To recline my seat on a long haul flight?

[PiratePanda]

Just thought I'd check I was not BU.

Long haul flight in economy, 9 hours, overnight. I had my seat up for take off and landing and for meals but for the rest of the flight I wanted and needed to sleep (travelling for work) so reclined my seat.

The woman sitting behind me made an enormous fuss about me reclining my seat at all, complaining rudely to me when I reclined it, tutting and sighing loudly whenever she got up to go to the loo, kneeing me in the back apparently with intent, and hitting me quite hard and insistently on the head and shaking the chair to make me wake up in the morning well before the breakfast came round.

IWNBU was I? You are entitled to recline your seat except for take off and landing and meals, no? Otherwise why provide a recline button?

God she was rude.

"Parents with toddlers are sat in rows that have "walls" in front and they are given little cots that hook onto the "wall". "

Though problems occur when there aren't enough of those bulkhead seats to go round. Most parents would definitely prefer them as you've got a lot more legroom, but it means they also get used for, eg, the seven foot tall man who was on a transatlantic flight with me once who literally didn't fit in any of the other economy seats - also most airlines let general passengers select them too so only a subset are "reserved" for travellers with particular needs.

Well, some people who recline are selfish, even if they are using the chair as it was designed to be used. The woman who didn't look behind her, slammed her chair into my seven months pregnant belly and literally trapped me in my seat, for instance. Or the other woman who I had to GET MY MOTHER TO RESCUE ME FROM UNDER on a flight to SA when I was twelve so I could go to the toilet. It's not like "the seat is built to recline, that means I am entitled to recline it under all circumstances, fuck you if you're not currently in a position to be reclined into".

It's quite funny how the recliner haters don't see the hypocrisy in calling people selfish just for using the chair as it was designed to be used.

Modern phones are designed to play music out loud, that doesn't mean it isn't selfish to do it on a plane.

Phones aren't really a good analogy. You can do a flight without a phone, you can't do a flight without a seat.

The woman who didn't look behind her, slammed her chair into my seven months pregnant belly and literally trapped me in my seat, for instance.

She wasn't selfish to recline her seat, she was a bit inconsiderate not to check whether you had your tray down or not. That's all.

I have never seen a plane seat that could literally slam into someone else's tummy. Do people's belly's really get so big that they come anywhere close to touching the seat in front - as in stretching beyond their knees in a seated position?

"I have never seen a plane seat that could literally slam into someone else's tummy. Do people's belly's really get so big that they come anywhere close to touching the seat in front - as in stretching beyond their knees in a seated position?"

Yes. I was VERY pregnant. Chair hit the top of my bump.

it is not stretching beyond the knees, just tummy being high off your lap and further forward - it is horrid when people don't realise they are impacting on others - because they have a right to recline...

since when did a right to recline trump a right to not be hurt...

"She wasn't selfish to recline her seat, she was a bit inconsiderate not to check whether you had your tray down or not. That's all. "

So even if I physically couldn't get my heavily pregnant self out of my seat (and hence would be at risk, not to put too fine a point on it, of pissing myself) when she was fully reclined, she wasn't being selfish because she had the unqualified right to recline her seat no matter what was happening behind her?

I'd have been more up for negotiation if it had been night time on a long haul flight (and would have probably asked for a different seat if it was possible) but it was in the middle of the afternoon on a two hour journey.

On a recent flight to Qatar, as soon as the seatbelt sign went off the woman in front of me rammed her seat back. Having had an appalling week I was not in the mood to be messed with so I leaned round the arm and asked if she was comfortable, for I sure as hell wasn't. She put the seat back up and didn't recline it for the rest of the flight. Surprisingly she turned out not to speak any English. My tone must have said it all.

I don't mind people reclining once food has been served. But it is polite to ask. And I cannot get out of my seat without leaning on the reclined seat in front.

You must have been in a plane with extremely small spaces between the rows then Leedy.

Yes, she did have the right to recline no matter what was going on behind her. She would have been rude if she didn't put her chair upright when asked politely so that you could get in and out of your seat, but apart from the moment it would take you to get up and then sit down, of course she had every right to recline.

