A flight attendant has sparked a fierce debate by claiming that each plane passenger is only entitled to one armrest, even in the dreaded middle seat.

When flying, passengers often face the dilemma of who gets the ‘extra’ armrest, especially in the ‘three in a row’ seating configuration which includes four armrests. Traditionally, the unwritten rule of the skies suggests that the less fortunate traveller stuck in the middle seat should be compensated with access to both central armrests.

However, a flight attendant has controversially stated that everyone should stick to just one armrest, using the other simply as a divider.

The issue was brought to light on Reddit by a perplexed traveller who recounted a unique announcement made by a flight attendant during boarding. The traveller shared: “This was a first for me on my current flight. The flight attendant made an announcement right after boarding to clarify who gets to use which armrest on the flight. To my surprise, he was very emphatic that no person gets two armrests.”

The flight attendant’s explanation was clear: “He explained every person is supposed to use the armrest on their right (and the left for the other side) and keep the armrest on the aisle clear for carts and people walking down the plane. He emphatically stated that no armrest drama would be tolerated.”

The bemused passenger questioned the community, asking: “Feeling sorry for all the folks in middle seats on this flight, although mentioned to my seat mate she was welcome to both armrests. Ever heard anything like this before? “.

In response to the debate, one perplexed user stated: “That’s a no for me. I’m an aisle seater, and that aisle armrest is mine. The middle seat gets his/her two, I get mine on the aisle.”

Another user chimed in with: “That’s some made-up bull**** by a flight attendant who is tired of bumping people’s arms with his cart. If it wasn’t intended to support an arm there’d just be a small wall on the aisle (which to be honest I sometimes wish there was). It’s the same as people saying you can’t recline in E. The seat is made to recline!”.

A third user voiced their opinion: “Nah, you give the middle person the armrests. When I do fly economy, I always select an aisle seat in case the person in the middle seat is large. If that’s the case, I lift the armrest in the aisle and sit as far over as I can. I hate rubbing arms and legs with someone the entire flight. Nightmare.”

Another user added their perspective: “I’ve always believed that the proper etiquette was the aisle gets the aisle armrest, the middle gets both because they’re in the middle and that sucks bad enough, and the window gets the window side armrest. Anything else is just barbaric.”