Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Airplanes and reclining seats

336 replies

MrsCampbellBlack · 14/07/2011 11:29

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.

OP posts:
BupcakesandCunting · 14/07/2011 15:17

Abs is right.

In fact, I think that on daytime flights of less than four hours, passengers should be allowed to employ martial law on recliners. Smackdown, as soon as fingers hit recline, no messing about.

AbsDuCroissant · 14/07/2011 15:22

Maybe, for the specified flights (short haul, daytime etc. etc.) they should have reclining and non-reclining sections of the plane. So, the people who all want to recline go and recline in their section of the plane, but they have to do so simultaneously and not complain.

Tah dah!

JanMorrow · 14/07/2011 15:23

Even applies to Oz flights I think!

I flew to Australia recently and got really internally agitated with the person in front reclining (I couldn't see my screen, the films were the only thing keeping me going) and then it was really difficult to eat because they wouldn't put their seat up (they were awake). I didn't recline though because the person behind me was also watching films. I'm not a dick. Journey from hellll that was.

suburbophobe · 14/07/2011 15:35

I wanna go on Cunting Airlines! Grin

Mrsfluff · 14/07/2011 15:59

Sorry Squeeky, I'm going to disagree with you on the chair being reclined gives the person behind more knee room - it doesn't. The last time I flew I had just enough leg room with the seat infront in the upright position, but when it was reclined it was resting on my knees Hmm

I'm not sure why, as a tall person, I should have to pay extra for more legroom. The flights I've recently booked would have cost me an extra £30 each way, not exactly cheap. Also I'd quite like to sit with my family, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to fork out another £180 for the privilege!

WineAndPizza · 14/07/2011 16:05

Argh I totally agree - YANBU. I was on a flight back from New York recently where there was very nearly fisticuffs between myself and a big enormous giant in the seat in front who reclined fully straight away (despite us being delayed on the ground for over 2 hours) and then had the blooming cheek to tell me off for kicking his chair when I attempted to move my knees.

I didn't want to fully recline because the person behind me was against a partition and would therefore have had 3mm of space between her nose and television screen.

It is totally selfish and entitled behaviour, bupcakes please may I book a ticket on CA for my next trip?

Quenelle · 14/07/2011 16:07

How can it give more knee room? If a seat reclines by pivoting backwards from a fixed base it can't.

I'm sure this used to be less of a problem. They squeeze a lot more seats into planes these days, especially on the cheap thrills airlines.

eurochick · 14/07/2011 16:10

There is definitely no more knee room when the seat reclines. As you say, the base is fixed.

I note that argument was used by a short habitual recliner who has probably never come off a flight with her knees bruised from being jammed up against the seat in front.

lesley33 · 14/07/2011 16:11

I always end up sitting behind the 1 person who is going to recline their seat - in every single flight! It gives me so little space that I always end up reclining mine as well so I don't feel so claustrophobic.

bellavita · 14/07/2011 16:16

YABU.

Whether a passenger sits upright in a reclined seat or lays back is entirely up to them. You have the option to do it also, just because you chose not to and they do does not make them a bad person.

JanMorrow · 14/07/2011 16:22

it so does, it demonstrates that they originated in helllllll

bubblesincoffee · 14/07/2011 16:36

The thing is that people who recline their seats don't mind when the person in front of them does it. So that means that those who do mind should be the ones to pay for extra leg room.

Why should the people who are happy to live and let live be the ones to have to fork out a fortune to accommodate other people's opinions?

bruffin · 14/07/2011 16:45

"YABU.

Whether a passenger sits upright in a reclined seat or lays back is entirely up to them. You have the option to do it also, just because you chose not to and they do does not make them a bad person."

If you chose to do something that affects other people and make them uncomfortable, then it does say a lot about you as a person.

dickiedavisthunderthighs · 14/07/2011 16:50

Most short-haul planes, charter and low-cost especially, have been fitted with reclining seats with no thought to the seat pitch, which severely restricts the comfort of the person behind.
Nobody should need to recline their seat on a 3 or 4 hour flight, and anyone who does is showing a serious lack of thought to the person sat behind them.
I'm surprised at the people on here that think it's OK.

bellavita · 14/07/2011 16:53

I disagree Bruffin.

Butterbur · 14/07/2011 17:04

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

BrainSurgeon · 14/07/2011 17:26

Ooops - things are getting heated!

Look, I work for an airline and travel loads. I really don't get it - WHO could possibily think it's perfectly OK to ignore the fact that you are making uncomfortable a woman sat behind you with a baby on her lap???

tallulahxhunny · 14/07/2011 17:27

Why do you post in AIBU then moan when people decide you are bu??

BrainSurgeon · 14/07/2011 17:28

You don't have to be a frequent flier to have common sense and to be a decent human being!

bubblesincoffee · 14/07/2011 17:32

No body seems to be able to answer the question of why the person behind has the right to more comfort according to people on here.

Some people simply can't sleep if the chair is upright. I find flights boring, and if I can sleep on them I will, middle of the day or not.

MrsKravitz · 14/07/2011 17:36

There is nothing wrong with a slight recline which allows for comfort. Its the full reclining "Im having all I can get" twats who dont give one about the person behind. Having someones chair end in your face is far worse than anything, especially if you have a drink or a meal on the tray, or like your front teeth where they are.

bruffin · 14/07/2011 17:39

I answered earlier on bubbles, it does not just affect the person behind, but everyone behind for the whole row. The back row of seats often don't recline so they are well and truely stuck with the back of the seat in their face and can do nothing about it.

MrsKravitz · 14/07/2011 17:40

In fact if the end person reclines, then the whole row behind is affected a no-one can get out for a wee

Andrewofgg · 14/07/2011 17:41

I'm an old softie for babies and probably would not recline in the circumstances, but in principle the person in front does not have less right to comfort because the person behind has a baby!

bubblesincoffee · 14/07/2011 17:44

I can see that you are right about the back row of seats, but I'd put that down to a major design flaw and the fault of the airline rather than blame individuals that just want to be comfortable on an airplane.

I'm quite shocked that there are so many people that are comfortable sitting bolt upright. Cars keep being mentioned, but I doubt that many people have their car seat as upright as plane seats are.