to wonder why person in front on plane always puts their fucking seat back the minute we take off

[madmn52]

Im not talking long haul or night flights. Im talking day flights of a few hours duration. Theres precious enough leg room and the airlines cram us in like sardines - and I have 32ins legs meaning I practically get knee-capped by the seat in front as it is. But thats not bad enough - oh no - I get the only person on the plane - and I know this cos Ive looked round and checked !! who absolutely has to put their seat back the minute we take off. So now I've got cramp, I'm starting to lose all feeling in my legs - I cant reach down to get some light entertainment or pain relief !! out of my bag without cricking my neck - the inflight movie is pointing towards my pelvic area because of the angle of the seat in front and to cap it all Ive got some fucking complete ignorant arsehole strangers head in my lap for the entire flight.

As with all problems of modern life, there's a gadget for it.

I think xstitch with respect you maybe do far too much for the comfort of others around you to the detriment of yourself. You need to be much more assertive-people like that are bullies-stand up to them. I think too that you should have definitely pressed the buzzer for a steward - I would have done for the abuse alone - people get escorted off planes for less than that and they love nothing more than laying on a grinning man with latex gloves at the other end waiting for those types. Trust me it happens - I have a relative who works in an international airport. The smart arses get 'randomly' pulled for searches all the time.

rofl at "a grinning man with latex gloves"

greensleeves - Yes its fun finding other sickos isnt it ! The garotting one set me off - I nearly did like xstitch

Suda, your story about your sister's mil is tragic. Sounds like such an easily preventable death, how awful. It also says a lot about how badly aeroplanes are designed for the health and safety of their passengers.

Okay, I admit I have never been or Ryanair and never will after what people on this thread have said.

But I have been on many other economy flights and have 36 inch legs. It makes no difference to my leg room if the seat is reclined. I have been on flights with the DCs in the seats in front of me and reclined their seats all the way and it makes no difference to the leg room.

My DB is 6 foot 8 and he is always uncomfortable on planes, but again, this is not to do with the reclining seats because they do not actually change the amount of room available to stretch out your legs. This is because someone designed the reclining mechanism at a height to allow for people to stretch out their legs under the angle of the seat.

As for not being able to watch the tv monitor or fold down the tray, they are designed to fold or swivel at right angles to the floor, regardless of seat position, so people who cannot eat or see due to a reclined seat are dwelling in some kind of subjective existence where the normal rules of physics do not apply.

As for people who kick the backs of other people's chairs, what are you? Seven and having a dispute with a sibling in the back of your parent's car? Obviously someone who spends a whole flight pushing their arms into the seat in front to stop it reclining is more concerned with being indignant that being comfortable anyway. It is the anger related heart attack that will get them, not deep vein thrombosis.

Xstitch, was not aiming any of that at you. It is fairly impossible to sit comfortably in a transport seat if you are of a normal-tall height and the foot area under the seat in front is blocked. I can understand your predicament.

MillyR, I feel exactly the same as you. I'm baffled as to how people cannot get up or watch the tv screen - they can adjust to the new angle of the seat.

Then again, maybe it's a Ryanair / Easyjet thing, as I've never flown in either. All I know for certain is that anyone of average height and weight, without a child, saying a reclining chair leaves them unable to breathe on your more mainstream (excluding budget then, as I haven't experienced them myself) airlines are talking nonsense. Uncomfortable, yes, but it's uncomfortable with the chair upright too. Economy seats are rubbish, I use them out of necessity, not choice or the deluded opinion that it's going to feel like 7 hours on the sofa.

Well said, MillyR.

MillyR - excellent post.

I basically said the same as you up the thread (but in a less articulate way) that having someone recline their seat makes no difference to the actual leg room, you can still stretch your legs underneath (and I am 6 foot).

I an utterly astounded at the level of vitriol. Of course people should feel free recline their seat without some nutcase kicking the back of their seat.

And personally I don't recline my seat - I am far more comfortable sat bolt upright with my legs extended. So have no personal axe to grind. But some of you do need to grow up.

As a frequent business traveller, I can say that the summer holidays are the worst time to travel as the plane is full of "amateurs". People who recline their seats and put their iPods on during taxiing, thus making it necessary for the stewards to correct their behaviour. People who recline seats during meal service.

People who spend ten minutes doing their make-up in the toilet when there's a queue.

Worse still, fat cunts who can not get out of their seat without leaning ALL THEIR MASSIVE FATTY BULK on to the seat in front, waking that seat's passenger up or making them spill their coffee.

This is particularly common on the lardiest of all flights, LHR to Dubai.

