Reclined airline seats debate

[newtogolf]

Seems like there was another incident last night;

Quote:

In the third serious airline legroom incident in two weeks, an angry passenger caused yet another flight to divert Monday night.  Delta Air Lines Flight 2370 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to West Palm Beach, Florida, was rerouted to Jacksonville, Florida. A passenger became irate about the traveler in front of her trying to recline her seat, a fellow passenger told CNN affiliate WPTV .

"This woman who was sitting next to me knitting actually just tried reclining her seat back," passenger Aaron Klipin said. "The woman behind her started screaming and swearing and then a flight attendant came over and that just exacerbated what was going on and then she demanded that the flight land."

Delta confirmed the diversion.

"Delta flight 2370 from New York-LaGuardia to West Palm Beach was re-routed to Jacksonville International Airport due to a passenger disruption," Delta said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, the Captain elected to divert to the closest airport."

Local law enforcement removed the passenger and the flight continued to West Palm Beach, Delta said.

At this point it seems like the media is feeding the problem as people reading these reports feel empowered to not allow the person in front of them to recline their seat.   Way too coincidental that we've had 3 incidents in such a short time frame.

[RJH999]

Seems like there was another incident last night; At this point it seems like the media is feeding the problem as people reading these reports feel empowered to not allow the person in front of them to recline their seat.   Way too coincidental that we've had 3 incidents in such a short time frame.

I would probably stab someone if a dipshit made us land due to a reclining issue.

[Golfingdad]

Seems like there was another incident last night;

At this point it seems like the media is feeding the problem as people reading these reports feel empowered to not allow the person in front of them to recline their seat.   Way too coincidental that we've had 3 incidents in such a short time frame.

I wouldn't agree with that.  These people are forcing a plane to land somewhere other than where they were intending to go and to top it off are getting to deal with authorities, perhaps getting fined for the diversion???, and pissing off everybody on their plane and everybody in the world who reads the story.  It's not like they could go up to somebody reading the newspaper "Ah, I see you're reading the story about that lady on that plane who went ebrserk and got it diverted.  Cool story ... that was me.  High five?!?!"

I don't see any good in this for that/those people at all. :)

Unless they are geniuses who bought a cheaper ticket to a destination other than where they really wanted to go, then waited until they were near their "real" destination, then went nuts and demanded the plane land at the exact airport they were hoping to end up at in the first place. ;)

[David in FL]

Some of these knuckleheads are in for a very unhappy surprise when they learn that it is a federal, criminal offense to fail to follow the instructions of a commercial aircrew.....

[newtogolf]

I wouldn't agree with that.  These people are forcing a plane to land somewhere other than where they were intending to go and to top it off are getting to deal with authorities, perhaps getting fined for the diversion???, and pissing off everybody on their plane and everybody in the world who reads the story.  It's not like they could go up to somebody reading the newspaper "Ah, I see you're reading the story about that lady on that plane who went ebrserk and got it diverted.  Cool story ... that was me.  High five?!?!"

I don't see any good in this for that/those people at all. :)

Unless they are geniuses who bought a cheaper ticket to a destination other than where they really wanted to go, then waited until they were near their "real" destination, then went nuts and demanded the plane land at the exact airport they were hoping to end up at in the first place. ;)

Most of the stories I've read don't detail who was charged with what, so the person with average - below average intelligence might not be aware of the legal issues they face after getting kicked off a flight.  I'd also suspect that alcohol was also a factor as these don't appear to be typical reactions of sane people.

[Golfingdad]

Most of the stories I've read don't detail who was charged with what, so the person with average - below average intelligence might not be aware of the legal issues they face after getting kicked off a flight.  I'd also suspect that alcohol was also a factor as these don't appear to be typical reactions of sane people.

So the people who jump the fence and run around on the baseball field mid game are taking it up a notch?

[newtogolf]

So the people who jump the fence and run around on the baseball field mid game are taking it up a notch?

Exactly, except for Morganna, the kissing bandit, but you might be too young to remember her.

[Golfingdad]

Exactly, except for Morganna, the kissing bandit, but you might be too young to remember her.

LOL.  Not too young ... but just barely old enough.  She was winding down in popularity I think when I was a kid.  She was late 70's/early 80's no?

[newtogolf]

LOL.  Not too young ... but just barely old enough.  She was winding down in popularity I think when I was a kid.  She was late 70's/early 80's no?

Yes when Joe Garagiola did the pregame show on NBC's Baseball Game of the Week.  Morganna was the first DD+ woman I'd ever seen and made me more interested in baseball

[mchepp]

If I am flying domestically (basically less than 5 hours) then I will not recline. If I am on an international flight (5-13 hours) then I may recline. Probably about 50% of the time. I will always return to the upright position when food comes. I hate when someone reclines and I can barely eat because I bump my head in their reclined seat.

