to think its rude to recline seat on long-haul flight

[needabreak5]

....for the entire flight (except during meals), unless its a night flight and everyone is reclined? I had a 9 hour (day-time) flight yesterday and the family in front of us were fully reclined for the majority of the flight. Most others (including those behind us) remained upright so we also remained upright for the entire flight with less room due to the seats in front being reclined. DS (3) was asleep across our laps which didn't help with space, but i did feel it was 'unfair' that they were able to recline, whilst I felt it would have been rude for us to do the same to those behind - 3 tallish men. AIBU?

No, it’s quite the opposite. You have to be a real dick to book a seat in economy on a long-haul flight and then get upset when the reclining seat provided for the passengers in front is used.

I have a theory about this. Seats on planes should be split into “recliner seats” and “non recliner seats”.

So rows 1 - 25 must stay upright except at night when lights are dimmed. Seats 26 - 50 can be reckoned at all times except during meals.

Everyone can choose seats according to their preference. (And airlines would soon be able to adjust the numbers of each type of seats to mean that it roughly works for the average group of people’s preference.)

And “front row reclining” seats would be extra good so the airline would be able to charge extra for them.

Everyone’s a winner!

It's ruder and more dickish to travel by plane and expect everyone else to be uncomfortable to suit you.

Seats recline, yours does too. Just keep it upright during meals and when the captain tells you to.

You have to be a real dick to book a seat in economy on a long-haul flight and then get upset when the reclining seat provided for the passengers in front is used.

^This!

I really don't get this. The chair reclines, it's designed to recline, don't like it move to a different class or choose seats with extra legroom.
I honestly can't believe how entitled you have to be to expect people to not use a function on a chair that has been specifically designed with that function to make a long haul cattle class flight a little bit comfier.
So bizzare.

If the airlines thought it unacceptable, they would say so. Those people paid for their ticket snd are entitled to recline outside of mealtimes. Perhaps try unclenching a bit and recline your own seat. The people behind you can do it too. That's how it works.
I generally don't need to recline because I'm pretty short but I cannot imagine being cross about someone reclining theirs. What a bizarre thread.

I can't believe how entitled it is for people to believe they have a 'right' to space that has been paid for by the passenger behind them. It's rather cunty imo.

Gien on the average Long Haul flight some folks will be on depature time zone, some will

I can't believe how entitled it is for people to believe they have a 'right' to space that has been paid for by the passenger behind them. It's rather cunty imo.

Yes so cunty to use a service provided that you've paid for, just recline your own seat, job done everyone happy.
Can't imagine how sad your life must be to think someone is cunty for reclining a seat. I'd advise getting a grip!

Always recline after meals on a long haul. They are designed too and I'd expect the person in front and behind to do the same. And you never know if someone is on a connecting flight - could be their 'night'.

As for 'taking the space someone behind them paid for'?! Batshittery!

Well that didn't work..not sure what happened there

Fundamentally on a Long Haul flight lots of people may have connected from heaven knows where and maybe have been up all night. Not everybody will be on local departure time and so it's unreasonable to expect everybody to sit bolt upright just because it's local daytime at the departure airport.

I used to often recline the seat on a short haul daytime flight to help get some Zss if I had been working through the previous night...shoot me now....

YABU, if you wanted to recline you should've, that's what the mechanism is there for. As long as they were upright at meal times I don't see the issue.

You've been treated rather well most of your life, haven't you?

Not rude at all. The seat reclines. That person has paid for that seat (with the reclining mechanism). My desire for more space doesn't trump their desire for comfort.

YABU YABU YABU

This thread reminds me of when I flew first class to Los Angeles from Heathrow. As the head Steward who served me my champagne said said “you have no idea how nice it is not to have to always deal with the arseholes at the back.”

I recline my seat for the duration of the flight, both long and short haul. It’s literally why they make them recline, so that you can do it.
If the person behind wants more room, they can also recline their seat.

I'm using all my Tesco vouchers to buy air miles to fly Virgin premium economy to the US next year.
They can because the can. It's annoying but it's allowed.

To which I would have replied, " That's odd. You sound like you'd fit right in "

I also think people who recline are dicks. It’s fucking inconsiderate and downright rude to encroach on others space.

however if the person in front of me does it then I do it and I tell the person behind me why…. Because the person in front of me is a selfish prick.

But he wouldn’t have. He was polite, professional, efficient, and just sick of the sort of entitled attitudes displayed by some of those on here.

Economy can be like a zoo, it can’t be pleasant having to work in it.

We've had annoying people that refuse to put their seats up for food. These people only think "Why? I can still reach my food fine from here", without realising that the people behind them are desperately trying not to spill drinks or food in their laps for it being so close. Or the ones that don't wait, as OP says, for the people behind to finish their food and just whack the seat back while you've still got a tray full of food and drink that then goes everywhere.

Reclining seats during a food service is VU.

Outside of a food service, I'm a little less bothered. I'd probably bother them more as I'm a bit, erm, round, and need a bit of assistance getting up, so their seat will be bumped and pulled around more if I struggle to get out of a smaller gap!

While the ability to recline the seats exists, it will always be a bone of contention, but ultimately neither person is being unreasonable - it's just a difference of opinion (food service time aside!).

If it was “your” space you might have had a point there.

Your language and entitlement though makes the point for me about the poor staff who have to deal with people like you.

To call a whole cabin class 'aresholes' is unprofessional for an airsteward. And I've met far more entitled dickheads in business than in economy.

YABU. 9 hours is a long flight. You could have reclined and so could those men behind you! Everyone would be comfortable!!

I am temporarily living abroad, I have to do a 12.5 hour flight to London plus another 6 hour journey to get home. I've had to make this journey 4 times in the last year. I recline the whole way, day or night. Just fucking recline your seat, job done. No need to be some weird martyr that only MN knows about.