I (34M) was on a 6-hour flight yesterday returning from a business trip. It was one of those budget airlines with the cramped seats, and I had specifically booked an aisle seat since I’m 6’3″ and need whatever extra space I can get. I paid extra for that specific seat assignment.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours, and by the time we finally boarded, I was exhausted and irritable. I had pulled an all-nighter to finish a presentation for a client meeting that morning, which thankfully went well, but I was running on fumes.

As soon as the seatbelt sign went off, I decided to try to get some sleep. Without looking behind me, I reclined my seat hard. The pregnant woman behind me yelled, “I can’t breathe!” I was startled but honestly too tired to care.

I snapped, “Then fly first class!” She went silent.

My seatmate gave me a weird look, but I just put on my noise-canceling headphones and dozed off for most of the flight. I didn’t think much about the interaction until later.