Who was unreasonable regarding plane seat ?

[planerider]

Inspired by another thread.

This happened a few years ago, but it annoyed me.

The flight was around 7 hours long. I had paid extra to have the exit seat in economy, as I was suffering from a bad back. I paid quite a lot extra for the seat, it's something I try to do, as I have back problems and it helps.

The woman behind me had quite a big child on her lap during the flight and was sat next to the child's father.

Because of this, I was unable to recline my seat for the entire flight. I tried very gently reclining it a little at some stage ( before I had seen the child ) but she was angry and swore, so I put it upright.

Who was unreasonable here ? Or do we generally think anyone reclining their seat is unreasonable ? I tend to recline my seat on very long flights, when the lights are dimmed for sleeping, as do most others on those flights. I don't recline on short hall.

People who recline are twats

I agree the risk is on the person behind. If seats can recline people are free to recline them.

But I also think there should be clear guidance, perhaps as signs on the aeroplane stating either “everyone may recline on this flight, don’t make a fuss” or “no one May recline, don’t try”, or even “you may only recline between x and y times, and at that point everyone is free to do so, don’t argue”.

It absolutely shouldn’t be down to any perceived features you or the person behind may be seen to have. Ie no “oh I’m tall you cant recline. Do I hear you say you have a bad back? - tough, you’re a woman and your needs don’t count”.

I recline on long haul flights and neither consult or inform the person behind, or complain if the person in front of me reclines. She should have paid for a seat for her child.

The exit seats are only for strong adults who are capable of opening the emergency doors, if required. I'm shocked that you sit there.

You absolutely should be able to recline on a long haul flight, wtf is the point of the function if it's not supposed to be used?

Why also do all these threads have one thing in common - it’s never the father holding the child? Which you’d think would be more comfortable for the child, with his bigger lap, and easier for him to do than the mother, due to being stronger and less likely to have a damaged back etc from pregnancy.

I don't think seats should recline at all.

You should have reclined! (unless you physically couldn't). I'd have asked to move.

The fact that she swore while in charge of a young child immediately lowers her to the level of a disgusting tart. A simple excuse me costs nothing.
The child cannot have been older than 2 to be on her lap, so can't have been that enormous. YWNBU.

@Meraas how do you get moved if the plane is full? The seat pitches in most economy cabins long haul or otherwise aren't big enough to recline

Premium economy still recline
You can still have a child on a knee next to you in business particularly in the BA long hall climb over or the BA Europe when someone wants their child to go on the empty middle seat.

Obviously you get moved if there's room.

Not sure what you mean, I always recline my seat on long haul.

I’m sure your comfort isn’t their concern either, therefore they will try and recline your seat and bash in to your knees which are in their way

It's interesting that MN thinks it's ok to disrupt someone else's comfort by reclining in an already cramped space, but children playing in their own gardens before 10am on a Sunday is a no because it disrupts someone else's comfort despite it being legally ok. Either the rules are there and if it disrupts other people, so what, or the comfort of other people matters, in which case you can't pick and choose.

It’s fine for you to recline your seat, especially on an eight hour flight. If it weren’t acceptable, the airline staff would tell you that, but they don’t.

If someone wants to travel with a child on their lap instead of buying them their own seat, then they take the risk of being extra squashed if the person in from of them wants to use their seat the way it was designed.

At the end of the day, capitalism dictates that you get what you pay for, not what you need. This doesn’t stop just because someone is “tall”, when every other need is universally ignored.

Reclining seats are the bane of economy class (and short-haul business if using the same seat spacing). More airlines should remove the function.

If someone in front of you reclines their seat, move the ventilation nozzle above you so that it's pointing at the top of their head and turn it on full blast.

I’m sure no strangers on planes really want to sit in your lap, more likely they just want to recline their seat into a slightly more normal sitting position than is needed for take off and landing.

If you feel someone’s back rest getting closer to you as you recline, either accept being a little squashed, or sit with your legs straight out under the chair in front of you like every tall person I’ve ever flown with has to.

Neither of you were unreasonable (well, it wasn't on that the woman swore at/about you); planes just aren't made for comfort at all now. There is not enough space between rows for seats to be reclined without being in the lap of the person behind you. I personally hate it when people in front of me recline their seat, as it gives me no room whatsoever (and I hate reclining my own seat), but I wouldn't complain unless I had a small child on my lap, as it really would make the journey extraordinarily difficult.

Thank you for a much needed giggle @xILikeJamx

With a young child behind me no I wouldn’t recline my seat

MN isn't one person with one voice you know

I'm sure I read a couple of years ago about a design of seat that reclined by moving the seat forwards not the back backwards. Solves all the issues.

You are being unreasonable if you must recline sit at the back of the plane with no one behind you. Most airlines won’t let an under 3 have there own seat. Also you shouldn’t have been at an exit row with a bad back as you weren’t technically able bodied.

YANBU