Is it okay to do this during a flight? The Internet is divided over this simple eating habit

Everyone loves fruit – well, maybe not those on a plane who are constantly pointing out how annoying peeling the treats can be.

The discussion about peeling oranges and other fruits on a plane started after a Reddit user made this a post Asked about the move yesterday.

“Is it rude to peel oranges during a flight out of curiosity?” the user asked.

The person on Reddit too asked the same question on another subreddit, writing that they “love the smell of citrus.”

Other Reddit users are divided over whether it’s rude or okay to peel oranges on a plane, and the debate has even spread to other social media platforms.

“Just don’t give me your peeling mess while I walk down the aisle doing my compliance checks with no gloves and no trash bags,” one flight attendant wrote in response.

A dietician and frequent flyer revealed in Vane Airport Mag that a big ‘inaction’ when boarding an airplane brings ‘messy fruit’.

“Oranges on airplanes are a disaster unless they are small clementines,” the pilot wrote.

‘The juice from cut fruit like pineapple can leak over your carry-on and stick everything in sight. All you need to tame with a napkin is not your friend on the run.”

However, an aviator and TikTok user known as @_maxn_ managed to peel an orange with his hands without making a mess on his seat a video he posted in 2022.

The TikToker isn’t the only one who thinks it’s okay to peel an orange on a plane.

Reddit users who commented on the original poster’s posts wrote about why they think the orange peel habit is okay on a plane.

“I’d love to smell fresh oranges on a flight, I’ve had to put up with so many worse smells,” one user wrote.

“As long as you don’t put the peels in the back pocket of the chair, you’ll be fine!” added another poster

A few Reddit users commented that they would think it was rude and that fliers should just “peel it beforehand.”

A Reddit user who doesn’t mind someone peeling an orange during their flight noted in his comment that airlines are concerned about the health risks that could result from oranges on a plane.

According to the Transportation Security Administration: ‘Solid foods (not liquids or gels) can be carried in your carry-on baggage or in checked bags within the continental United States.’

TSA regulations also say that “passengers flying from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. mainland cannot bring most fresh fruits and vegetables with them.”

The reason for these rules is because of ‘the risk of spreading invasive plant pests’.

This rule may not apply to Europe based on what a flight attendant and TikToker did in a video she posted last year about pomegranates. Ericka Renee was obsessed with the fruit when she shot the video on the plane.

Renee claimed that there was no one on the plane except the crew.

The flight attendant then showed users how to eat the fruit using a butter knife.

However, she proved in the video that pomegranates are harder to eat on a plane and can make a mess. The seeds came out of the pomegranate after Renee cut the fruit with the butter knife and then ‘popped’ out the rest that was stuck.

The container Renee used seemed to make her pomegranate a great airplane snack without making a mess.

Social media users have not commented on their thoughts on pomegranates on planes, but one TikTok user revealed in the comment sections that she wanted to try the fruit.

Users who want to eat the fruit in a non-messy way can choose to purchase the fruit a TSA-approved snack – Chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.

These snacks can be found at most grocery stores and can also be purchased on Amazon.