To recline my seat on an overnight flight?

[stargirl27]

I recently had a long-haul overnight flight from the US (10 hours approx.)

Once we had eaten/had drinks, I reclined my seat and put something on the TV. The man behind me immediately began tapping me on the shoulder and when I turned, he asked if I could put my seat into the upright position as he had a drink on his tray table. I agreed to this.

Around 30 min later, I was ready to sleep so I told him I was going to recline my seat. He asked me not to, as he said he was very tall so needed the extra legroom... I thought it was unfair to expect me to sit upright the whole time, and he could have booked an extra legroom seat (which, incidentally, I had). Also, he could have just reclined his own seat to give him the same amount of space.

In the end, after some back and forth, I agreed to recline it a bit but not the full way, but it wasn't as comfortable as it would have been if I'd reclined properly. Also, I thought he was a bit unreasonable to expect me not to recline so I could sleep, basically to sacrifice my comfort for his, but I wasn't prepared to spend the whole flight arguing so wanted to compromise.

WIBU?

YABU - you should not have reclined your seat
YANBU - you were perfectly fine to recline

Half the thread: of course not, the seats are there to be reclined

Other half: yabvu to encroach into someone else's space when planes are already so cramped

10 pages of bickering over whether it's selfish to recline into someone's space or whether it's selfish to expect the person in front of you to stay upright

There we go, I've saved us all hours of our lives. Now we can discuss shoes on/off instead!

I think the recline function needs to be removed. I have flown far and wide and overnight and just would never recline. I am tall and skinny and totally find it unreasonable. Unless you are short the person in front of you seriously invades your personal space. It’s an awful thing to do.

😂😂😂😂😂🙌🙌🙌

On an overnight flight, when the meal has finished and it’s time to sleep everyone should recline so nobody is losing space. It’s not your fault he’s tall. Any other time I wouldn’t do it.

I'd have reclined and I wouldn't have given him the 30 minutes extra either.

His option is to recline too which would give him more room or pay to book a seat with more legroom.

Neither of which is your problem.

Certainly not unreasonable on night flight, that's the whole point of reclining seats to enable people to sleep. Everyone gets to recline (unless you're unlucky to be in the back seats, a mistake I've made in the past and never again).

Being able to recline a couple of inches is the difference between me being able to sleep and not - I don't know what it is but my body will not let me sleep unless I'm slightly off vertical!

You reclining wouldn't have affected his legroom anyway!

This happened to me. I wanted to sleep, it was 1am and twice I tried to recline the man behind pushed it back towards me.

I didn't engage with him and got the air steward to speak to him.

On an overnight flight you were absolutely not unreasonable to recline.

He was completely out of order asking you not to. The recline function is there for everyone equally. It does not depend on who is sitting behind you, how tall the respective parties are, what sex they are etc.

If the function is there, everyone can use it. If no one can use it, it shouldn’t be there.

No one should have to book their seat wondering if they’ll be able to use the seat they’ve booked full or if a tall man (lord save us from tall men and their eternal special pleading for absolutely everything their own way) is behind you.

I’ve also just got off a 10 hour overnight flight and did recline my seat, even though I never normally do.

It was time for an everyone to sleep so felt reasonable to, even though I don’t usually.

I wouldn’t do it, because I would consider the person behind me, and not want to encroach on their space (ie. It’s NOT YOUR SPACE).

As far as I'm concerned, if airlines provide reclining seats, then it's fine for people to recline them. Except, of course, at take off/landing and when meals are being served, when the cabin crew will tell people to keep them upright in any case.

If people are offended by others reclining their seats when it is permitted by the airline for them to do so, then they need to pay for business class or premium economy. I will recline my seat if I want to, and I know that the airline staff will back me up on that decision if challenged.

I hate people reclining into my space. I don’t sleep on planes and it’s super annoying to be unable to use my tray table and stare at the top of someone’s head. But I’m well aware I can get unlucky on any flight and I’d never complain about it.

Very true and debated at least once a month. It’s like the parent and child parking threads!

The ideal thing, to put an end to eternal seat back wars, would be to make the seats slide forward a bit to recline, thereby taking the recliners own space when they choose to do so.

Thereby everyone would be equally free to recline and no one could recline their own seat whilst barring the person in front from doing so, as I’ve seen so many of these tall men try to do. So selfish!

I disagree. It is your space if the seat is designed in such a way as to allow you to recline into it.

On a 10 hour overnight flight from, say, LA, which I do a couple of times a year, they serve food, clear away and then the lights dim. At that point I would say the vast majority of the flight reclines their seat, even if they are just watching TV. 🤷‍♀️ Totally reasonable and expected.

I usually recline when the person in front of me reclines.

It is likely to be 50-50 responses. Everyone wants to recline on a long flight, nobody wants the seat in front of them reclining until they are ready.

Flights should put an announcement over the tannoy to say “Night night everyone, time for beddybyes, all recline in 3….2….1…..GO!”

@stargirl27

I think this man needs to get himself a private jet.

Reclining your seat does not affect his leg room. It affects the angle of his tray and tv screen - nothing else. Unless you are going to drip feed and say that your sleep has a sliding function as well and you slid your seat back crushing his knees. Thought not.

If he is sooooo incredibly tall why didn’t he book and pay for extra legroom? It’s an available option for all.

I agree this is the correct approach! Just wanted to avoid his incessant tapping/getting into an argument...

Depends on the state of the socks. Though my own feet are florally fragrant, I'd suggest that a general aroma of cheese shop is not desirable within the confines of an aircraft cabin. 😀🧦👟👞👠🤢🧀✈️

They cram the seats in too close together to get as many people in as possible, so it’s the design of the plane not the fault of the passengers.

The seats recline, you are allowed to recline. For those who don't like it or claim it should never be done then you'd better pay extra for business class. I never knew this was an issue before I came on MN. I always recline and so does the person in front of me. Never been an issue.

I fly reasonably frequently in economy on long-haul for family visits. I keep my seat up while everyone is eating but otherwise I think it is up to you when you recline. In practice it makes no difference to foot space and marginally impacts on other space. No big really.