Southwest Plane Passenger Sparks Debate After Sitting Right Behind Flyer On Empty Plane. See Pic

When travelling on a plane, passengers should follow some basic etiquette and do their best to not disturb or trouble anyone seated around them. However, recently a plane passenger in the United States was left fuming when another passenger sat directly behind him on their almost empty Southwest flight. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Washington-based chef, Anthony Thomas, shared his ordeal along with a selfie, which showed a man sitting right behind him on an almost empty plane. "Imagine having the luxury of boarding a flight with only two passengers on it. Of all the seats on the flight,  look where he decided to sit, Mr Thomas captioned the post. 

Take a look below: 

Imagine having the luxury of boarding a flight with only two passengers on it. Of all the seats on the flight, look where he decided to sit. pic.twitter.com/qluJhDUHBy

— Chef Anthony Thomas (@ChefAnthonyDC) February 13, 2024

Since being shared, Mr Thomas' post has accumulated more than 37 million views. The tweet has also sparked a debate on airplane etiquette and personal space in the comments.

"That's the same dude that won't skip the 30 empty urinals to snuggle up and try to talk while it's business time," one user commented. "I would've moved, honestly. Dude is weird and I wouldn't want him behind me just for that reason," said another. 

Some users also believed that the man's behaviour was odd, given how empty the plane was, while others were not so quick to take Mr Thomas' side. 

"It doesn't matter my friend. Recline allllll the way back. That's his fault," wrote one user. "I'm counting 5 passengers total bud but yes he should find another seat," said another. 

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However, one user said, "Guy's probably scared of flying instead of being super creep just ask him to sit in same row maybe you will make a friend," while another expressed, "I'm sorry but if I board an empty flight im not sitting by myself either.. thats creepy".  "I go to my assigned seat before I start looking for an empty one that might be more comfortable," added another. 

According to The Independent, the flight appears to be a Southwest plane, which operates an open seating policy. This means that travellers flying with the airline can pick any open seat once they board their aircraft in their group number. 

Meanwhile, this is not the first time a social media post has sparked a discussion on airplane etiquette. Earlier, a plane passenger triggered an online debate after sharing a picture of a flyer poking their socked foot underneath their seat. "Don't be this person," the Redditor captioned the photo, which was taken by a friend during a recent undisclosed flight. 

This picture showed the passenger's space being violated by a socked foot belonging to the flyer sitting behind them. It also showed the flyer's foot touching the photographer's sneakers. Social media users were quick to react and hold the offender's toes on the fire.