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.

It's not about "rights" to things, it's about common courtesy to your fellow passengers.

Why are people so inflexible when they feel their "rights" are being compromised?

bubbles it isn't going to kill you to be sitting upright for a few hours. It's a very different story for the person behind you getting squashed.
You'd have a 3/4 hour train journey without being able to recline, what's the difference? Just because you can it doesn't mean you should.

I so agree with OP. I was on a 14 hour flight with LO on my lap for the most part and the person in front reclined right back. It was just awful. They didn't sit up when the meal was served or when they went to sleep across several seats (when it would have made no difference if the seat was upright).

I think it is incredibly inconsiderate to put an airline seat on permanent recline.

I think that's what it boils down to for a lot of people, Dickie; I can so I will.

IMO on short haul flights there should be NO reclinign seats. There isn't on the cheap airlines anyway and strangely enough everyone copes really well without.

I hate it when people just slam their seats back paying no attention to who or what is behind them. I have had it happen during meals on planes and ended up with food knocked off my table as a result. It is just rudeness.

Long haul is different as people want to sleep but even then a little bit of politeness doesn't go amiss. look behind before you press the button to make sure you aren't going to bash someone's head or knock a drink off the table.

Trouble is once one person's seat goes back then everyone else ends up having to do it too.

Agree with Worraliberty, it is the fault OF THE AIRLINE. If they provide the passenger with the facility, she is at liberty (pun intended) to use it.

Truly uncomfortable, yes.

As for Mona, if your DH had done that to me, I'd have complained loud and clear - and you call the other passenger inconsiderate (am ignoring the fact you called her a cow)

bubbles - people with children, inc babies on laps, are not allowed to book the seats with extra leg room.

I don't think it is about rights to things, I think it's about being comfortable.

I only ever reline my chair when I want to sleep, because I can't sllep upright, but then I don't often sleep for the whole flight.

No, it won't kill me to be upright for a few hours, but unless a person is particularly tall it doesn't do them any harm to feel a bit squashed for a few hours either.

I very rarely use trains because I don't need to and I don't like them, I'd prefer to drive. I don't have the option of driving when I'm going abroad.

bubbles my phone has got the capability to play Cher Lloyd's godawful new single at 35 decibels. Because it has the capability to do it then it is my right to use it. Preferably when I am sitting behind you on a plane.

I personally would rather make myself slightly uncomfortable for 3 or 4 hours than inflict discomfort on someone else.

"No, it won't kill me to be upright for a few hours, but unless a person is particularly tall it doesn't do them any harm to feel a bit squashed for a few hours either."

What? So you being upright and relatively comfortable ditto for neighbour sat behind versus you being reclined, bit more comfortable but neighbour behind very uncomfortable and the first option wins out?

Jesus.

You really are determind that there is no way other than your own aren't you?

It is not relatively comfortable to try and sleep upright.

Not everyone is even a little bit uncomfortable when someone reclines their seat, let alone very uncomfortable.

Someone reclining their chair in front of me doesn't bother me in the slightest, as I said before, I probably wouldn't even notice. I am not the only person like that.

I travel in large groups quite often, and I only know one person who complains about this, and that is because he is particularly tall.

"You really are determind that there is no way other than your own aren't you?"

Well, you could say the same about you, being determined to recline whether it makes others uncomfortable or not.

I suppose I am just very aware of how confined a space I am in when flying so I am careful not to irritate people by reclining/talking loudly/kicking chairs. I am paranoid that other people might be thinking "what a dick" if I do something that makes my life easier but not theirs. I probably do worry too much about what other people think but I would rather that than not think at all.

But I'm not determind to recline!

I've already said that I wouldn't do it unless I couldn't get to sleep, and I wouldn't do it if there was a very tall person that would be likely to litrally be in pain if I did.

I agree that seats should be upright while the meal is happening and that people should check that they are not about to knock someone out before they press the button.

But I also think of people like dh who really do need to put the chair back to be vaguely comfortable, and I'm sorry if it sounds very selfish, but his comfort is more important to me than a strangers.

You say your opinion comes from the fact that you feel very confined. Maybe I tend not to feel like that because I like curling up on my chair and I just accept that planes are not designed for ultimate comfort.

What really pisses me off is when people walk down the aisle to go to the toilet and feel the need to grab every single chair they walk past, pulling it back and jogging you when they go past your chair, then knocking your drink flying when they do it to the person in front!

Agree with whatsit. I've paid for my seat and if I want to recline I will. Not sure the cabin staff can actually tell her not to without it being a safety issue.

Agree with the chair-grabby-aisle-walkers.

Right, the bloke who was sat behind me on the way to Corfu, built like a brick shithouse seriously he was about seven foot and solid. He went to the loo about seventeen times and every time he grabbed the back of my chair to get out. I thought he was going to rip my seat out of the plane, the big hambeast. I was almost horizontal with every grab.

' "You really are determind that there is no way other than your own aren't you?"

Well, you could say the same about you, being determined to recline whether it makes others uncomfortable or not. '

The point is that there I'd no right or wrong. I would make myself comfortable. If the person behind politely asked me to move the seat I would find a compromise that suited both of us. If the person behind behaved like a complete twunt, tutting, arsing about with my seat, sticking their knees in the back etc etc quite frankly they can just get on with it. That is the equivalent of reclining your seat and ignorant a polite request for compromise.

Both parties have equal rights to comfort. If you are not prepared to compromise either way, upgrade.

Apologies for typos and odd autocorrects! On phone.

Space is so limited on economy airlines there should be a blanket no reclining rule and all new planes should be fitted out with non reclining seats.

Planes used for long haul flights and more premium airlines have more space between the seats anyway so it's not such an issue.

I don't fly often, but on my last few flights it really is only a minority who recline these days, most people seem to have consideration and accept that we are all uncomfortable and squashed without people reclining.

Is the OP still around?

I was just wondering how many times she asked the girl in front not to 'recline' before she involved the stewards. She doesn't mention anything about it but I assume she went the polite route first.

On a short haul flight I'd only use the recline option if my back or knee was particularly painful (war wounds, classified information). I wouldn't ask the person behind if it was okay, however if they subsequently found it uncomfortable and asked me politely to put my chair up I'd put it upright again.

Long haul flights? Well the recline option is made to be used and I have no issue with people using them then (as have I).

TBH I think the seats in economy should not recline ever. There is always some git reclining whilst I am trying to eat. I think it is inconsiderate full stop never mind with children etc.

btw not sure if someone has corrected teh fact about fact youcan not buy seats for under two .you can in fact long haul lot of people do and use carseta in the chair.

I am flying to Berlin in Feb will not recline when someones eating but sorry i shall the rest of time .Becuase i can not be upright all the time and if someone gives me abuse I shall just tell them well we can arrange my swap me bolt upright and they can have my back problem .and if someone delibrtlyes trys to stop me reclinging well shall very politely at least first time ask them to move their knees out my back second time I shall ask the staff to tell them to

aquaosyou say no recline .what about those of us that need a seat to recline slightly what do you suggest we do about flying .Or shall we ust stay home never go anywhere

Is this the new bf v ff?
Am still on holiday but has been an interesting read. So thanks for all views. Oh and of course I was polite.

Good luck with the flight home :)