[Vinsk]

Nope. Never recline. It's not like you get such an amazing amount of comfort by the few inches you get when reclining. However, for big guys like me every single inch of leg room matters. Reclining is rude and selfish. Period. No argument. Discussion closed. If you recline, you're just a jerk. You're much like the people who cut lines, hit two tee balls when a group is waiting, etc. No, be quiet .... No argument. Discussion over.

[Lihu]

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.)

That knee protector could cost you money for damaging airline property. I wondered why my seat did not recline early on in one of my many flights. Later on, I accidentally pushed my seat back when coming back from the bathroom during some turbulence and all my 200 pounds went into the headrest on my seat, and something snapped and suddenly my seat reclined. Now I know what it was, and the person behind me had a prolonged discussion with the stewardess about not being able to eat because his table didn't work anymore. Okay, I think the best way to remedy the situation is to ask if you can switch seats.

[Golfingdad]

Nope. Never recline. It's not like you get such an amazing amount of comfort by the few inches you get when reclining. However, for big guys like me every single inch of leg room matters. Reclining is rude and selfish. Period. No argument. Discussion closed.

If you recline, you're just a jerk. You're much like the people who cut lines, hit two tee balls when a group is waiting, etc. No, be quiet .... No argument. Discussion over.

Again, I disagree with the notion that its rude.  I think it can qualify as inconsiderate, but not rude.  I would bet that if somebody were to take 5000 or 10000 people who fly a decent amount and break them into 2 groups, one group who doesn't recline and one group who says "of course I recline, I paid for my seat" and stuff like that, then just throw out everybody else, I would bet that you would find a ridiculously higher percentage of tall people in the first group.  I doubt there are many "hell yeah, I recline, screw the guy behind me" people out there that are 6-2 and over.

And the conclusion from that shouldn't be that "short people are a-holes!" but rather that people who aren't bothered by the guy in front of them reclining are a heck of a lot less inclined to consider that they might be bothering the person behind them.

---

A couple of other examples that came to mind this morning of situations that are (or can be) inconsiderate, but not rude:

1. People who drive Suburbans or Expeditions and then park them in small lots with small spaces.  Or, for that matter, people in any kind of car that just aren't very aware of the fact that they went over the edge of the space.
2. People who get double or triple side-by-side strollers and take them to amusement parks and zoos.
3. People who drive in the right lane on the freeway and stare straight forward, completely oblivious to other drivers trying to merge (as opposed to the guy who speeds up to intentionally prevent you from merging in front of him - that is rude)

[phan52]

I am flying cross country tomorrow and I usually get an aisle seat anyway so that I have some room to move. I rarely recline but, when I do, I ask the person behind me if it is OK. I don't want them to get any surprises, particularly if their tray is down. I think it would be rude to just recline with no warning.

[Golfingdad]

I am flying cross country tomorrow and I usually get an aisle seat anyway so that I have some room to move. I rarely recline but, when I do, I ask the person behind me if it is OK. I don't want them to get any surprises, particularly if their tray is down. I think it would be rude to just recline with no warning.

I'm always flying with the family and now that the youngest is 3, we get 4 seats.  Wife and kids take one group of 3, and I take the aisle across.  As soon as I sit down on every plane, the first thing I check is if the aisle arm rest moves.  Seems like about 75% of the time or so, it does.  There is a little locking lever on the back of it and I can push it up.  When that happens, I breathe a sigh of relief. ;)

[phan52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phan52

I am flying cross country tomorrow and I usually get an aisle seat anyway so that I have some room to move. I rarely recline but, when I do, I ask the person behind me if it is OK. I don't want them to get any surprises, particularly if their tray is down. I think it would be rude to just recline with no warning.

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I'm always flying with the family and now that the youngest is 3, we get 4 seats.  Wife and kids take one group of 3, and I take the aisle across.  As soon as I sit down on every plane, the first thing I check is if the aisle arm rest moves.  Seems like about 75% of the time or so, it does.  There is a little locking lever on the back of it and I can push it up.  When that happens, I breathe a sigh of relief. ;)

The kids are adults so that is no longer an issue, but we used to do the same thing. My wife and I both prefer aisle seats, so now we get aisle seats across from each other.

[phan52]

[Golfingdad]

The kids are adults so that is no longer an issue, but we used to do the same thing. My wife and I both prefer aisle seats, so now we get aisle seats across from each other.

Another little "trick" that could come in handy, although we haven't tried it yet, is to book window-aisle-aisle-window ... thus discouraging people from taking the two middle seats, and perhaps leaving us with an entire row.

Obviously, a fully booked flight would render that plan void, and then with the little added nuisance of explaining to one of the middle seat people that they can have the window across the way instead.  Throw in the 0.01% chance that you could get a weirdo that prefers a middle seat and we have been afraid to actually try this yet. ;)