To think it's actually OK to recline your seat on a long haul flight?

[winterwonder1]

I always thought it was just one of those things, but this poll seems to make out it's anti-social behaviour. And that hack is just batshit.

Best life hack to stop air passengers reclining their seat | Chester and District Standard

Honestly, I just accept I'm crammed in with a couple of hundred other people & it's gonna be crap.

9 hour overnight flight in April. Row in front was vacant. Another family claimed it as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, reclined fully and were up & down constantly so the seat & my tray were bouncing. Couldn't sleep because elderly lady behind me was up every 15 minutes & used the top of my my seat as a handrail, pulling it down hard to help her up & them letting it go, so it snapped up surprisingly violently. Man behind DH had stretched his long legs out so they came under the seat and into DH's space. Man next to him coughed the entire flight. Overtired babies cried. Lights came on at 3:30am for meal service (no one was hungry).

It's just a rubbish experience we have to endure to get where we're going!

I've only done long haul night flights - I personally have no problem with people reclining but I am only 5'1! I think it's perfectly reasonable to recline if you're sleeping (day or night) and even if you're awake during night hours (when the lights on board are dimmed). I think it's a little unreasonable to recline during meals.

@Morgenrot25 hang on, so you’re a staunch recliner but also don’t mind having your seat knocked by a toddler if you recline? Fair enough tbh!

So why didn’t you recline your seat too to create more space for yourself?

I think it shouldn’t be allowed during meal times. Poor bloke next to me on a long haul flight couldn’t physically eat his meal because the person in front of him reclined as soon as the trays came out. Stewardess said she couldn’t do anything about it.

I didn’t want to be fully lying down in the middle of the day or to eat my meal……… nor did the person behind me I imagine. This is why flights are so horrible, people are selfish and DGAF about other people.

I think it's really only acceptable to fully recline on overnight flights in economy/smaller legroom sections tbh

Eh?
The toddler's parent should be stopping them knocking other people's seats.
The parental entitlement is very evident with responses such as yours.
The odd accidental knock - yes, repeatedly - no, parent should, well, parent.

But not letting someone recline their seat, something that is allowed and perfectly normal, isn't selfish?

I have no problem with a slight recline during the day on a flight, but fully reclined (basically totally horizontal), during the day and when people are eating/drinking and CANNOT actually sit in their seats is selfish. I don’t have anything else to say on the matter.

During mealtimes, stewards should ensure that everyone keeps seats in the upright position
for safety, particularly with scalding risk from hot drinks. If your airline doesn’t, complain.

No airline has fully lying down seats in economy or premium economy.

If I have a child under 2 on my knee and you recline into my space, restricting my space and the space of that child, you might feel the movements of that child, since the space has been restricted by you. I am not responsible for the problem that you created by restricting my space. I obviously wouldn’t encourage it, but it’s a natural consequence.

Plenty of things are allowed and normal, but are also selfish and frowned upon. Farting in a lift, listening to your podcast on loud etc. All perfectly legal but irritating to others and impact on their experience for your own comfort/enjoyment.

Yes it's ok. Otherwise they wouldn't recline. It's slightly annoying in short haul, but you know, people also drive in the middle lane, park badly, litter, queue jump. Can't get worked up about everything all the time. People who moan about it need to get another hobby or pay business class.

I can't sleep on planes so I tend to sit bolt upright watching films for 17 hours. But I do get annoyed when the person in front doesn't even put their seat upright for meals (as you are told to do, but it's never inforced) and I end up eating off my chest.

I recline after the meal service and have a good few hours of sleep. I put it back upright when I wake up though. I wouldn't dream of having my seat reclined when I'm awake.

Yup, the entitlement is high.
You cannot expect random strangers not to do something which is allowed and acceptable, just because you chose to make your situation more complicated. I haven't created what is your problem, you have. You got on the plane, knowing that seats recline, and that people often use this facility, yet chose to make your space smaller by adding another small person into the gap. That's nobody's problem but yours. Having a child doesn't mean you get to tell others what to do.
Reclining a seat isn't comparable to listening without headphones.

I've flown regularly for well over 50 years and never have I seen someone unable to sit in their seat because someone has reclined. Yes it makes the getting in and out difficult hence all the pushing and pulling of headrests.

It doesn't take much to look behind you and say excuse me I'm going to recline my seat , do you mind ? People will always say yes even if they think differently 😂

Yes, fundamentally, someone will a toddler on their lap is fitting two people into a seat designed for one, and whatever your views on it, reclining is allowed. If it bothers you, I would advise to book seats with more legroom or buy your child their own seat.

I have to say I am in the camp that dislikes reclined seats at any time. It is all very well for people to say "Well recline your own seat and you will have just as much space", but what if you don't want to recline, for whatever reason. Someone up thread said that they find it uncomfortable as it hurts their back. I personally would dislike it because all you can do in a reclined position is sleep. But what if you are not sleepy, or want to watch something on the screen in the seat back, or read, or any other thing you might choose to do to pass many hours. Not to mention getting up to visit the loo.

And obviously reclining during meal times is just evil.

It's fine to dislike, it's not fine to expect others to cater for that dislike - as some posters here are doing.

I've done several long haul flights in economy.

Can someone tell me what these magical airlines are where "reclining" is anything other than "leaning back slightly"?

I'm not sure that some of the posters on this thread have ever been on a plane.

No, the problem is YOURS. You will be the one complaining about your seat being knocked, not the mum & not the toddler. Hopefully moved on as well for everyone’s sanity.

As a group 6 adults we went long haul in May

we all hate it when people recline so dh and i sat in front of two of them and didn’t recline and the two in the middle didn't recline so we ensured that the children would be comfortable

the man in front of dh reclined immediately, we did need to grab the headrest to get in and out but at a few points dh just gave it a bit of an extra wriggle

as others have mentioned I don’t think they should be allowed to recline at mealtimes

Next flight im on..passport ✅️ boarding pass✅️ full-sized tube of Pringles ✅️

But with a parent with a child on their lap, the slightest movement is going to be felt if you recline on top of them, surely? It’s unreasonable to expect anyone not to need to move, stretch, go to the loo etc on a long flight.