Agreed, you did not say poke. However yelling in someone's ear (assuming no headphones) is permissible? That in itself is an assault on someone (and likely to wake others as well).

I don't think anyone has an issue with gentle prodding. I do think that different people have different tolerence levels for coming out of sleep mode. I know a flight attendant had to nudge me for quite a while to wake me on a recent flight (was exhausted after being up for 30 hours straight). Whereas I've had flights where a simple snort from myself would wake me up. The problem is depending on how disoriented the sleeper is, certain things might happen (funniest was a guy who woke up startled in Y and fell out of his seat).

Yes it is ok. A stranger falls over down stairs. You could help stop their fall by grabbing their arm. You'd just let them fall on to the ground.

What is surprising is the number of people who think they can go through life poking complete strangers without eventually getting a shot in the mouth in return. Keep your hands to yourself. If someone else's snoring, crying baby, loud chatter, etc. bothers you get good ear plugs or noise reducing headphones.

I wasn't going to comment again but here goes.

What is more surprising, and to me, quite disappointing is the number of people who immediately would resort to some sort of physical retaliation when a "common sense" approach has been used to resolve an issue that is disturbing a cabin full of passengers. Those passengers also deserve a degree of respect and "protection" for want of a better word. I go through life, perhaps naively trying to treat others as I would expect to be treated.I would be mortified if i thought any action of mine, either consciously or sub-consciously was having a major negative affect on others.

Yes, as a last resort.

I don't think so.

You're an adult, empowered to make such a vast decision without the help of others. What I think shouldn't matter to you.
It's OK to wake someone up; it's OK to not wake someone up. It's OK either way. Do what ever you want. Or don't. It's YOUR call.

Poking or shaking a complete stranger who is asleep just because he is snoring isn't a "common sense" approach. If the person's behavior is that objectionable get the cabin crew involved. If however you feel compelled to take matters into your own hands be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Second times I am reading this in this page. Just wonder - any successful cases pressing battery charges for waking someone up on plane? Could you please provide court and case number?

Or 'pressing battery charges' is another case of internet warriors?

P.S. Recommendation to all those 'assault/battery' ones - you should not consider travelling in Asia and Kthulhu forbid going to an oriental market where you be elbowed, pushed and other way physically touched when you end up on local people's way. Bring your own lawyer with you to make sure to press charges every time someone physically touches you. Better - sell tickets on this show, it will be very entertaining.

Not all crimes are prosecuted.

For example, littering is illegal and can be prosecution in many jurisdictions. In reality - how many are actually caught?

The advice is given to OP as CYA to avoid physical contacts, rather than saying that OP will be prosecuted.

Like many criminal offenses, battery usually require a motive. It is foreseeable that there will be physical contacts when walking through a crowded market in every jurisdiction. However, a reasonable person would not expect someone will pork another person's forehead.

I think the OP was in the wrong to wake the guy up, as I posted upthread. But I'm also still enjoying all the internet tough guy/DYKWIA type posts saying that it was battery, or that they'd reply with a punch or something. It was kind of rude because a plane is a public place and you have to deal with annoyances like someone snoring. It wasn't illegal and if there had been a more valid reason to wake them up then giving them a touch on the shoulder or whatever would be a perfectly valid way to do it. I've been woken up by FAs like that numerous times as they asked me to put my seat back up to prepare for landing. I've never felt an impulse to throw a punch or file a complaint.

One must never touch strangers in their sleep - you never know how they will react. I had a roommate in college who would lash out viciously when woken up by anyone - arms and fists swinging violently. Had you tapped this girl, I guarantee you, you would have had a black eye or a broken nose or a loose tooth. This was her default reaction.

This reminds me of a great laugh. Sometimes, my snoring will wake me up, and it is a loud, very jolting way to awaken. One time this happened to me on the airplane when I had the newspaper. As I awoke, I threw some of the paper, flying out to the aisle for being startled, at the passenger's feet. The rest of the paper was laying at my feet.

I was embarrassed at the time for making a mess of the airplane, but as I write this now I get a great laugh!

I was on a flight recently and found myself wondering "What is that noise?" It was a very loud snoring man a few seats up. He was left alone until it was time to touch down.

If someone did it to me one time, I wouldn't punch them. But I would respond by yelling quite loudly, "Don't touch me again." Loud enough so that everyone in the vicinity would hear it and the perpetrator would be thoroughly embarrassed and not do it again. If they did it a 2nd time, they'd have a broken jaw.

Your comparison to FA's waking you up for safety infractions is preposterous.