Australian Love Island winner Anna McEvoy has been branded ‘inconsiderate’ by etiquette expert after arguing with a plane passenger… but not everyone agrees

An Australian Love Island winner who flew to Dubai on a 16-hour flight has sparked an online debate after questioning whether she was bothering the woman sitting behind her on the flight.

Anna McEvoy, 31, from Melbourne, Australia, won the second series of the dating show in November 2019, alongside her former partner Josh Packham.

The reality TV star is now a business owner and co-host of the relationship and lifestyle podcast “Where’s Your Head At?”, which sees her travel the world for both business and pleasure.

After a flight to Dubai in August, McEvoy took to TikTok to share with her 80,000 followers about an awkward exchange between her and another passenger.

The video, titled “Dirtiest look ive ever received”, has since amassed over 56,000 views, over 1,000 likes and 38 comments from fans and TikTok users sharing their thoughts on the controversial travel topic.

Anna looked fresh and sat in what appeared to be an airport. She began, “Okay, time for travel stories.

‘I just took a 16-hour flight – from Melbourne to Dubai – and it was an overnight flight. As soon as we left, I pushed my seat back because I wanted to try and get as much sleep as physically possible.

The former Love Islander described how the passenger ‘cracked it’ – Australian colloquialism for someone in a bad mood – and continued: ‘And the lady behind me literally cracked it for me moving my seat back on a night flight.

“So at first I turned it back up, and then I thought, no, I have to say something because I want to sleep the whole flight.

Anyway, I told her, “I’m going to put it back because I need some sleep, but you can tilt your screen so you can see it – I hope that’s okay.”

Anna then revealed her fellow passengers’ dismissive reaction to her suggestion, saying, “This lady Death was staring at me, like she wasn’t even answering, she just gave me the nastiest, deadliest look ever.”

She concluded the story by finally asking her online audience, “Am I wrong?”

Comments poured in from fans and TikTok users debating whether the TV and podcast star had really been wrong as they considered the need to rest during a 16-hour flight.

One commenter agreed with McEvoy’s position, writing, “There’s no way she could have moved her seat back and it’s the same amount of space.”

Another said: ‘The chairs are not going back for nothing. She needs to get over herself or pay for a front seat.”

A third agreed as she shared her own uncomfortable experience: ‘I did this when I got home from Bali. Night flight too. The lady behind me kept making comments about how squished she was lol.”

Others were on the fence, saying it was more considerate to sit back when the meal was done.

One person wrote: ‘If it was after the meal then it’s completely acceptable,’ while another said: ‘I agree it’s OK after the meal. But out of respect I always try to only half put it back.’

However, some commenters found the idea of ​​leaning back invasive and ‘rude’, with one writing: ‘Yes… wait until the service is done.’

Another individual wrote: ‘Yes, you are wrong! It’s rude. It’s not about her screen, it’s about the limited space.’

It comes after an etiquette expert claimed in June that leaning back in your plane seat is the height of bad manners.

Etiquette enthusiast Diane Gottsman said, “Unless you were sitting in a seat with extra legroom, or in first class, it would be inconsiderate to tilt your seat back.”

To avoid disaster, experts have advised asking the person first if you can, or at least checking what he or she is doing.

Christopher Elliot, a consumer advocate and journalist, said you should never recline your seat if the passenger behind you is tall, injured or disabled.

He said there are only a few circumstances where you can recline your seat, such as during a red-eye flight or if you have certain ailments, such as a bad back.