A little bit of basic good manners and respect are always worth a thumbs up. Your seat is not a sleeper berth. Don… https://t.co/xVA3ziCFMV — Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) 1582349801000

@BravoAndy Here’s a great jackhole! He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times - HARD, at wh… https://t.co/vtSrZesK0E — wendi (@steelersfanOG) 1581218835000

NEW DELHI: The debate on reclining aircraft seats, sparked by a viral video of a passenger repeatedly punching a reclined seat in front of him on a domestic flight in US earlier this month, has reached Indian shores, nee skies. The aviation ministry on Saturday Tweeted: “A little bit of basic good manners and respect are always worth a thumbs up. Your seat is not a sleeper berth. Don’t be inconsiderate of other people’s space.”The ministry, whose Tweet had two hashtags — “be a responsible traveller” and “etiquettes of flying,” advises: “With the limited space you have, if you must recline, do it carefully. Always think about the people around you because no one wants your head in their laps."While reclining seats in economy section has always been a contentious issue, it again became a talking point when on February 9 Wendi Williams Tweeted from her handle @steelersfanOG a video of her reclined seat being punched by the passenger behind her on a domestic flight in the US.“Here’s a great jackhole! He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times - HARD, at which point I began videoing him, and he resigned to this behaviour. The other jackhole is the AmericanAir flight attendant who reprimanded me and offered him (a complimentary) rum!” She was on an flying American Eagle, subsidiary of American Airlines, from New Orleans to Charlotte.This video went viral. Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, joined the debate when he told the US media that while customers have a right to recline, “the proper thing to do if you’re going to recline is that you ask if it’s OK first.” Some foreign airlines have non-reclining seats in economy section to avoid disputes between passengers on this issue and also give a feeling of space to flyers in their otherwise cramped and poor legroom economy sections.The aviation ministry has now offered its advice to passengers on the issue. A reclined seat in cramped legroom economy section may add to discomfort of some passengers. And having the front seat recline while having a meal is a real pain for passengers on the seat right behind. The feeling of discomfort, already there thanks to extremely low level of padding to keep seats as light as possible, may get aggravated in such a situation.“It is a good initiative by the ministry to Tweet this. While reclining economy seats is an issue globally, aviation authorities must tackle a very common practice in India — passengers standing up as soon as aircraft come to a halt after landing. Our crew has to keep announcing during taxi to terminal, asking passengers to remain seated and not to open overhead bins to take out their bags as that could hurt other flyers,” said a senior pilot.