A heated altercation over a reclining airline seat has left two people banned from an airline and yet again sparked a debate about aircraft etiquette.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific this week banned two people from its flights after an argument about another passenger reclining their seat descended into insults.

A woman from mainland China has posted a video on social media recounting her experience on a September 17 flight from Hong Kong to London.

In the post, made to Xiaonhongshu (Little Red Book) – China’s version of Instagram – the woman says: “The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband’s view of the TV.

“I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy.”

She said a flight attendant attempted to intervene by suggesting the woman raise her seat, but she refused causing the situation to escalate.

“When (the female passenger) realised my Cantonese wasn’t so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a ‘Mainland girl’ and other derogatory stuff,” the woman said.

“Once I started recording, the husband behind me even shoved his hand on my armrest and started shaking it like crazy,” the woman said.

The accompanying footage of the incident at one point shows her seat shaking and a female voice can be heard saying in Mandarin: “You’re old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?”

The woman said that after some passengers spoke up for her, the flight attendant said she could switch seats.

Continuing conflict

The incident is just the latest in the continuing battle over reclining airline seats and again raises the question of whether it’s OK to lean back in a cramped cabin.

In August last year, a video shot on a flight from Paris to Los Angeles went viral after it showed a woman pushing her arms against the reclined seat in front of her, angrily saying: “Can you please stop moving it back? Respect the person behind you.”

Also last year, another viral video of a passenger altercation was widely circulated with a woman furiously defending her right to recline – asserting “I’m allowed to put my seat back.”

Commenters on the Cathay Pacific post were divided on the question of who was in the right, but the fact of the matter is that airline seats recline and a passenger is perfectly entitled to do so. But should they?

There’s no definitive answer.

If you’re trying to get comfortable and want to grab some sleep, it’s understandable to recline, especially on a long flight.

But it’s always a good idea to be mindful of the passengers behind you, especially if they’re eating or working.

Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt told The New York Times that “airplane etiquette is you only recline when necessary, and if you must recline, just put the seat back a little bit to get the comfort you need without encroaching too much on the person behind you”.

However, Lisa Orr, an etiquette and protocol consultant, told Reader’s Digest that it’s fine to recline.

“Airline seats are designed to recline, so it’s completely reasonable that passengers use that feature of their seat,” Orr said.

But she added that “how you recline makes all the difference”.

How to recline

On a domestic flight, accepted etiquette is to refrain from reclining, especially in economy because many passengers may be working on a computer or having a snack.

On international flights, however, especially an overnight flight, it’s fine to recline.

Most people will be looking to get some sleep at some stage and the cramped conditions can make people desperate to find a way to stretch out.

It’s how you recline that makes the difference:

• Check your surroundings – look to see if the person in the seat behind you is working, eating or otherwise occupied
• Time it right – consider waiting until the plane reaches cruising altitude, and avoid reclining during meal service or when the seatbelt sign is on
• Communicate – If you need to recline, a simple glance back or a polite “do you mind if I recline?” can avoid disputes
• Recline slowly – Do it gradually and give the person behind a chance to adjust.