Your pregnancy is not her concern, the world does not revolve around pregnant women. If it was an issue for you, you should have paid for extra leg room seats or an upgrade.

But I guess we have some quite inexperienced budget airline or package trip travelers complaining about reclining.

Ha! Nice bit of snobbery there. I've been doing long haul for decades, and don't recline. I upgrade where and when I can; otherwise I suck it up, because air travel is the seventh level of hell for all of us. I find the no-warning recliners the rudest people of all; I have no objections if the person in front simply lets me know that they are about to drop their seat. Gives me time to close the tray or whatever. As for perfectly fit people in bulkhead seats who also recline ... selfish isn't the word.

Can't believe so many people think that you shouldn't recline a reclining seat.. blimey.

I travel all the time.. even the BA Premium Economy recline (most my company will pay for now) is bloody poor these days, but I still use it.. and I sleep during a 'daytime' flight.. something about the cabin pressure makes me want to snooze, thankfully.

That and the Sominex I take to make the hours while away ;-)

I would be less than impressed to be asked to un-recline my seat outside of meal service.

What's the etiquette when the person in front of you has reclined and are fast asleep-eyemask on, earplugs in-then the delicious dinner comes round?

"I would be less than impressed to be asked to un-recline my seat outside of meal service."

Even if you were squashing a pregnant woman behind you?

To clarify, that's the only time I've ever asked someone not to recline (the previous time I was squashed by a recliner I had to get my mum to do it), other times have been just mildly inconvenient/uncomfortable. Marvelling slightly at the "SUCK IT UP PREGGO" attitude, I must say.

It would be fine for you to ask someone to unrecline while you get in and out of your seat though. That's just necessity. But asking someone to unrecline so that they lose what you gain in comfort, is the same type of selfish that you are accusing others of.

I do think there's a difference in the degree of comfort lost/gained between "gain bit of comfort by reclining" and "lose all possible comfort by someone lying on top of you".

Like, SHE WAS LITERALLY RESTING ON TOP OF MY BELLY. It wasn't just "a bit less comfortable, mightn't have such a nice snooze", I was actually pinned down.

She also did, in fairness, apologize and unrecline once I managed to get her attention, ask her to move up a bit, and she saw what the situation was behind her. :) Had she refused, though, that would definitely have been selfish, IMO.

I thought that reclining was bad form? Surely, on a plane, good form is not doing ANYTHING that will pee off other passengers?

I've been on two very long haul flights in the last year, and on neither of them have I put my seat back because I don't want those around me to be inconvenienced. Simple as.

I flew back from New Zealand once sitting next to man who had some sort of automatic vibrating gadget that was supposed to prevent jetlag. He wired himself up (round the head) and the whole thing buzzed and zizzed , and everyone who walked along the aisle burst out laughing. It was most un-relaxing.

I would definitely have said something about blanket-wanking. SURELY no better reason to be whisked into Business or First Class after a distressing experience like that!?

Also, do they wash those blankets between flights?

Surely, on a plane, good form is not doing ANYTHING that will pee off other passengers?

I don't think reclining usually does pee off other passengers though. I've never been bothered by it, and I can't be that abnormal.

I will concede that some planes have a ridiculously small amount of space between the rows, but most don't. And if you know you're traveling on a budget airline that's going to be cramped, you expect to be a bit uncomfy.

Can all you saintly non recliners please let me know next time you are flying anywhere and I will book to sit behind you. I hate someone's head in my face.

I will wear a badge Sarf.

When I fly to SA the whole plane reclines after the dinner service.
We always sit at the back where there is a row of two. Slightly limited recline but it still doesn't bother me about the seats in front reclining. They just want to get comfy.
Don't love it when people recline with force and spill my drink but it's not done with any ill intent.

Thank you Sparkling :) DO you plan to fly to Auckland any time soon?

I have no issue with the person in front reclining except at meal times - and then the Stewards ask people to put their seats up. You can still see your screen perfectly well for the films (thanks to the adjustable screen, you can still put your laptop on the tray, it doesn't interfere with leg room.

I'd much rather a reclined seat in front than a kicking child behind or a gurning-and-dangling-over-the-seat one in front.

Oh no sorry Sarf.