Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
File this under I Thought I Was the Only One!
Perhaps it’s because I’m nearing the Hey-You-Kids!-Get-Off-My-Lawn! age brackets and little things start to annoy me (more than they did before).
But I’m real tired of the heavy-fingered airline passengers sitting behind me who punch their fingers into the seatback inflight entertainment screens. Especially when they play games.
It seems a couple of Redditors also feel the same way.
“I’m just getting poked in the back all flight by some old lady playing some game,” lamented u/rschmidt624. “Get rid of it. I just want to sleep and not be constantly jostled awake.”
“Who all would like to see the games on the video console go away? People don’t seem to get the concept that it only takes a light touch on the current displays to work them,” wrote u/cma13pdx. “When someone with a heavy touch plays a game on the back of your head it’s hard to relax. Please lose the games!”
Are they being malicious? I highly doubt it. Selfish and disrespectful like people who listen to their media devices without using headphones? Not really.
Just annoyingly unaware. (And, really, what a wonderful First World problem for me to complain about.)
I use the inflight entertainment screen. I’m usually working or watching something on my iPad, so I opt for the flight tracker or live news or sports. Just so I have something to glance at every so often. But I try to be conscientious of others. I lightly tap the screen when making my choices. I might apply a little extra pressure if the taps don’t take right away. Maybe I’ll use a shirt sleeve or part of my sweatshirt to wipe down the screen in case it’s dirty.
But then some folks repeatedly stab the screens like they’re trying to punch holes into them. They play onscreen games and “tap” with such force that it moves the seat a little.
Being a native Midwesterner, my natural instinct is passive aggression: dramatically adjusting my seat, turning around and glancing at them, writing blog posts…
What do you do?
“I just tell people that they’re being annoying and explain that each tap you can feel and it would be great if you could touch softly instead of tap or maybe switch to the phone or a movie,” says u/getchpdx. “Most people, if you present it as ‘hey did you know?’ Seems to usually stop in my experience. One guy kept playing but just stopped touching the screen so aggressively but I couldn’t really tell in majority after that. Overall I get it, though I have played the games once or twice they can be good time killers.”
What do you think? Are you irritated by passengers punching the screen on your seatback? Do you just roll with it or ask them to stop?
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Reading the title I thought: “Whoa, would I really annoy you when we were on the same flight, simply because I might play a game?”
Why would I be so annoying? Because I am not so good at a quiz or play a game you think is a stupid one?
Oh, no, nothing of that. Only a princess who notices a pea underneath dozens of mattresses would know I touched the screen behind her back.
When I use the screen I touch it only slightly and when I get up from my seat or get back to it I use my armrest and/or my own seatback to get a hold but not the seat in front of me.
Yes, passengers behind me give me a massage when punching the screen or they shake me like a ketchup bottle when trying to get up or back into their seat. Well … I don’t exactly like it but … sigh … 😉
The Delta One seats have those corded remotes, why not add those to all seats? They look cheaply made, just a plastic piece. I’m small so it would be nice not to lean forward to search for the titles I want to watch, especially since I have a hiatal hernia and that position causes pain. I know it’s TMI but I don’t want to be accused of being lazy. Lol.
My take (in order of most frequent reason):
1) They’re oblivious that they are doing it.
2) They’re not oblivious, but are getting back at you for reclining into their lap).
3) They’re not oblivious, but simply jerks.
I love the blog. I am a long time happy customer reading your travel blog and I like the focus on Delta. My request for you:
Never ever again mention “First World Problem” on your blog. We all understand that this is a travel blog.
Thanks for your consideration of my request.
Thanks for the comment and being a long-time reader. Here’s the sad truth: not everyone understands that we’re discussing subjects all of us are very lucky to enjoy. So, I try to acknowledge that in a rather tongue-in-cheek way every so often before I commenters waste everyone’s time thinking we’re trying to cure cancer.
My friend liked to play those games until a person in front her snapped at her. Me, I would have continued since he was so rude about it. She really didn’t realize. Now, me, I deliberately play them when someone reclines in front of me. I feel I earned it
It is not just the gamers… it is the movie,TV people too.They tend to bang on the screen too!
This is why I much prefer airlines without wasteful seatback devices. It’s much more enjoyable having a proper tablet/phone holder built into the seat. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to watch what the airline wants you to (which they can interrupt at will) instead of what you choose. I wish DL would finally remove all of these unnecessary screens.
(Personal attack redacted). Stop complaining and appreciate you are able to fly
You must have missed the part where I wrote, “And, really, what a wonderful First World problem for me to complain about.”
I hope your day improves.
I would be happy if they disabled the IFE and instead turned the screen into a second screen for my laptop. I’m fed up with seeing dozens of movies all at the same time. And I am probably guilty of poking someone in the back although I try not to waste my time too much with games and I try not to press too hard.