To think it's actually OK to recline your seat on a long haul flight?

I think it's really only acceptable to fully recline on overnight flights in economy/smaller legroom sections tbh

I didn’t want to be fully lying down in the middle of the day or to eat my meal……… nor did the person behind me I imagine. This is why flights are so horrible, people are selfish and DGAF about other people.

I think it shouldn’t be allowed during meal times. Poor bloke next to me on a long haul flight couldn’t physically eat his meal because the person in front of him reclined as soon as the trays came out. Stewardess said she couldn’t do anything about it.

So why didn’t you recline your seat too to create more space for yourself?

@Morgenrot25 hang on, so you’re a staunch recliner but also don’t mind having your seat knocked by a toddler if you recline? Fair enough tbh!

I've only done long haul night flights - I personally have no problem with people reclining but I am only 5'1! I think it's perfectly reasonable to recline if you're sleeping (day or night) and even if you're awake during night hours (when the lights on board are dimmed). I think it's a little unreasonable to recline during meals.

Honestly, I just accept I'm crammed in with a couple of hundred other people & it's gonna be crap.

9 hour overnight flight in April. Row in front was vacant. Another family claimed it as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, reclined fully and were up & down constantly so the seat & my tray were bouncing. Couldn't sleep because elderly lady behind me was up every 15 minutes & used the top of my my seat as a handrail, pulling it down hard to help her up & them letting it go, so it snapped up surprisingly violently. Man behind DH had stretched his long legs out so they came under the seat and into DH's space. Man next to him coughed the entire flight. Overtired babies cried. Lights came on at 3:30am for meal service (no one was hungry).

It's just a rubbish experience we have to endure to get where we're going!

Would you have liked me to stand in the aisle for the 16 hour flight? It was so fully reclined that I couldn’t actually sit in my seat…….. I don’t mind a bit of a recline, but reclining so much that the person behind you can’t sit in their seat, is just quite frankly rude, whatever weird territorial spin you want to put on it.

So, he reclined a seat belonging to him, and you thought you had more right to decide what happened to that seat?

Of course you can. It's a relatively new phenomenon to gripe about it as though it's antisocial but people have been doing it forever. I've flown long haul about thirty times and have never been bothered by people reclining their seats in front of me. People just need to get on with it and stop moaning about others using a perfectly reasonable feature of their seat.

Edit to add: I'm 5 foot 11 and my husband is 6 foot 4 and we both manage fine.

I was recently on a long haul flight with a toddler in front of me. They were so tiny that their feet didn’t reach the end of the SEAT when they had their legs stretched out. Anyway, I went to the toilet after takeoff and the toddler’s dad FULLY reclined the toddler’s seat….. they were able to recline anyway and needed no more room. I actually couldn’t get back into my seat as I’m on the taller side. I had to ask him to put it back up a bit and he was so rude. I was in shock. I only recline a bit, and only after food/if the person behind me is asleep and also reclining.

I get that they don't like it, but I am not responsible for their choices or the problem they created.

No, I wouldn't ask. I might politely inform. I am not prioritising the person behind me over myself.
You can call that selfish, but it is no more selfish than the person behind who thinks their comfort is more important than mine. Have another emoji 🤷‍♀️

Ethically fine, but you will get cold feet! I’d keep your socks on at least.

it should be based on leg length not height - my 6’3 husband has shorter legs than me - I’m 5’11. He’s fine in a standard economy seat, my hip to knee length doesn’t fit with a seat pocket!

Basic courtesy costs nothing. Reclining during meals is not okay, and the stewards will back you up if you ever experience this problem. Also it is considerate to recline your seat slowly, in case someone has a drink.

But fundamentally, if both the seat in front of you and your own seat are both reclined, you will have a similar amount of space as when both seats are upright. A majority of people will feel more comfortable at this angle if not eating and drinking. People who complain about this scenario are illogical and behaving like territorial animals.

On the last few flights I've been on, the "recline" button hasn't worked.

I did wonder whether it was part of a ploy by airlines to phase out reclining, so as to eliminate all the hassles and arguments between those who recline and those who do not wish to be reclined upon.

You may recline when the sign goes off for seatbelts (though you keep it on) and must raise the seat at mealtimes or the steward will have a word.

Long or short haul is irrelevant.

Well, it is isn’t it? Because they’re the one having their seat knocked. If that isn’t a problem for you then fair enough, but most people don’t like that!

Saggy face emoji?
You mean the one with the hands up to the face, aka facepalm?

Right, good for you, I'd just recline my seat when required - it's my choice, not theirs. Of course I'd respect the 'don't recline now' times.

That is not the problem of the person reclining. If it is a long flight, the perhaps the parent of the child could have purchased a seat to make it more comfortable for the child, the parent and the person who would like to recline their seat. Airlines are absolutely fine with children under 2 having a seat - they can even have their child seat if they want. I assume it is because the parents don't want to spend the money, so the person who has bought the seat in front of them has to suffer. I find it unacceptable. Just my view.

And if toddler parent also reclined their seat then they’d be back at the same gap they started with so it still sounds like a ridiculous level of entitlement to me…

I get that a tall 23 month old doesn’t actually fit as a lap infant but are still legally allowed to fly as one but that’s the parent’s issue to solve. You can’t make it the issue of the poor sod stuck sitting in front! With a lap infant you usually have priority access to book the bulkheads, there is also the option to book them their own seat and also premium cabins with more space. When mine got over 1 I’d either buy the extra seat or upgrade depending on what worked out cheaper.

(What does that saggy face emoji mean?)

I’d reach a compromise, maybe halfway.