This was published 4 years ago
Man who stood up for six hours on flight so wife could sleep goes viral
By Lorna Thornber
A man who stood on a plane for six hours so his wife could sleep across three seats has divided opinion online, with some describing the gesture as "romantic" and others as "selfish" on the wife's part.
Courtney Lee Johnson shared a picture on social media of the man standing in the aisle of the cabin and leaning on the tops of two seats as a woman lay across an entire row with her feet up.
"This guy stood up the whole 6 hours so his wife could sleep. Now that is love," she claimed in the caption.
While some commenters expressed disbelief that cabin crew had allowed the man to stand for six hours, others said they thought the wife was wrong to expect or allow him to do so.
"That's not love. That's selfishness on the woman's part," one commenter said. "Can't she just place her head on his shoulders and sleep. Love doesn't work like that lol."
"Unless she's sick and this is the only rest position in the circumstance that will make her stay alive. If not, it's total b.......!!!" said another.
"If that is love then I rather be lonely," said a third.
Another said: "I won't judge their marriage. My hubs is the kind of man who would do this for me, but I am not the kind of wife to ask this of him!"
It's not the first time plane etiquette sparked debate online.
In March, a US man's $220 compensation demand from an obese passenger for taking up part of his seat proved controversial.
Reddit user BigBawluh had been booked on a five-hour flight which he said he endured uncomfortably "pressed up against" the other man and wanted to be "compensated".
"The problem here was that this large dude stuck you with being uncomfortable on your flight, right? Well, the [US]$150 didn't make you any less squished in your seat, so it really feels like you just blackmailed this guy for being fat," one said.
Others were supportive.
"You had every right to ask the flight attendant for a solution, and between the man and you, a solution was agreed upon. Everyone else can relax, because it wasn't their seat being overtaken on a flight."
However, another said the real problem was with the airlines themselves.
"But until consumers organise and demand that airlines stop cramming more and more people into smaller and smaller spaces, most of us have decided to just grit our teeth and deal with how uncomfortable air travel is."
See also: The 'disgusting' habits of plane passengers (and which class is the worst)
See also: Passenger puts on eight kilos of clothes to beat baggage limit
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