Chaos erupted aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Moscow after a woman refused to follow basic in‑flight etiquette, News Corp Australia reported, citing East2West News.
Witnesses said the trouble began just minutes after take-off when a woman, believed to be Russian, placed her feet on the back of the economy-class seat in front of her. The situation escalated when the passenger seated ahead reclined her chair, triggering an angry reaction from the woman behind.
Despite repeated requests from fellow passengers and cabin crew, the woman refused to put her feet down, news outlet reported. She allegedly shook the seat's headrest with her feet and at one point clapped her trainers together above the head of the woman in front, forcing her to lean forward while trying to work on her laptop.
In a video that later went viral, the affected passenger is heard saying: "This is freedom, you just don't get it... Freedom that other people take away," as quoted by East2West News. A nearby man jokingly remarks, "This is business class," while another woman comments: "This can only happen in Russia."
Other Russian passengers on board reportedly complained they were travelling in "Discomfort Class."
According to the viral video of the incident, the woman at the centre of the incident remained silent throughout the argument. One theory suggested she had been denied a seat upgrade and was protesting by stretching her legs as if she were in business class.
A male passenger told news outlet: "They tried to persuade her again and again. She doesn't want to move her legs. People are going mad."
Eventually, after a cabin crew member crouched down to speak with her, the woman lowered her feet, Mash news outlet reported.
The incident is the latest in a series of bizarre in-flight incidents reported globally, following several similar occurrences in the past.
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