A simple request for help on an airplane has turned into a huge debate about courtesy, entitlement and what strangers owe each other.
A traveler named Victoria shared a viral video describing an encounter she had while flying home to Hawaii from New York.
She said she was struggling to lift her heavy carry-on bag into the overhead compartment while passengers waited behind her to board.
Victoria eventually asked a man nearby if he could give the suitcase a little push to help get it into the bin.
According to her, he responded, “No, I’m good. You can get it.”
She said she became flustered and eventually had to stand on her seat to get the luggage into the overhead compartment herself.
After posting about the encounter, Victoria received a wave of criticism from people who argued that passengers should be able to lift their own luggage if they bring it aboard. Some commenters called her entitled and said the man had every right to say no.
Others defended her, saying helping someone struggling with a suitcase would have been a simple act of kindness.
Victoria later clarified that she was more bothered by the man’s attitude than his refusal to help and apologized for some of the language she initially used. Unfortunately, she also said some of the online backlash escalated into disturbing threats.
So forget the internet drama for a second. If you see another passenger struggling with a bag, do you automatically help, or do you believe everybody should handle their own luggage?