started complaining. “At 1st I ignored her and kept on eating but she complained louder. I finally told her I bought the food after checking with the gate agent and I’m hungry so she’s out of luck,” OP shared.

Even though they tried to explain everything to her, the woman tried to complain to a flight attendant but was told the woman was “within (their) rights.”

“She called the flight attendant and was told that I’m well within my rights to eat food that was bought at the airport,” OP said.

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At the end of his post, OP asked if they were in the wrong for eating a burger in an enclosed area. 

“I know I’m right when it comes to the airline rules but the food is pungent in an enclosed area and she’s still glaring at me so am I (in the wrong)?” OP asked.

While a lot of people have a lot to say, they certainly agreed with the original poster and said OP was definitely not in the wrong for making a decision to eat inside the plane.

One person said it’s impossible for burger and fries to be pungent at all, saying: “A burger and fries is not ‘pungent.’”

Other people offered her some tough advice, with some even saying OP should make the woman feel like they were really enjoying their food.

“Feel free to glare back and make passive-aggressive comments right back at her. If I was in the mood, I’d even chew with my mouth open while facing her,” one person said.

“This is a plane, not this woman’s personal living room. I cannot believe how rude some people are on planes - she needs to fly private if she wants it 100% to her demanding standards. Go ahead and eat. Say 'mmmmm' and offer her a fry,” another person said.

Meanwhile, others simply reassured her that OP really did nothing wrong.

“You are not violating any airline policy so lady needs to get over it or move,” one person said.

“She must have missed the memo that she isn’t in charge of the world,” another person stated.

Do you think this person was in the wrong for eating a burger inside a plane? Let us know what you think, and pass this on to your family and friends who might find this story interesting!