Your In-Flight Entertainment Has Been Interrupted by… Someone's Hand

A social media post of an airline passenger blocking a seatback entertainment screen has sparked an online discussion about airplane etiquette.

The photo shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows a passenger's hand draped over their reclined seat, obstructing the video screen of the traveler seated behind them. The incident occurred on a commercial flight equipped with personal entertainment systems.

The passenger who captured and posted the image reported they were watching comedy sketches from "Key and Peele" at the time and were not significantly bothered by the obstruction.

The post joins a growing collection of documented passenger behavior on social media, including seat stealing, gate lice, and shrimp and grits being cooked in the bathroom of a Delta flight. 

Personal entertainment systems, which gained popularity in the 1990s, remain a notable amenity on many commercial flights. Major carriers, including Delta Air Lines, continue to feature seatback screens on select aircraft, though availability varies by route and aircraft type.

The incident highlights ongoing discussions about personal space and passenger conduct aboard commercial flights, where limited seating room and shared amenities often lead to conflicts over etiquette.

Sharing travel-related incidents on social media has increased the visibility of passenger behavior, with platforms like X and TikTok serving as primary channels for documenting and discussing airline etiquette.