Plane Passenger Refusing To Oblige With Neighbor's 'Polite' Request Slammed

An image showing a plane passenger's brightly lit phone screen during a night flight has sparked a heated discussion about airplane etiquette on Reddit.

The image was featured in a viral post shared by user Mooseycanuck and has amassed 15,000 upvotes since it was posted on December 15.

The poster shared a caption with the photo saying: "My neighbor on a night flight. She wouldn't reduce the brightness even after I requested her."

The image shows a dimly lit plane cabin with a lone passenger's bright phone screen standing out.

Was the poster making a reasonable request or does the neighbor have every right to use her phone at her desired brightness level?

Nick Leighton, an etiquette expert and co-host of the podcast Were You Raised by Wolves?, told Newsweek: "It's not an entirely unreasonable request and it would have been nice had it been accommodated. But it's certainly possible the phone-owner had legitimate reasons for needing the brightness dialed up, so best to try to give them the benefit of the doubt."

The viral post comes as more than half of Americans (57 percent) are reported to be preparing for winter travel, with the majority (96 percent) planning to travel as much or even more than last winter, according to the TripAdvisor study released in November.

According to a December report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), "solid growth in passenger demand" continued in October. The load factor—the percentage of available seats an airline sells on its flights—reached 83.9 percent for international travel and 84.5 percent for domestic travel in October, the IATA report found.

'Mutual Responsibility'

Etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts, author of A Traveler's Passport to Etiquette in a Post-Pandemic World, told Newsweek: "It's puzzling why some passengers, in any class of service, feel entitled to disrupt a night flight when the cabin is dark for a reason: to allow passengers to sleep."

She added: "While the overhead light is available for use, shining a bright phone screen is disruptive. It's not all about you when sharing space with others; consideration and respect go a long way, especially on a transatlantic flight."

Etiquette expert Nicole Rose, the founder and CEO of Poised & Proper, told Newsweek that etiquette is a "two-way street, especially in shared spaces like an airplane cabin...it's about awareness and adjusting our behavior to ensure comfort all around."

Rose noted that there is a "mutual responsibility," explaining that "while it's considerate for one to dim their screen, it's also prudent for others to come prepared for such situations."

Leighton agreed, saying: "It's always a good idea to have ear plugs and an eye mask whenever you travel, day or night. We can't always control those around us, but we can try to tune them out."

'Rude' and 'Inconsiderate'

The Reddit community largely sided with the original poster, criticizing the passenger with the bright phone screen.

User JamonHamon said: "The phone does NOT need to be that bright," while leechpeach92 agreed, saying: "people really are so inconsiderate."

TwpMun added: "It baffles me how rude a person has to be to flat out say 'no,' when asked to do a simple thing like this."

Quatropiscas offered a practical piece of advice, saying: "When you have issues with another passenger, don't talk to them directly. Always do your request to a flight attendant. They are better trained to deal with it and, if you're dealing with an obnoxious moron, there's a chance that he/she will escalate things no matter how calm and polite you were."

However, some users were more understanding of the passenger with the phone.

CacklingMossHag mentioned the possibility of a vision issue, saying: "she might have vision problems? I have awful eyesight and am often told my screens are too bright, but if it's any lower I get eye strain headaches and blurry vision."

User djluminol noted: "If you know you're taking a night flight and light bothers you why would you not bring a blind for your eyes? Why is your comfort another person's responsibility?"

Lostraylien added: "Who cares they aren't hurting anyone, if you want darkness close your eyes."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.

A stock image of a woman using a mobile phone with a brightly lit screen in a dark plane cabin. A post about a passenger refusing to reduce the brightness of her phone screen during... iStock / Getty Images Plus

Do you have a travel-related story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.