To recline my seat in the airplane tonight ?

[Redeyeflight]

We are flying from Boston and Dh told me I’m not allowed to recline my seat on our night flight ? We are on economy and flying with BA. I don’t fly often so not sure about the etiquette. I mean if it was a day flight I wouldn’t recline but a night one ? Everyone would want to ?

Or you could just have said excuse me would you mind putting the seat up for a min while I pop to the loo.
Just as you would ask someone to let you out at the cinema, theatre on a train etc.

Of course you can but don't recline until after meal service is complete

I recently flew to Mexico City a back via the USA. We had a night flight and a day flight (but would he been night at destination) both flights had lights dimmed after meal early on in the flight and everyone reclined. I personally wouldn't do it for but will if somone does so next to me or in front of me. So I reckon you're fine and it will be everyone reclining.

@Mamai90

Remember some people may have just got off a night flight not have had enough sleep. Seats recline, they would stop them if you weren't meant to use them.

I'll be honest though, we always book premium economy for long haul now

For flights under 4 hours they pretty much have - they are now pre reclined at a slight angle.

suspect May for longer flights as can fit more in

It isnt really possible to just say excuse me to someone sleeping in front of you. In a theatre or train, you are speaking to someone beside you. On a plane, with a seat reclined, unless I yelled or poked them in the head, there isn't an easy way to communicate.

No, it is actually not 'like saying you can't chose [sic] the fish option on the menu because the smell may upset other people'. Life is a bit more nuanced than this and you do not fully understand the applications or implications of your own analogy. If you are in a restaurant, then of course it is fine to choose the fish option, BUT it is not fine to choose the fish option and then carry it onto the tube to eat there because, while it is technically 'allowed' to do so, it is not the socially considerate thing to do. In the same way, it is fine to recline your seat at night when this is what the majority of people do, but not fine to do so in the day, which is a context in which this is not the socially expected or accepted behaviour.

I do not believe you are a 'very frequent long haul flyer' or you would be well aware that the majority of people do not recline on day or short haul flights. I can fully believe that there are plenty of day recliners on the short haul trips to Benidorm or Magaluf or similar, though.

Really? You can't easily communicate with the person in front of you unless you 'yelled' or 'poked them in the head'?

Yes, I travel a lot, An excuse me in a normal tone of voice doesn't work on a plane for someone asleep in front of you where you can't see them or talk to them. Completely different from someone sitting beside you. How would you get the attention of someone asleep on a seat in front of you on a plane?

You are entitled to your opinion as am I.

I would gently touch their shoulder and say something. I wouldn't 'poke them in the head' or 'yell', and haven't ever needed to do that. I fly long-haul regularly and recently had to wake up the person next to me because they were sleeping with their head on my shoulder and had pulled my blanket over themselves in their sleep. The touch on the shoulder and speaking to them worked with no need to yell or poke them in the head.

For what it's worth, I would never poke someone in the head. I can't imagine a context in which you would think that OK.

I think you need a lie down lol

If you are working on a flight, your employer should have paid for business class for you. Economy seats are not designed for use as a flying office.

Waking up the person next to you is completely different from waking up the person in front of you. I have no access to their shoulder from my seat. They won't hear me speaking in a normal voice on a plane if they are asleep in front of me.

Anyways, I am not that concerned - I don't yell or poke their head. I just use their seat for leverage to get up and get out of my seat. If that wakes them- oh well.

I did not know this existed, I will look it up thanks so much!😊

If you are working on a flight, your employer should have paid for business class for you.

Hahaha I'm sure you'd all be really understanding of me using your kids university tuition fees on business class flights. 😂😂

Fine on a night flight after the meal. 95% of people will do the same, and I’ll tell the person behind me before I do. Never during a day flight or anything short haul.

@Redeyeflight

"We are flying from Boston and Dh told me I’m not allowed to recline my seat on our night flight ?"

If the seat reclines then day or night you're entitled to use the facility, but it's nice if you can take other peoples needs into consideration, especially during meal service.

@gotomomo

Remember some people may have just got off a night flight not have had enough sleep.

Absolutely correct...or maybe even no sleep at all and that couple of hours on a subsequent short haul sector is a chance to catch up...not uncommon on airlines like BA where passengers may have connected sectors and there would certainly be eyebrows raised if people were told they couldn't recline the seats because it was day time.

Never have my work paid for business. .....economy every rime !

I recline my seat on every flight, I just put it up for meals. I travel long-haul in economy every few weeks and would not love having to sit up uncomfortably constantly.

Ditto @Maddy70 - most UK universities won't pay for Business, as they're basically not allowed to by various bits of legislation etc. I sometimes use my own money to upgrade a flight to Premium Economy, although for anything less than 8 hours, it's not really worth it.

I think a lot of posters have very little knowledge of the conditions of publicly employed people, such as university staff and civil servants. We get next to no perks (see the thread about per diem allowances for meals on this). I suspect a lot of posters don't travel for work, and have a bit of a fantasy idea about the conditions & arrangements for those of us who do.

Absolutely fine OP. Especially on a night flight. Just make sure it’s up when food comes around.

I had it once were the person in front of me for the full flight (other than 19 mins for their food) but they were so heavy that it went back even further than it should. It was practically on my knees and uncomfortable , I couldn’t see the tv screen and they refused to unreclaimed for the food until theirs came despite being asked by the flight attendant multiple times. My food came earlier as it was a special request but the tray couldn’t come down so i had to wait almost half an hour to eat it.

You can ask but that doesn’t mean they will, I am talking from experience here.

I suspect a lot of posters don't travel for work, and have a bit of a fantasy idea about the conditions & arrangements for those of us who do.

Most definitely.
I work for a university and my international trips often involve multiple countries in one trip with an ever changing itinerary which means I am often updating presentations at airports or on flights.
I've never flown anything other than economy unless I've paid to upgrade to premium economy myself.