Reclined airline seats debate

[isukgolf]

I do not recline ... Honestly don't feel it's any more comfortable

[scorpion12]

I recline. It's part of the price I pay for my seat. I've sat in seats that don't recline and it's not comfortable for a long flight. I'll take reclining any day. If you don't want a seat in front of you reclining then you might want to sit in a row that accommodates that.

[David in FL]

That is a shitload of flying.

I need a new job! :~(

[ditchparrot19]

Those two statements are at odds with one another. You're opposed to being rude, you acknowledge that you're in the minority, and yet you do something that is intentionally rude and not at all a "right" afforded to you by the very nature and design of the thing (i.e. seats allow you to recline; a person reclining is doing a perfectly expectable thing that is, again, the majority choice).

P.S. Poll added. Seriously, why don't people add polls to obvious poll-deserving questions?

Yeah, I'm fully aware that the whole thing doesn't follow a straight line of logic or rationality.

As for the question about adding polls, I'm just not big on them – I just prefer it when people express reasons with their answers. Somebody else wants to add them, go for it.

[boogielicious]

I will partially recline on occasion if it is a long flight.  I do not fully recline unless I am in business class.  I don't find it rude at all if the person in front of me reclines.  I fly business class often when I fly international.

[CraiginKSA]

My home is in Houston, but I work in Saudi Arabia.  I make the trip home 3 times a year minimum.  I fly Qatar Airways and take the Doha-Houston flight to get home.  It's a 15 hour meat grinder.  And they don't upgrade, even though I'm gold club.

I don't mind if someone wants to recline. There is enough room on those flights - even in coach - so the person in front isn't laying right in your lap.  It'd be very uncomfortable to sit there 15 hours with your seat in the upright position.  Some airlines put the seats so close together that if a person in front reclines, you're practically trapped!

[Golfingdad]

I don't recline my seat. I don't love it when the person in front of me does it, but I understand that it's considered socially acceptable, so I'm not a dick about it.

Me too.  For one, I don't gain any comfort in the 3" or so that I'm reclining (that puts me at an awkward "middle ground" that is actually bad for my back), so why inconvenience the person behind me just because I can, yet at no real gain for myself?

I don't begrudge people who recline in front of me, but at the same time, I do think that it's often inconsiderate.  Nobodys ever asked me if I mind if they recline (a question to which, if asked, I would always answer no) but it would be kind of nice if they did.  OTOH, it's really no biggie because at knee level, the chair doesn't move that much.

Flying sucks for everyone (in coach) so we all manage as best we can.  (Well, not those two people that prompted this thread, but most of us.)

---

Not to go too OT, but if you want to know what really pisses me off on airplanes, I will tell you.  People in aisle seats who, when the plane parks and the seatbelt light dings off, stand up and race forward as far as possible, which is usually only a row or two because everybody else wants to stand up as well.  When that guy ends up in my aisle space, that I need to retreive my stuff from above, well, ...

Also, in the same realm as that ... people who got on late and were forced to use overhead space further back than their seat ... and they don't wait until everybody gets off to go get their bag.  They just squeeze their way back to get it.  Ugh, people.

When it comes down to it, in any arena, not just airplanes, its a safe bet that if you want to irritate me, just be inconsiderate.

[rehmwa]

Seat reclines and you paid for your seat.  recline if you want to.  ask if you want to. don't recline if you don't want to.  don't ask if you don't want to.  It's your seat.

The guy behind you has the exact same options as well.  He didn't pay for your seat, he paid for his seat.  His option is recline or not.  his options do not include your seat controls.

nothing rude at all about it.  nothing inconsiderate about it.  rudeness is expecting someone else to be responsible for your comfort and being a dick about it.  even worse is expecting that regardless of whether it results in YOU being more uncomfortable not using a feature that you paid for.

HOWEVER - (I give a LOT of bonus points for people that ask kindly on both sides of that seat - both the potential recliner or the whiner)

the seats are incredibly uncomfortable in the upright position and even that 2 or 3 inches makes a big difference for many - much of it has to do with the headrests unnaturally pushing your head forward

G-Dad:  the people that rush up?  absolutely agree with you.

Also, watching people trying to use the overhead storage.....it's a really good lesson that the human race really is clueless and will die off early....(I help people often that are having trouble - it surprises me how many people just sit there and watch someone with no clue struggle with their bag pointed backwards.)

The most rude thing I saw on a flight was a businessman that took off his suit coat and then laid it out flat in an empty overhead bin.  He then proceeded to SHUT the bin.  I directly opened the bin and put my bag in and then left the bin open.  He saw.  I nodded.  (I'm not sure, but I'm convinced half the posters on this thread would consider him to be justified and call me rude - backwards logic seems to abound)

[Golfingdad]

Seat reclines and you paid for your seat.  recline if you want to.  ask if you want to. don't recline if you don't want to.  don't ask if you don't want to.  It's your seat.

The guy behind you has the exact same options as well.  He didn't pay for your seat, he paid for his seat.  His option is recline or not.  his options do not include your seat controls.

I do basically agree with this, however, I would point out that just because it's available, doesn't AUTOMATICALLY mean that it's OK to use, or at least not inconsiderate.  Consider that the contraption in the story that started this thread was something that the guy legally bought.  Also, consider that a lot of planes might still have ash trays in them.

But, generally, yes.  They have a right to recline their seat, as do you (unless you're in the last row ;))  If I could afford to fly business class all the time I would - a little bit for the leg room and a little bit more for the warm nuts. ;)

[Ernest Jones]

I do basically agree with this, however, I would point out that just because it's available, doesn't AUTOMATICALLY mean that it's OK to use, or at least not inconsiderate.  Consider that the contraption in the story that started this thread was something that the guy legally bought.  Also, consider that a lot of planes might still have ash trays in them.

