Gone are the days of pure comfort when flying with a number of nuisances that can occasionally make travel unbearable.

       One such niggly factor involves the seats on planes which seem to get tighter each time travelled, with some not being able to recline at all.

       If you’ve wondered why some seats do this, one pilot has shed some light on this matter.

       American Airlines pilot Captain Steve discussed the two reasons behind this annoying debacle - and both are rather interesting.

       Captain Steve has garnered quite the following on TikTok with an impressive 220,000 followers tuning in to hear the behind-the-curtain secrets that take place on airplanes.

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       Taking to TikTok, Captain Steve discussed the secret behind these non-reclining seats in a recent post.

       In the TikTok video he said: "You just got back into your seat, you're all comfy, you built your little nest, you put all your electronics away, put all the stuff in the overhead compartment and you're thinking to yourself, it's time to relax, I'm going to recline my seat a little bit.

       "So you push that button and the seat won't recline, you push it again and it just won't recline. You're like 'what in the world is going on?'

       "It's one of two things my friends. Either you're up in the back row against the bulkhead and that seat isn't going to recline. Why? Because there's a wall behind you.

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       "And the other is you're in front of an emergency exit row."

       Captain Steve continued and discussed how the seat in the front of the exit row is known to not recline regardless of how much you struggle with it.

       He explained: "Because we need to leave it in an unimpeded path out through that exit so people don't stumble or fall, there's nothing that impedes their progress.

       "On many of those seats, there's not even a tray table, so the guy sitting in the exit row doesn't have a tray table. It comes out of the compartment next to him."

       Captain Steve added how this was solely down to passengers safety but is certainly food for thought the next time you’re booking your plane seats.

       Many social media users praised Captain Steve for this unknown rule with the video racking up a host of likes and comments.

       One wrote: "Wow, now that is a new one.

       Another added: "Love this guy, I learn so much!"