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?

A. It might be a 'night flight' for the traveller if they've made a connection across time zones
B. It might be part of a very long journey for another traveller

Someone whinged when my little 7yo DD had her seat reclined on a morning flight from India. We'd actually travelled from about 2am from Sri Lanka and she was exhausted and trying to sleep. The lady behind her was banging her seat and making a huge fuss with the stewardess, so entitled!

Why do your needs for space trump someone else's need for sleep? The seats recline and if everyone reclines then you can all get some rest, whatever the time.

LOL, well done!

Totally fine to recline your seat during a long haul flight. Except for meal times.

I would expect others to recline theirs too.

As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off my seat goes back. Probably not all the way but I need it partially back to prevent my back from spasming. For anyone that try's to purposely jam their knees into the back off me then my seat reclines all the way back.

Seats shouldn’t recline. They should already be at an angle that means people can relax and sleep if they want to. I would never recline and hate it when others do. Totally inconsiderate.

If you want more space then stop being tight and fly in a bulkhead seat or in another cabin.

Buying the cheapest seat available and then blaming others for it not being roomy enough is idiotic.

This is bloody ridiculous. Firstly, not everyone wants to sit in the recline position Eg people who want to watch the tv / read etc. Secondly, the seats at the back of the row which back onto a wall don't actually recline at all. And thirdly, if all seats were in the recline position nobody could eat their meal. What a stupid thing to say. If you don't like the fact that people recline then don't be such a tight wad and pay for a more expensive seat you miserable sod

You're complaining about reclining while saying seats should be an immovable reclined position.

Thoughts and prayers.

They clearly were more comfortable without the backrest pressing against them. Some people are.

It's not "your" space, anyway. It's their seat. Your seat is your seat and it reclines too. You don't have ownership over a few inches somewhere a couple of feet in front of your head.

If you object to passengers using a seat function to allow them to rest in comfort then book a bulkhead seat where no body is infront of you.
If you recline and the person behind you does the same then you would both have equal personal space to as if the seats were up right.

Its a dick thing to do! No law against it but its rude and selfish.

I hate the recliners too. There's little enough room in an airline seat and I don't actually want to recline as it's not comfortable for my back.
Maybe they should have left and right of the aisle options to differentiate between those that recline and those that don't.
Always happy when a plane doesn't have the option 😄

Why?
it doesn’t reduce other traveller’s space (they can recline too) eases discomfort and facilitates a restful journey.
why is that rude?

surely imposing your own rules about how others should behave, name calling others for using the function provided and feeling entitled to specific areas of space is more selfish?

Well I never knew this was an argument!!
I’ve always put my seat back on long haul and fully expect the person in front of me to do the same.

It's not a case of purposely jamming knees up. There is literally no room to move once a seat is reclined. And you can't sit an entire flight without moving your legs around. It's a recipe for DVT.

Then book a bulkhead seat.

But it's polite and selfless to expect everyone else to travel in discomfort, go without sleep and potentially risk back pain to indulge your imaginary right to the air two feet in front of you.

How tall are you? I’m 5 foot 10 with long legs and manage to stay comfortable in economy without needlessly jamming my knees anywhere.

I find if you recline your seat it enables you to stretch your legs straight out

Oh haha! Good luck with booking one of those unless you have a disability or a baby.

So less space = more room for legs? How does that work?

Luck? You just lay the extra and select it.

Don’t tell me you’ve been trying to get them for free, have you?

Look, you have no right or expectation to have the person in front not decline their seat. The space it uses is not yours, the mechanism is there because the airline wants to offer people the option, and if you are such a strange whale that it causes you problems then you need to pay for a different seat or for a different cabin.

I’ve no idea how you handle the everyday world with such a lack of ability to accept imperfections in your day, but if you can’t be bothered to work out how to get by that’s no-one else’s problem. You have the choice to pay for an exit or bulkhead seat for very little, or to just be a tightwad and not.

I think it’s ok but only after the main meal.

I never do it as I think it’s just selfish. Hateful people that do it immediately.

Firstly if both seats are reclined there isn’t less space. Secondly unless you have unusually long tibias and fibulas your knees are probably roughly in line with the base of the seat in front (as you are sitting on a seat of the same height). As reclining hinges the seat from this point, moving the headrest of the seat back a few cm makes almost no deference to the position of the hinge point near your knees. Third, if you recline and lean back you can extend your legs straight underneath the seat in front of you in a way you can’t if you’re sitting bolt upright as the angles change.

I’m tall, I fly long haul a lot. It’s really not that hard.

Not if you were planning to read.

How are people not understanding that if person in front is reclined and you are not that equals less room?

I don't want to recline.

It's damned uncomfortable for me.
I want to read and prop things on the tray in front.
I want room to move my legs and stretch them a bit.
If person in front isn't reclined all this is fine.