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.

What is worse is when you are sleeping and the person behind grabs the back of your seat when they are getting up to go to the loo.

And Joanne - you are supposed to put your seat in the upright position at meal time the person behind can eat their food. If you had been in front of me on that trip, I would have been mighty furious!

Vivienne, I didn't. I returned the seat to upright for meals as I always do. The rest of the flight it was the middle of the night UK time, the lights were completely off, and I would have expected everyone to be asleep.

I wouldn't have a hope in hell of sleeping in a none reclined seat. Can just about managed it reclined.

As long as you are upright during take off and landing and meals I don't see the problem

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?

With you all the way, PiratePanda, and have been in the same position: had an overnight flight straight into work on arrival at my destination. Universities are apparently not permitted to send us anything other than cattle class, but we're still expected to do a full day's work on arrival.

Recline away. If the woman behind had had any sense, she'd have reclined her seat.

And my pet hat is people behind me who grab the back of my seat as they exit the row. It's just as easy to use the back of your own seat for balance getting out of a row. It's sheer selfishness to grab my seat back -- it usually results in my hair being pulled. Painful.

just because you have the right to recline doesn't actually mean you should. I think in your instance (an overnight flight) you weren't U. Twats on daytime flights who recline as soon as they can are VVVVVU, inconsiderate fuckers.

I personally don't recline, don't think it makes much difference to sleep tbh and hate it when it gets done to me. I have bitter experience of a virgin flight where the TV screen was so close to my face that I couldn't watch anything for an entire 12 hour flight.

How do you sleep though? I just can't sleep. I have done many long haul flights and been wide awake for all of them.

The incline isn't substantial enough to make a difference to your sleep

It makes a huge difference to the state of my back at the end of the flight. Also, the recline does make a big difference anyway as it means your head is more likely to lay back rather than drop forward.

Reclining should be banned end of story....

Anyone who thinks that typing "end of story" makes their point valid should be banned from any kind of debate.

the problem is, as the seats have the facility to recline, people think its ok. The airline has kind of sold the space twice, once to behind and once to the front.

Hehe Chimney, the number of times I've walked straight off a flight and into a lecture theatre. :)

Can I ask what difference it makes whether people recline during day flights or not? I genuinely don't see the problem, and when you're stuck on a plane for hours, there's nothing better to do than have a nap!

How much space do people really need in front of their faces just to read a book or something?

God it's excruciating isn't it, do recline or not. I hate reclining because I feel terrible about the person behind, but the person in front of me always does. The social awkwardness ruins flying for me. I would say that YANBU but your company should have paid for you to go business if you had to work when you got off the plane.

Heh, upthechimmey - we crossposted with the same pet peeve. I remember travelling with my darling well-behaved baby - got him to sleep and had just nodded off (was seriously sleep-deprived) when some arsehole grabbed the back of my seat to get up and then suddenly let go. I was flung forward and got a hell of a fright. Arsehole.

I think it depends, it wouldn't bother me if the person in front reclined as I'm really short, however for someone like DH who is 6"4 (and pretty much all leg) it can be a real problem as it means the chair would be right up against his knees and on a long haul flight it means he would not be able to move his legs much. I can't believe people are selfish enough to recline into someone with a baby on their lap. I just don't know why they even have a recline function, it just seems to cause arguements.

Seat grabbing is a peeve of mine too (especially if your seat isn't reclined), so rude!

Last time DH and I flew it was a 6 and 3/4hr flight. We had the front row because they are medical assistance seats, behind us was a couple with a young toddler, around 15-18 months. The woman was the most rude, entitled arse I have ever come across in my life.

It was an early morning flight, so after breakfast DH and I decided we'd go to sleep and reclined our seats. The woman behind stood up and demanded we put them back up. DH did, but I refused due to my severe back and pelvis problems. We explained that to her. So for the rest of the flight she and her DH took it in turns to keep the toddler occupied by banging on the tray on the back of our seats!

Ditto. Although I tend to have to go into long boring meetings and be terribly clever

Still, it's a good way to ignore jet lag. Although I gather that, at my place, the university is not so careful with what used to be public money and Deans, PVCs, and DVCs go Business, The VC always at least business wherever, even short haul.

Reminds me of a flight I was on a few years back. DH and the 2 kids were in a row of 3 and I had the aisle seat in the row opposite.

Older couple got on and the lady went mental that I had the aisle seat and told me to move to the window. I told her no and my allocated seat was this and that was that.

Well she huffed and puffed but soon settled down. After the meal was served and cleared away the passenger in front of the man next to me reclined their seat, the man suddenly sat bolt up and shoved the seat infront with such force the poor passenger infront smacked their head of the seat infront of them. She turned round and asked what the hell happened and the wife said (never heard the man speak at all) said his tray was down and you were crushing him to death (man was very skinny so doubt the tray would have touched him).

I am from Australia and have lived overseas for over ten years. I travel back usually once (sometimes twice) a year. Everyone around me reclines for the long flight - it is impossible to sleep if you don't. I have NEVER heard that it is uncool to recline. Is this another one of those unspoken British social norms that I am completely oblivious of?

People who continually rummage in the overhead lockers are my peeve. Up and down, crotch in your face, dropping stuff on your head.

Plus the ones that stand up as soon as the flight lands.

My recipe for sleep: 1) Sleep on your own time zone when you're more likely to be able to. 2) Alcoholic beverage within an hour of bedtime. 3) Bose noise cancelling headphones. 4) Good quality eyemask, sometimes supplemented with blanket over my head. 5) Hand luggage and pillow under the seat in front so my feet are elevated a bit. 6) Seat "ears" positioned.

Still don't sleep brilliantly but then I don't anyway.

Another who doesn't get it being rude to recline. Just recline yourself and problem solved. Every flight I've ever been on has had the flight crew firmly insistent that seats go up for the duration of the meal and I've never seen flight rage.

work is VERY unreasonable to fly you in cattle and expect you to work the next morning, though.

The fairy under those circumstances you were rude and selfish . You had the front row and it wasn't night time and you reclined.

I wonder if it's because subconsciously I think if I fall asleep it will plummet from the sky while I'm not aware.