But, generally, yes.  They have a right to recline their seat, as do you (unless you're in the last row ;))  If I could afford to fly business class all the time I would - a little bit for the leg room and a little bit more for the warm nuts. ;)

They have heated seats in business class?

[iacas]

I do basically agree with this, however, I would point out that just because it's available, doesn't AUTOMATICALLY mean that it's OK to use, or at least not inconsiderate.  Consider that the contraption in the story that started this thread was something that the guy legally bought.  Also, consider that a lot of planes might still have ash trays in them.

He was using the contraption on someone else's seat, though. And not in an approved way, per se, like the storage area under your seat. ("Your space" is under the seat in front of you. The space under your seat belongs to the person behind you.)

[Golfingdad]

They have heated seats in business class?

OK, you win the thread.  If that's possible. ;)

Since the wife is pregnant we won't be able to make our Thanksgiving NY trip this year ... but that means we may just have enough points to fly business class for free next year.  Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rehmwa]

Consider that the contraption in the story

So buying this gimmick will allow bruised knees (his fault for being clumsy) to trump a passenger's purchased option (without the airline's permission).

A little bit of recline, for some, is the difference between a raging stiff neck and back and most likely a migraine that can take one out for a day or more, vs just a slightly stiff neck.

I'd bet a couple dollars that the self involved narcissists that use these things don't ask the passenger in front of them if they can install it.

this is the epitome of of passive aggressive (society at today's best - impose on the other guy to any extent for slight gain in personal comfort and then expect to be ignored if you just don't make eye contact to talk)  (yes, the irony is the statement could be turned around except for the fact that one of them paid for his seat and it's options - the other guy is actively disabling your options.)

My other example - well, that guy deserves a wrinkle free suit coat.  So then, 3 other people should check their (albeit, bloated and oversized) bags

[Golfingdad]

So buying this gimmick will allow bruised knees (his fault for being clumsy) to trump a passenger's purchased option (without the airline's permission).

A little bit of recline, for some, is the difference between a raging stiff neck and back and most likely a migraine that can take one out for a day or more, vs just a slightly stiff neck.

I'd bet a couple dollars that the self involved narcissists that use these things don't ask the passenger in front of them if they can install it.

this is the epitome of of passive aggressive (society at today's best - impose on the other guy to any extent for slight gain in personal comfort and then expect to be ignored if you just don't make eye contact to talk)  (yes, the irony is the statement could be turned around except for the fact that one of them paid for his seat and it's options)

Yeah, it's appalling.  Not appalling enough for me to get into a fight with him and get kicked off an airplane mid-flight, but appalling nonetheless.

[rehmwa]

Yeah, it's appalling.  Not appalling enough for me to get into a fight with him and get kicked off an airplane mid-flight, but appalling nonetheless.

I'll agree with that.  But I'd ring the flight attendant and ask her (passively aggressive behavior, I know) to see if she can fix my malfunctioning seat.

The airlines need to set policy.  That's the only solution that keeps passengers from at least this type of potentially escalatory behavior.

The users of this little device must also find it acceptable to disable smoke detectors in the lavatory as well....

[newtogolf]

I'll agree with that.  But I'd ring the flight attendant and ask her (passively aggressive behavior, I know) to see if she can fix my malfunctioning seat.

The airlines need to set policy.  That's the only solution that keeps passengers from at least this type of potentially escalatory behavior.

The users of this little device must also find it acceptable to disable smoke detectors in the lavatory as well....

That's the key, the airlines have tried to ignore it, much as they have the overweight person that really should have purchased two seats but didn't and people who prefer to carry on all their bags and take up space in the above seat compartments that other passengers paid for.

I think it's best if they just get rid of the reclining option on seats shorter than 3 hours.  On longer flights, seats could recline, but there should be more legroom to accommodate the reclining seats.

[Golfingdad]

That's the key, the airlines have tried to ignore it, much as they have the overweight person that really should have purchased two seats but didn't and people who prefer to carry on all their bags and take up space in the above seat compartments that other passengers paid for.

I think it's best if they just get rid of the reclining option on seats shorter than 3 hours.  On longer flights, seats could recline, but there should be more legroom to accommodate the reclining seats.

I can appreciate the difficulties of doing this type of thing because I imagine that the same planes don't always fly the same routes, but, in general, yeah, I wish they'd just immobilize the seats on any rows that don't have ample legroom behind them.  Airlines charge extra for legroom now anyway, why not also charge extra for the luxury of a reclining seat?

Whenever we fly to NY, and it works out, price wise, we fly United into JFK on their "PS" flights.  All economy seats are "economy plus" and legroom is not a problem.  (Oh, and I'm [slightly] bigger than you ;))

[ditchparrot19]

Yeah, I'm fully aware that the whole thing doesn't follow a straight line of logic or rationality.

I did some thinking about the psychology involved here yesterday during a rather long, early-morning drive to a dove-hunting location. Afterward, I had to admit that the bottom line is this is a situation in which I just don't give a damn.

The way I see it, a good 80 percent of the people who recline an airline seat without asking know full well that they're gaining additional comfort at the expense of someone else. They're both selfish and inconsiderate (no shock there, as a very high percentage of the population falls into that category) and I have no problem with rattling the cages of people who've shown they possess such traits. I certainly can't stop them from doing it, but there will be a few bumpily-bumps along the way. It won't be entirely smooth sailing.

It's just my bad luck to get stuck in front of somebody who's going to plop their seat back no matter what, and their bad luck to get stuck in front of somebody with rather large, jumpy knees.