It's a Plane Etiquette one!! Was I AIBU?

[Belladonna90]

Night flight back from the US.
Cabin crew do meal service at around 4am (UK time) around 11pm (US). I'm hoping not to go to bed when I land (so can beat the jet lag and not stay in US time!). In economy class and have the blanket over my head so I can sleep (need the 'room' to be as dark as possible'). I had my seat reclined in the belief that chicken or beef would not be served at this time. How wrong I was! Cabin Crew passes me with meal trolley (happily doesn't disturb me to ask whether I want a meal...at that time absolutely not!). However, when she is asking the passenger behind me she reclines my seat back up which startled the life out of me as I was jostled back up!! I was so annoyed as I was fast asleep. I can understand for a safety related issue if she needed to do that for example for landing but for a service related issue it seemed completely rude of her. Was I wrong to challenge her and ask why she did that?? She told me for service all seats must be in the upright position....

I have always been told to have my seat upright during service. Many different airlines. YABU.

Every airline I’ve travelled with asks you to keep your seat upright during meal service. And any decent person would put their seat upright anyway, without being asked.

If you want a night’s sleep in complete darkness, my advice is either to splash your cash on business class or, if you can’t afford that, buy an eye mask and a neck pillow so you don’t need to recline with a blanket over your head.

Exactly what I was going to say

Extremely unreasonable. I can't stand people who recline their seats at all on a plane. It makes the journey so uncomfortable for the person behind.
You would surely of known that a meal was due to be served and that your seat would need to be upright. If you intended to sleep through the meal then you should never have reclined in the first place.

Result!!!

I had to be a limbo dancing contortionist to actually get out of the seat though. With absolutely everyone watching.

I fly a fair bit and so know to expect a meal service around an hour after take-off on a long haul flight and to keep seat upright until cabin lights are dimmed. But to be fair, they really should announce this for the benefit of people who do not fly often.

Also if you want to sleep for the duration of night fly you need to upgrade and not fly economy!

I agree with everyone else. But also, why would you decision to recline (or not recline) your seat be different if the airline was serving chicken or beef?

Etiquette is always wait until meal service is finished to recline.

Not in my opinion. It’s your seat, that’s what you paid for. Barring takeoff/ landing safety concerns you get to sit in it as you like.

Besides, as I said in my post, it’s not uncomfortable or even difficult to eat when the person in front of you is reclined. I’ve done it with no problem before.

You shouldn't have reclined your seat, it's so unfair and uncomfortable to the people behind. I really don't understand why airlines even have reclining seats.

You are in the wrong.

Well you definitely deserved the upgrade.

Reclined seat wanker on the other hand.....

Seats in economy need to be upright for the person behind you to eat. If you think you deserve a different “league” then pay for business class.

Seats are to be reclined after the meal service. YABU!

YANBU
Economy class is tight regardless. I never had a problem eating the food with a seat reclined.
And I fly economy regularly.

Only twats recline in economy

I had my seat reclined in the belief that chicken or beef would not be served at this time.

I'm confused, what's the relevance of chicken or beef?

It’s good manners but it almost never happens! I’ve never had someone put their seat up so I can eat. It’s not a general rule at all.

So what are you supposed to do if the person infront reclines their seat?

don’t get me wrong, I hate the person reclining but that is why they recline 😂

Only on mumsnet are you not allowed to recline your seat.

I have never had a problem eating with the seat in front of me reclined. And no one ever wakes me up for the breakfast service so the person behind must be managing then as well.

Not sure why the eater trumps the sleeper in this situation.

Never recline until after the meal service, which there always is shortly after take off on a US->UK night flight in economy. After it’s been cleared then you can recline away.

I was cabin crew for decades. On a night flight at that hour we would serve a hot meal, but usually only 1/3 of the passengers would eat. Many would put eye shades on and go straight to sleep. On a day flight I would ask, but not make, people put their seats up during the meal service. On a night flight I’d never wake someone to put their seat forward. Most tray tables slide forward once they’re down, which is useful when seats are reclined. I do appreciate it wasn’t as easy as when seats are upright. It was only very obese people that struggled.

I’d never physically put someone asleep’s chair up while they slept if we were securing the cabin for landing.

There is a special place in hell reserved for people that recline their seats in economy before or during the meal service.

You would have known there was a meal as it would say so on your ticket.

We got the red eye back from New York last weekend. We got a hot meal about 45 mins after take off and then breakfast about 45 mins before landing. But then we flew American as clearly we are plebs.

If you were fast asleep how did you know what happened?....yabu and thinking of yourself....it was meal service and the passenger behind needed their table.....

🤣🤣🤣