Airplanes and reclining seats

[MrsCampbellBlack]

So on flight with infant daughter on lap and woman in front keeps reclining her seat leaving us with very little space to even breathe. Not surprisingly DD gets a little ahem upset and screams loudly - god so loudly! Woman in front does lots of tutting.

Stewards asked her to put seat up but she reclines it as soon as they go away.

So am I mad to think she was being incredibly inconsiderate or is it just part and parcel of plane travel.

Other passengers utterly charming and Airplane staff agreed she was a nightmare but nothing they could do.

Of course, we are talking economy here.

Oh well you must be right then MrsKravitz if you have been flying for 45 years! I'm impressed.

Unfortunately for me it will be a long time before I can reach that level of superiority because despite flying fairly frequently, I have only been on the planet for 33 years.

and boy am I tired..

What is your favourite airline bubbles? :)

Just as long as you're not tired on a flight or are capable of sleeping upright, that's fine

DP is tall (over six foot), and if possible, we do try to get extra legroom seats Buuuuuuuuut ... the cunting Airlines (not to be confused with Cunting Airlines) don't always help.

For e.g., we were flying back from NY, going straight into work, so thought right - DP's tall, needs to rest, we'll pay extra for the extra legroom seats.
Arrive at Heathrow and go and talk to clueless bloody Virgin Atlantic airline staff member number one. "we'd like to pay extra for the extra legroom seats please, for our flight back". "oh, you can't do that here." "so where can we do it?" "uh, I don't know" (this is their seat booking staff). "I think you call this number, no more than two days before, and then you can do it". "you're sure?" "oh yes, of course".

47.75 hours before flight, we phone the number - which takes you absolutely nowhere, until I cheat and choose the option for a travel agent. Eventually get through to someone "hello. I would like to get extra legroom seats". "oh no, you have to call at LEAST two days before. We can't do anything now. sorry" really?!?!?!" "no, there's absolutely nothing we can do" "sorry, nothing we can do". Then trying to check in ASAP to get seats - nae luck, not even sat together. arrive early at airport to try and get seats - nae luck, STILL not even seated together. It was a nightmare (I also had gastroentiritis, so was crankier than usual)

CUNTING Virgin Atlantic AIRLINES

I don't have one really, they are much of a muchness to me, just a means to an end. But I like it when they have screens on the chair in front and non plastic cutlery

DH and I are flying in 3 months with a 3 y/o and 9 month old-can't wait! . Although will try to remember this thread ( and Cunting Airways) if the stress gets a little too much!

I remember the contortions last year trying to get my extremely long 14 month old not to kick the seat in front of me on take off/landing for a 4 hour flight. Was like juggling a heavy eel with legs. Took her shoes off, turned her sideways (as much as you can with an extra lap belt on), held her legs/feet, tried to distract her with food/drink/toy/book- woman in front still turned around and SHOUTED "Will you stop your child kicking my seat...!" Though her voice lowered mid-sentence as she realised DD2 was so little. I said "I'm sorry, I'm trying really hard to stop her but it's such a confined space - we will sit her across two of us when the seatbelt sign is off." Still, she got herself moved at the earliest opportunity, so everyone was happy. And funnily enough DD2 didn't kick the seat again once she'd gone.

See, Abs, on the real Cunting Airlines, that would never be a problem as all seats have extra leg room.

Something else that might be worth thinking about is that some people don't mind if the person in front reclines their chair.

I'm only medium height and more often than not I curl up with my feet underneath me or on my own chair somehow. I'd hate to think that someone else was uncomfortable in front of me because they felt they couldn't recline their chair, when really I would barely even notice.

As a freaky tall person i recline my seat and whinge when the person in front reclines theres. Being tall my knees happily go into the back of any seat that encroaches on their space :o I really am an inconsiderate traveller :o

Actually it's not so bad without a child in my lap if I can recline mine too, but then I feel I'm being an arse to the person behind me.

