One woman on a recent flight described an uncomfortable situation she found herself in after a man encroached on her legroom.
Erin Rempel, 21, recently enjoyed a 90-minute flight from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Edmonton, Alberta, to visit family.
She told Fox News Digital that as she sat in her assigned middle seat on a Flair Airlines flight, the man sitting in the window seat splayed his knees out wide, invading her personal space and “manspreading.”
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“I kept trying to gently push his leg back to the side, hoping he'd take my hint,” she said.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 17 million times, Rempel showed a man's legs crossed in his space, captioning it, “Why the hell do you need so much space???”
A woman posted a video on TikTok showing a male passenger spreading his legs wide open to invade her legroom during a flight, and it has now been viewed over 17 million times. (@erinrempel/TMX)
Rempel said she eventually reached out to grab something and pushed harder against his knee.
The passenger may or may not have been asleep, she said, but was awake enough to react when she pushed back against his leg.
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She said he “moved and got into a different position.”
Rempel said she is 6 feet 2 inches tall and the “older man” was shorter than her so she didn't want him to get in her space.
Rempel said that as soon as she sat in her middle row seat, a man on the plane (not pictured) spread her legs. (iStock)
Comments on Rempel's TikTok video were met with a variety of opinions, with many saying Rempel should have spoken out while others simply said she “would have cried.”
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Some TikTok users asked Rempel why she didn't pay for the upgrade in the first place.
But Rempel told Fox News Digital that her flight only cost $90 and she was trying to stay on a budget.
“To be honest, I didn't want to upgrade. I was just trying to get to see family last minute and on a budget, so paying an extra $20 for a flight just wasn't worth it,” she said.
Rempel said that because the flight was short, she decided not to tell the flight attendant about her “splayed legs.” (iStock)
One user responded to the story, saying: “Own your space. Take it. It's yours.”
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“This is making me feel claustrophobic,” said another.
Other social media users questioned why she didn't speak up directly to other passengers or to flight attendants.
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“I didn't think it was worth the hassle during an hour-and-a-half flight,” Rempel said.
“We do not believe we should intervene in the disagreement between our two customers,” Flair Airlines said in an emailed statement to Fox News Digital.
A TikTok video taken by a passenger (not pictured) went viral as commenters discussed what she should have done to address the passenger who was invading her space. (iStock)
Rempel said he encourages other passengers to speak to a flight attendant if something like this happens while traveling.
“It's always a very good idea to have a different perspective,” she said.
“It's important to respect everyone's personal space on an airplane,” Jacqueline Whitmore, a Florida-based etiquette expert, told Fox News Digital in an email.
“If you recline, do it slowly (to avoid compressing your knees).”
“That means keeping your arms and legs away from your body and not leaning into the space of the person next to you,” she added.
Whitmore also suggested that travelers with long legs request an aisle seat or a seat with extra legroom.
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“If you plan to recline, do so slowly (to avoid putting pressure on your knees) and make sure the person behind you isn't using a tray table, especially if they're eating,” she said.
“When watching movies or listening to music, make sure you wear headphones and keep the volume low,” she added.
