Airlines, seats, passive aggression

[RebeccaWithTheGoodHair]

I was on a long haul flight over the weekend, 2 lots of 7 hour flights with a 3 hour stopover in the middle - it was never going to be a pleasant journey.

The first bit was OK but on the 2nd flight the people in the row in front sat down and immediately put their chairs back. Not just a little tilt either. They were practically in our laps. Our dropdown trays were hardly usable and the screen was difficult to see.

Of course they were perfectly entitled to do it and I could have done the same. Except I didn't because it's so bloody horrible for the person behind.

I don't get why airlines put these type of seats in, even using the tilt doesn't make them relaxing in any way. All it does it make it slightly less uncomfortable for the person in that seat - but 100 times worse for the hapless person behind.

My AIBU is whether giving it an extra hard shove when trying to use my tray or pick up my bag is U or not?

And if you are someone who does drop your seat back like that then don't you realise how horrible it is for the person behind you?

What special said. The seat reclines, so people do or don't. Get over it or stump up for more expensive seats. Hadn't had one of these threads in a while, and there's a smoking outdoors one, too. Quality.

I hardly took a baseball bat to him [sceptical]

The airlines need to announce that passengers should check the people behind aren't eating before reclining. It would establish a protocol which would help.

Thank fuck you cant smoke on planes anymore. Can you imagine the threads!

'totally agree that chairs shouldn't be 'released' to tilt except for overnight chunks that are at least 30 mins after the end of a food service.'

Plenty of people recline to sleep on shorter journeys because they've come in from somewhere else.

RebeccaWithTheGoodHair

Yes I was serious. You get none of those problems in business and I assume in 1st although I'm not rich enough for that.

You ignored my other points about passive-agressively banging on his chair rather than talking to him and if you see individual reading lights as him infringing on you or whether you are infringing on him.

If someone banged on my chair I would keep it back for as long as possible. If they said they had a bad back then I would ask them if I could have it back half way and treat them with the respect they'd offered me.

You're entirely unreasonable in your behaviour and the fact that you think you should shove them in the back tells me all I need to know about your behaviour.

Do tell me, would someone shoving the back of your seat hurt you as you have spoken about back problems? How about if you reclined your seat to relieve the pain a little and instead of saying anything, the person behind you gave the seat a fucking good shove.

Perhaps you need a little introspection and lose the entitlement a little.

Agree it's anti social. Reclining your seat by a few inches does not make much difference to your level of comfort, all it does is steals the limited space the person behind you has.
There are plenty of things i am well within my righto to do on board a flight, I could repeatedly ask the person next to me to get up and let me in the aisle, I could whistle god save the queen for the duration, but I don't because I have consideration for other people s need.
Some ignorant people out there.

'Thank fuck you cant smoke on planes anymore. Can you imagine the threads!'

Oh, they would be pure gold, the ire, the passive aggro, the 'what about de kidz?'

Morphene,

Surely it is just manners to check behind you, as I said we do (polishing my halo now!).

Anything other than that is selfish, entitled, and plain downright rude.

But I agree, it would be a good move for airlines to mention the need to check first before going backwards into someone's dinner.

What airlines are you all flying with that the seats recline so much that they prevent you from leaving your own seats?

Mountain, molehill.

I am so surprised by people's responses on here. I would NEVER recline my seat into someone else's space. It's so intrusive. I get a neck pillow. Not because I'm a martyr, because I'm not a c**t.

I am tall and have had many miserable journeys due to people reclining fully, including a 24 hour coach trip where I was on the back seat and so couldn't recline. The people in front kept their seats back the entire time. It was hell. I don't recline fully unless there's no-one behind me. I'm nice like that.

Here we go, 'Anyone who doesn't behave just like me is . . . (insert negative adjectives, as many as possible for emphasis).' Let's see if we can get a full house on this one, folks.

You're mixing me up with another poster, I don't have a bad back. I have a bad temper from a horrible flight.

I didn't sit repeatedly kicking his seat - I merely shoved the tray when I put it up. This was the tray that nearly tipped my drink all over me when he lowered his seat straight back down after finishing his food without checking whether I had finished mine. Which is slightly anti-social airline behaviour I believe.

Whatever about an adult banging the reclined seat in front in frustration, what about mad kids who constantly kick the seat in front. Mum and Dad think this is a wonderful expression of their independence. LOL.

That kills me more than a reclined seat TBH.

Xcripsy said "Some ignorant people out there"

Which is more ignorant, reclining your seat on a long-haul flight (and maybe like the OP, this was their second long-haul flight in quick succession) or whacking the seat of the passenger in front?

If the seats are designed to recline, fine.
However they should not recline during meals and for a while afterwards.

And the correct way to recline is S L O W L Y, so that the person behind has time to rescue their coffee / wine /ipad

The recliners who go Thwack as fast and far as possible get their seat kicked by me.
Hard.

I've just done a journey of 11 + 13 hour flights, with 2 young DC (do I win?).

I'm 5'9 so hardly short.

The people in front of me on the 13 hour journey had their seats reclined most of the time - as the seats are designed to so. I also reclined my seat when I wanted to without getting the permission of the people behind me first - cause I don't need it.

It's really not a massive deal and doesn't affect the person behind THAT much. It really doesn't. The most I had to do was adjust the tilt of my inflight entertainment screen.

Agree it's anti social. Reclining your seat by a few inches does not make much difference to your level of comfort,
It makes a massive difference to my level of comfort

yab a bit u.

i find sitting in a perfectly upright position hurts my back. if im able to recline the seat a bit, it takes the pressure off my back.

'I've just done a journey of 11 + 13 hour flights, with 2 young DC (do I win?). '

No, you have to all have hidden disabilities for that, Panda

Have we had that yet?

Devorak

I think you were actually referring to me as I said I had a spine condition not the OP.

If you are talking to me:

I never said I was passive aggressively banging on his chair. So you are completely wrong on that score. I didn't say anything to him but he had headphones in the whole time and if his wife/partner/travel companion couldn't get him to sit up when she asked, what chance did I have?

I don't actually feel comfortable tellling a cabin about my medical conditions, its my business.

And yes it would hurt if someone shoved the back of my seat but I didnt recline so I didn't feel a lot of shoving behind me.

As someone said already it would be nice if people want to recline they let you know before hand.

I find it uncomfortable on planes reclined or not but I hate those that recline because as I said it's uncomfortable but I can't sleep on planes so when the one in front reclines the entertainment on the back of their chair is harder to watch

On long haul, and especially overnight, I don't agree. Saturday night, I got on a plane, and straight after takeoff my seat went back, ear plugs and eye mask went on and I went to sleep until the wheels touched down at LHR. Not reclining makes it much harder to sleep as your head tilts forward, though I can do it.
Daytime long haul I will try to be awake and upright for meals, and don't mind if someone woke me in that case, but the rest of the time I need to sleep as I have to work straight away when I get there, and when I get home I need to be fully functioning to be a parent and get back working the next day.

Reclining your seat by a few inches does not make much difference to your level of comfort
Actually, yes it does. It makes a big difference for me to sit 7 hours bolt upright, or with a slight recline. I recline. I will check if the person behind me has finished eating, but if they bang my seat or force it upright, I will call the cabin crew.

And if you have less space because people in front of you reclined their seat, I have a magical solution for that - you can recline your seat as well. There you go, lost inches reclaimed.