Reclining aeroplane seats?

[MrsRaegan]

Flew to Spain yesterday with DS who had to sit on my lap. We were the row behind extra leg room.

Woman in front tried to recline her seat but there was literally no room for her to do so. We couldn't even put the tray down when her seat was fully upright as he had to sit on my knee.

She then ranted like a mad woman to her husband about "inconsiderate parents" I'd like to point out DS slept for most of the journey.

So AIBU to think on a 3 hour flight with a toddler on a parents knee behind you, you don't really need to recline your seat?

I wouldn't recline for short haul either, unless it was after an ultra long haul flight, and then I probably would. I find upright too uncomfortable to sleep in, but obviously others don't.

When I used to fly regularly, it was pole to pole - 30+ hours - so everyone reclined and nobody batted an eyelid.

It's unpopular to express it, but it's the people who hop to the Balearics on Monarch, who tend to get the most worked up. Most (not all!!!!) other people either don't care, or accept it as part of the deal of flying.

Ahhhh. It has not disappointed. Yet again. Thank you thread.

I almost always recline. I also have sciatica and end up with nerve pain down my leg if I don't which will last long past that short flight. It might be a short haul flight, but it still aggravates it. Also usually my short haul flight connects to another and sometimes a third.

I also paid for my toddlers/babies to have a seat. It meant we travelled less often but ...

I will put the seat up for food and drinks though.

I am not especially small but I have never found the person in front of me reclining a problem. I prefer to sit upright on a short flight but on a long haul flight if the meal is not served quickly I'd generally recline until it arrives, sit up to eat and then recline again. The only established etiquette I've noticed with the "sophisticated" regular flyers is that they cover themselves up with something, head and all, go to sleep and refuse the meal. Probably very sensible but it is the drinks and the little wanders about that keep me sane when cooped up for hours on end.

I've only joined again to wave at BringMeTea and hum a verse of "non-recliners of the world unite ... "

There is definitely reclining etiquette. I was taught it by a former BA employee who's v familiar with flying first class. I think now flying is way more accessible the etiquette gets overlooked!

First class don't need to worry about reclining?!

Maybe airlines should have reclining and non reclining sections?

Then you get to choose which section you would prefer to sit in, and accept if you are in the reclining section, not only can you recline, but also to expect that others will do the same.

Personally I am a non-recliner. I find being in the reclined position puts too much pressure on my lower back. I'm not overly bothered by people in front reclining, although would prefer if they didn't.

I think it also depends on how much the seat in front reclines. Some that only recline by a small amount don't really bother me, but I have been on flights before where the person's seat in front reclines so much that the bloke's head is virtually on my knee!

More annoying, are the people who talk endlessly on flights, shout across rows to their mates who are sitting 3 rows behind, or get drunk and sing.

The outrage when this subject comes up, always amuses me.

This imaginary etiquette - that is changed to suit the desire of the person spouting about it.

The notion of courtesy making it all ok.
Person in front needs to recline due to being exhausted or having back pain, asks the person behind: 'do you mind if I recline, I need to sleep?'
The person behind says: 'yes I do mind, I have restless legs'
There is no solution - asking permission doesn't make it better!

The seat reclines. When you pay for a seat, you have to accept the inescapable fact that the person in front has a seat that they may choose to recline - get over it!

I am very tall with long legs, I have never found a significant difference in legroom if the person in front reclines or keeps upright. I really don't care what they do.

Nothing gets my goat more than having to put up with people who don't fly often when I'm travelling
Hilarious!!! Maybe you could hand out rules to everyone on the plane with you.
I hope I really wind you up doing all the things that I'm not supposed to do.

Maybe airlines should introduce those reclining seats that you get in first class on a train, the seat part sort of slides forwards and it doesn't affect the person sitting behind you at all, it just reduces your own leg room.

We flew to California in February. I really wanted to sleep to help with jet lag the other end. I understand the etiquette, really I do BUT there were two problems. One being the woman behind me kicked up a stinking fuss when I reclined the first time. Ok, I thought, must be a meal due and sat back up. Meal came, fine, reclined (but not without some huffing and puffing) After about I dunno...an hour and a half, a bloody snack came round and she wanted me up again. Sigh. Fine. And this is what it was like the whole way there.

A snack, a drink, some tea, a meal, another drink, another snack GAHHH!

Felix you have your own bedroom/cabin in first class nowadays. There's no need to worry about reclining seats.

reclining airline seats are of the devil.

FlipFlops! How delightful to see you here. Now, I just bought Morrissey's autobiography on Audible. Will be listening on my upcoming long-haul. So, if my knees get jammed as per I shall have David Morrissey's (see what they've done there?) soothing voice to calm me.

you end up with that person's head not very far from your face
I've heard people say that but I just don't get it. I have never experienced anything like it. You only just see their hair if they are very tall.
I have continued to comfortably use the in flight entertainment system with the person in front of me reclined the whole journey.

And simply just recline your own seat and you have the same amount of space you had before so everyone is comfortable

unless you are in the back row which recline less, it at all. or you have a person with a child on their lap behind you, or a very large person etc etc etc etc...

if at all

They could adjust the seats, so that Left hand side of the plane = non recliners

Right hand side = recliners.

Then you can choose which side of the plane you prefer when booking your seats.

Problem solved, and no need for unspoken etiquette rules.

I see what they've done, BringMeTea. Enjoy your flight and may your space remain unencumbered

What a vastly enjoyable thread. An awful lot of dramatic statements. How glad I am never to have encountered any of these head-in-your-face airlines.

My favourite is the idea that it's impossible for a child to colour in if the seat in front is reclined. Must tell DS. He'll be thrilled to know it's acceptable for him to have a tantrum instead of continuing to colour peacefully.

Travel is a huge part of my work and I'm on planes all the time, with or without kids. It's not a stealth boast, it's just fact. It IS etiquette not to decline your seat (disabilities aside) on short haul flights. It's not even unspoken. That bastion of British manners and etiquette that is Debretts even has a guide to say as much: 'remember that it's selfish to recline your seat on shorthaul day time flights'.

www.debretts.com/british-etiquette/transport-travel/aeroplanes

Recline not decline, thanks spell check.

I was flying on BA to London from LA recently and overheard a humdinger of a reclining argument. The air steward got involved. He offered to move the complainer, they declined and carried on moaning. He rather assertively told the person who was complaining that the person in front had paid for a reclining seat, they had every right to recline and that was that. This was a night time flight by the way, and was after the meal had been cleared away.