Two passengers were reportedly escorted off a United Airlines plane at San Francisco International Airport because they brawled over elbow room.
“On my first flight in 15 months, of course we were rerouted back to the gate because two passengers got into a physical altercation over elbow placement upon arm rests,” Google product director Jack Krawczyk said on Twitter.
The flight was headed to Las Vegas when the two combatants rubbed elbows about 1:30 p.m. Friday, SFGATE reported.
A United spokeswoman said the incident took place right before takeoff.
Both men, who have not been identified, were detained when an officer arrived at the gate, a San Francisco police spokesman told SFGATE.
Neither was injured and neither sought to “pursue further police action,” according to police, who said the men were not allowed to rejoin the flight.
Social media users reacted to the episode by lashing out against the misery of commercial flying.
“This. This is f—- why I HATE traveling economy. You’re cramming a bunch of uneducated low lives into cheap seats with barely any leg and arm room and expecting them to be civil?” Twitter user @R_CAdams wrote.
“Throw in them having to wear masks now and good LUCK,” he added.
“Flying is miserable. You have to get to the airport early. They put you on the plane way before it’s time to take off. The air is dry and thin. The engine noise is constant,” @TomHaflinger said.
“I don’t know how someone gets on a plane and thinks, ‘I should make this even worse for everyone,’” he added.
Meanwhile, another user offered a primer on armrest protocol.
“Aisle gets the outside arm rest and some leg and body room. Middle gets two arm rests and window gets the armrest and window/wall to lean on,” @buckshow8 wrote.