I am only petite so ALWAYs get the person in front assuming there is more room to recline. Its like a running joke at work and home that I will be the one reclined upon

slightly o/t:

                                                 <span class="italic">?BupcakesandCunting:      It's Cunting Airlines NOT Bupcakes Airlines.   Cheers.? </span>

I?m sure that the delightful wake-up message (below) would be perfect for your passengers :

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/virgin-atlantic-passenger_n_881989.html
( Dramatic reenactment: thedamienzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/vvvvvvvvvvv.jpg )

The real Cunting Airlines sounds fabulous

A friend recently flew Royal Jordanian business class - and said it was incredible. There was a steward for every row of seats. If you blanket started to fall off when you slept they put it back. As soon as you opened your eyes they offered food and drink. LOVE IT. Sadly, the closest I ever got was Premium Economy on VA or an almost completely empty economy flight on BA, where the stewards were bored and generous with the G&Ts. Best. Flight. Ever.

"The argument about reclining your own seat = regaining the space you lost due to idiot in front is of no use to those of us who consider our neighbour's comfort."

But that's just it. I agree with you completely but it's an entirely self-imposed and uni-lateral agreement that people like us are trying to impose on people who like to recline so I'm not suprised they don't care what we think. they don't agree with the principle that reclining = rude and inconveniencing, in fact they may be of the opinion that you trying to force them to sit up right in a seat they've paid for which has a specific design function of allowing everyone to recline is completely rude and onconveniencing on your part. If everyone reclines, including your neighbour who you don't want to inconvenience, then nobody is put out. If everyone stays up then nobody is put out. However there's no universal agreement so some will recline and some won't. Neither is right in my book and neither is wrong.

Ooooh, no NunOnTheRun. Cunting passengers would be treated like kings whilst on board as they are amongst the most polite people in the world. The message of Cunting Airlines is that wankers never prosper. So the wankers can carry on getting dead legs over on Sleazyjet whilst the polite people get fed grapes and wine by lovely attendants.

I went sleazyjet last weekend. That was er, fun.

"Neither is right in my book and neither is wrong"

I think that you will find that reclining is WRONG.

"If everyone reclines, including your neighbour who you don't want to inconvenience, then nobody is put out. "

They are actually- if you stuck in the back row then you can't rely. This happened to us when we flew to Miami. DH is 6'2 and the idiot in front decided to recline and go to sleep. DH couldn't even sit in his seat and the stewards would do nothing about it.

Reclining on a short daytime flight marks you out as one of two things: 1) a tosser or 2) someone who doesn't fly very often and doesn't understand the etiquette. So if you are a recliner who flies frequently, we know what you really are....

I fly a lot on business on shortish hops around Europe. No one reclines. It just isn't done. In contrast, on the red eyes back from the US East Coast there is almost synchoronised reclining as soon as the food service is done because everyone tries to sleep.

However, on short charter flights, you always get some t1t who feels the need to recline on to my knees. This is particularly fun when I have my handbag under the seat in front (which I will often do to be considerate to others and leave space for bigger bags overhead) and I can't reach the thing without looking like I am trying to blow the guy in the seat next to me as I contort myself to try to reach it. One of the few things I like about Ryanair is that there is no reclining.

MrsKravitz, you have not known aviation misery until you have travelled with the total fuckwits Sky Wings. (No, me neither)

Olympic changed our flight carrier from Monarch to Sky Wings a week before we went. It was like flying with Borat Airlines. First the plane was delayed due to "operational reasons" and I wasn't filled with much confidence when I looked out of the departure lounge window at Corfu airport and saw traffic cones and workmen encircling the plane. Me and another lady had been joking that they were gaff taping the wings back on. Then when we did eventually board, the stewards kept getting a massive reel of gaffa tape out of the overhead cabin and disappearing off into the cockpit with it They ran out of meals/tea/coffee. The captain told us to buckle up due to turbulence, then announced a minute later that he was mistaken, it wasn't turbulence we were actually on our final descent.

We had to laugh though.

"If everyone reclines, including your neighbour who you don't want to inconvenience, then nobody is put out. "

IME, bar overnight flights, the majority of people don't recline, and don't want to recline - there's normally a couple of people who are the exceptions and do, but the majority don't.

e.g. I had a flight last week, where there was a man (who was also on emergency exit row, so just greedy in terms of space) spent the whole (daytime) flight reclined. woman behind him then reclined to get some space. DP then had woman's back on his knees. Now, should everyone in the entire row have reclined because in reality one person wanted to recline (1st guy?) no. First guy should've been less of a prat.

@ Bupcakes

"..Cunting passengers would be treated like kings whilst on board as they are amongst the most polite people in the world..."

Sorry, Bupcakes. On further reflection, that wake-up message is more "R**n Air" (& there would probably be an extra charge for it)