And as for those pricks who like to use all of the armrest for themselves, and worse, the people whose arms press over the armrest, into my seat's space, into my ribs, etc. Are they totally un-self-aware? Or are they just selfish cunts?

Last but not least. Morbidly obese people without the decency to buy two seats.

This thread is explaining exactly the reason I only fly long haul scheduled and have never and will never fly SleazyJet / RipOffAir or on a package.

I would bloody hate to fly with all of the non recliners some of the people on this thread.

Snobear, what a horrible post.

Snobear sounds like my dh having a rant!

How anyone reading this thread can fail to see there is an issue for many people with people in front reclining their seat is beyond me. You can quote all the physics laws you like - all the posters on here and it is comfortably - no pun intended - the majority - who agree with the OP - are not all just making it up or people with anger management issues - and its ridiculous just to dismiss such a large majority as such. How can having a huge diagonal chunk of your (tiny enough as it is) space in front of you poached from you by the person in front to increase theirs not be both detrimental to your range of movement and provocative in the extreme not least because of its breathtaking selfishness. Talking of which I cant find any posts where people claim to be unable to breathe ?? Long thread though might have missed that one.

p.s. Thank you SpeedyG by the way re my s-i-ls m-i-l it was indeed very sad. Visiting her daughter for first time after family emigrated to Oz - collapsed at airport. Keep doing those stretching exercises folks whoevers side you're on !

I think the argument that seats are "designed to recline so it is ok to do so" is a red herring. It is about consideration.

My Ipod is designed to be audiable to those sitting around me but I hardly think it is fair for me to put it on full volume. Likewise both my DC's prefer to listen to their portable DVD's on speaker rather than use headphones. They are designed to permit it but in confined spaces like planes I don't permit them to do so as I like to show consideration to those around me.

I would imagine that the vast majority of people who fully recline are not overly inconvenienced if they don't: it is a personal preference rather than a medical necessity.

As it happens I am quite short so my knees don't get knocked if the person in front of me reclines, however I do dread flying when pregnant as it becomes very restrictive.

Yes Nancyd I agree - its seemingly the main argument for the YABUs along with a few arguments about physics etc that allegedly prove that we YANBUs are all imagining our compromised range of movement/discomfort etc. As argued in my last but one post we are clearly not imagining it nor are we all just people with anger issues. I agree with you - one is a red herring - the latter a ridiulous argument. Car seats recline fully but whilst I have slept reclined on a long journey in the front while DH drives - I would not dream of doing so if or when we have back seat passengers. The 'more likely to die - as a result of a plane journey - of a heart attack from getting angry than a DVT' argument - kills me - no pun intended. RUBBISH - dont make me get the stats out - blow that one away straight away!

snowbear - having sat between too overweight persons on a long haul flight, I can only agree with you. one used me as a cushion, dribbling onto my shoulder, the other had his legs apart sometimes wafting his crotch. I asked to be reseated but the plane was full...

I really think this is something that should be taken up with the airlines concerned. i don't think that every person who reclines their chair is utterly selfish or inconsiderate, they possibly just don't realise the discomfort they are causing, possibly because they are shorter and don't have the same issue with the person in front of them. Some people like to sleep on planes and if the seats recline why shouldn't they do so? I think it is much more unreasonable to kick the back of their chair. Perhaps just ask politely if they would mind not reclining as it is very uncomfortable for you. If they are not willing to do this for you it should become an issue for the flight stewards who really should sort it out, either by interceding with said passenger or arranging a seat swap.

mousy: nice - you could have been the first passenger to go missing in-flight - glad they dug you out

Nancydrew is right. Its about consideration for others. Each time the person in front of me has reclined, I have politely asked them if they would mind putting their seat back up as I couldn't get out or move (I am 5ft2 by the way). I get grunts and ignorance in return, but they usually comply. I wouldn't kick the back of a seat as it would annoy others as well (noise, vibrations). The world doesn't belong just to us, we have to share it with others.

Anyway,in real life are all chairs reclinable? Do people need reclining chairs in waiting rooms or on buses or sofas or at any other time? No, they are perfectly capable of getting comfortable on other chairs. Why is it so necessary to be sitting slghtly backwards in order to rest on a plane? Because its there and its a bit of a novelty. Get rid airlines !

If you want the same amount of space you can always recline your seat. I'm 5 11" with 33" inside leg and I've been the squasher and the squashee. Flying sucks...

Nice comments on this thread - obese people dribbling into your laps, fat cunts.

Lovely

Why are there always a handful of idiots who stand up and start opening the overhead storage cabinets before the plane comes to a standstill despite there always being an announcement to stay in their seats. Is their time so precious? Also people that turn their mobile on as soon as they get out of the plane?? WTF?