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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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To refuse to un-recline dd's plane seat...

804 replies

MerryMarigold · 12/08/2014 23:24

Dh reckons I am. I reckon I am not.

So, long haul flight. Up at 3am to get to airport. 2 flights, 4 hour transit, bit of a hideous trip.

Anyways, on second flight, dd aged 5 FINALLY falls asleep. Thank God. Recline her seat so she is more comfortable and will hopefully sleep longer. 5 minutes later lady behind pokes my arm and asks me to put the chair up. Not very politely. I tell her my dd is asleep. She says she can't open her table with the chair reclined. (I have done this many times, so know it is entirely possible). I kneel on my chair and help her open table. Says she can't see TV screen. I adjust TV screen angle for her. She then proceeds to kick Dd's chair several times, whilst I get annoyed but decide to ignore.

10 mins later drinks come round and she speaks to the air steward in local language. He says to me. "Can I raise the seat?" and I tell him dd is sleeping. He says, "I'll do it gently" and just leans over me and does it. Thankfully she didn't wake up and managed to sleep in a contorted way for a lot longer.

I am usually the sort of person who doesn't stick up for myself and who doesn't like putting other people out (I didn't recline my own chair for the entire 9 hour flight as her large dh was behind me). I was very tired, I think that's why I was a bit arsey. I am also not being PFB. I have 3 children, but the others were not as tired and were fine.

Dh said it was her 'right' to have the seat up at least until the food is cleared up (this is probably at least 3 hours into the flight as it's a long flight). I said, "Says who?" Does her right to eat more comfortably trump my dd's right to sleep more comfortably?

So who is right?

OP posts:
ParisToLondonMamon · 18/05/2017 17:36

YABUYABUYABU

Guarnatee if a 5 yo had recline their seat on you you'd be here ranting about selfish parents and entitled children. Get a life...

jarhead123 · 18/05/2017 17:38

YABU. Shocking entitled behaviour.

Hassled · 18/05/2017 17:39

The flight actually landed in August 2014.

RufusTheRenegadeReindeer · 18/05/2017 17:40

Or did it hassled or did it

JustCallMeKate · 18/05/2017 17:42

This thread was from 2014 🙄

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 18/05/2017 17:46

ZOMBIE THREAD

IloveBanff · 18/05/2017 17:48

ParisToLondonMamon What on earth was the point in bumping this thread?

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 18/05/2017 17:48

Roll on the day when reclining seats and phased out.

emmaloo14 · 18/05/2017 18:00

A the end of the day, you have paid for your daughters seat which reclines, so it is your right to recline the seat. Yes it's annoying but tough, I'd be making a complaint about the air steward as well, why is the other passengers comfort more comfortable than your daughters.

Hulababy · 18/05/2017 18:10

Seats should not be reclined during times when any food is served. This ought to include official drink times really as well, as the restricted room for the table can be a pain when there is a drink on the table and makes it more awkward for the person sat behind the reclined seat, especially if it is a hot drink. At all meal times they shouldn't have to ask - it should just be done by the person who is reclined as basic courtesy.

However the lady should have asked more politely and should definitely not have kicked your child's chair.

But then I am someone who would like to see non reclining seats on all short haul economy flights, and wouldn't really mind if there were no recline seats in economy on long haul either. I rarely recline - I certainly don't find it helps me get more comfortable. I only really recline if on long haul and I am behind someone who reclines, as I don't like feeling so hemmed in.

Hulababy · 18/05/2017 18:11

Agh - ZOMBIE thread!

Speakeasy22 · 18/05/2017 18:12

YANBU. As you showed her, the table and screen still work if the seat in front is reclined. It's your choice when to recline your seat and it doesn't affect leg room anyway. I wouldn't think twice about reclining the seat when I wanted to or someone else in front of me doing so. You just have to manage.

PuckeredAhole · 18/05/2017 18:12

If food was being served I'm afraid you were in the wrong. When there's no food involved then go ahead and recline. It's plane etiquette.

WindwardCircle · 18/05/2017 18:13

Zombie thread

To refuse to un-recline dd's plane seat...
MonkeyBusinessxoxo · 18/05/2017 18:15

Sorry but yabvu. Why should your daughter take priority over a woman trying to eat her food and who's struggling when your daughter fell asleep with the seat up and stayed asleep with it up. She didn't need it down, you decided to put it down

TitsalinaBumSquash · 18/05/2017 18:16

We had someone start raging and shaking DP's chair on a long flight, he'd not reclined it during meals or drinks or in fact at all until the last 2 hrs he attempted to because his back was getting spasms, the woman behind started shaking/kicking and slamming the chair about and calling him all sorts of names! Some people are intolerant of others in general and some people are just nobs.

whatajobbeingsamumis30 · 18/05/2017 18:20

It's crap when this happens to me but I think it is your right just like it would be my right to recline mine. Never a reason for rudeness. If planes companies don't want people to do it, make an announcement otherwise do what you want. Of course it is not plane etiquette but nothing saying you shouldn't

Topseyt · 18/05/2017 18:24

This flight isn't still flying almost three years later.

I can see the point of reviving some zombie threads, but not this one.

WankingMonkey · 18/05/2017 18:33

I always get sat behind someone who reclines their seat for the whole flight. Even on shorthaul. I also tend to get sat next to a fucking man-spreader too so I have a tiny little box of space. But I guess thats my fault in a way for not being weilling to pay an extra grand to fly first class or something Grin

I think they should stop doing the reclining seats tbh, or give a bit more space. As yes, it is very annoying and yes, you have not much space if you are unlucky enough to be behind a recliner. but at the same time, I would be pissed off if my kid finally went to sleep and some adult was kicking the chair! Think I would have had to say something to her tbh

LadySalmakia · 18/05/2017 18:50

YADBU. Reclining seats on a flight is beyond rude to the person behind you. If you HAVE to do it, you need to ask the person behind you first. But you don't have to. The comfort difference it makes to you is completely minimal and the discomfort to the person behind is horrific.

Plus, your DD was already asleep! So it obviously wasn't a huge issues for her - and she's much smaller than an adult and didn't have a need for the extra room at all!

HeyHoThereYouGo657 · 18/05/2017 18:54

If she wanted space she should have gone 1st Class ?

Perhaps OP and her precious baby should have done !

HeyHoThereYouGo657 · 18/05/2017 18:55

Aww FFS ANOTHER Zombie !

Sparklingbrook · 18/05/2017 18:55

.

To refuse to un-recline dd's plane seat...
MinkowskisButterfly · 18/05/2017 19:06

Another zombie!! How many zombie threads have been resurrected this week?!?! Seems every other thread I open lately is a zombie!

GardenGeek · 18/05/2017 19:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.