A PASSENGER has sparked debate after choosing to use a reading light on a plane, when all the other lights were off.
The person was flying early in the morning and the rest of the lights on the aircraft were turned off.
However, they needed to get some work done, so made use of the reading light above their head.
That annoyed the people sat next to the passenger, who started complaining to one another, in a different language that they thought the person wouldn’t be able to understand.
However, they did understand and it led to them feeling conflicted about their actions.
They reached out to social media site Reddit to ask other people if they were in the wrong to have their light on when the plane’s lights were off.
They wrote: “This morning, I took a flight from the east coast to the west coast of the US. At around 8:00 local time, I turned on my reading light to do some work that required reading printed documents.
“I needed to complete the task before we landed, and I could not see the documents without the reading light, as the main cabin lights were not illuminated.
“The couple seated next to me were extremely annoyed, complaining in a different language (which I coincidentally also speak) to one another about what an inconsiderate a** I am.
“I feel conflicted: When I travel, I always bring noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask, and I don’t expect others to accommodate my sleeping preferences.
“And I did not turn on the light at an ungodly hour; I turned it on at 8 AM on a workday.
“On the other hand, I was one of the only people on the flight to make use of the light, and the reading lights on this particular airplane really are quite bright/cannot be dimmed.”
However, people stuck up for the passenger, saying it was not up to them to accommodate for other people on the plane.
One said: “If the airplane is equipped with reading lights… and the flight attendant didn’t cruise by and ask you not to use them… and it’s 8am on a work day… you are allowed to use the reading light.”
A second said: “I’ve used the lights when others didn’t have them on, sometimes you need to work, read, get things done.
“This isn’t their bedroom and they can’t expect to control the environment.”
When it comes to dimming the lights, there are specific times on a flight when it’s essential to the safety of passengers – take-off and landing.
While many might assume it is to do with light pollution around airports, it is actually a safety reason in case of an emergency.
Pilot Patrick Smith, author of Cockpit Confidential, said this is done when landing during the evening or when it is dark outside.
He previously told the Telegraph: “Dimming the lights allows your eyes to pre-adjust to darkness, so that you’re not suddenly blinded if something happens and the power goes out, and you’re dashing for the doors in darkness or smoke.”
Meanwhile, these are the etiquette rules for reclining seats on plane journeys.
And this is why passengers on planes are just generally really annoying.
