Twice in the past six months I’ve been on a plane in which a passenger complained about their seat.

In the first instance, the arm rest was a bit wobbly. In the second, the chair felt a bit loose.

In both cases, the person affected complained to the flight attendant. And guess what happened next…

In both cases, the pilot was told and a maintenance crew (most likely union) had to come on board and fix the problem before we could take off. And in both cases, the fix delayed the flight by at least 30 minutes.

Also common to both cases, the person who complained seemed completely oblivious to the effect their complaint had on the delay of the flight and the rest of the people in the plane who were late to their destination.

If you’re ever in a plane and your seat isn’t exactly perfect, consider what your determination to have it fixed before we take off will have on the rest of those on your flight. Consider how it will affect everyone around you.