Passenger sparks debate after eating meat next to vegetarian on flight.
A man who got into a heated argument with another passenger on a flight because she didn’t want him eating meat next to her, has described the ordeal on an online forum.
The traveller, posted about his ordeal in a Reddit orum mid-flight and asked other users if he was out of order.
The post received 330 comments from various people, with a varied consensus on who was in the wrong.
The man described how he was left starving in the middle of his 8 hour journey, after the first flight only served a “small cracker pack”.
He wrote: “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. 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.
“When I was allowed to put the tray down, I did and started to eat,” he continued.
“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.
“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. She called the flight attendant and was told that I’m well within my rights to eat food that was bought at the airport.”
He finished the thread by posing the question: “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 an AH?”
The top comment told the man that he was wholeheartedly in the right and encouraged him to twist the knife in even further.
“Feel free to glare back and make passive aggressive comments right back at her,” they wrote. “If I was in the mood, I’d even chew with my mouth open while facing her lol.”
Another agreed that the man had done no wrong, but advised him to take a calmer approach.
They wrote: “I find the silent approach works best, just react to eating your food, don’t make sound and do it at random intervals while you eat. Definitely annoys some people”.
Another made an argument that it all comes down to how smelly and pungent the food is. Bearing in mind that a flight cabin is a small and enclosed space, maybe the man should have been more conscious of the aromatic effect of his food choices.