Angry woman on plane, Was we BU?

[Raynaud]

7 hour flight with DH and DS(4). As soon as seatbelt lights went off DH fully reclined exhausted DSs seat so he could sleep. The woman behind snapped at DH to put the seat back up as drinks would be coming around soon. DH said no as drinks currently not being served. She called him a selfish twat to her OH.
Drinks/snacks start coming around. Woman tells DH to put the seat back up. DH put the seat back up half way so to not wake DS. She tells him to put it fully up. He tells her DS is sleeping. Her OH then tells her to speak to steward which she does. Steward asks DH to put the seat back up - he tells her DS is sleeping. I tell him to just put it back up, he again says DS is sleeping. Air Steward starts getting pissed off, I snap at DH to put the bloody seat up. He does so reluctantly and DS does not wake.

Once everything is cleared away he puts the seat fully back again. The woman complains that he’s doing that out of badness because “the kid” is still asleep. Her OH confirms that yes, DH is a twat.

My take on it is that both were being unreasonable at different times. My sister however says this was all on DH.

Exactly why I would never fly economy any more - sure, fewer holidays, but I just can't stand the entitlement of these awful people with kids who think all other passengers should just put up with it.

Seats up during service until stuff is cleared away. After that reclining is absolutely reasonable and does not require the permission of the person behind.

On short haul flights, the seats don't recline because theres no need.

On long haul flights they do as there is a need for it.

I travel monthly and always recline at my leisure, as do most people around me. Nobody has ever had a problem with it and if they did I don't care for the comfort of people I don't know.

Very shocked by the responses here. I've never known people complain about this kind of thing

Yep. And the fact is it’s also standard flight policy (on every airline I’ve been on) to request passengers put their seats upright again while meals are out.

unfortunately some don’t remind passengers anymore via a scheduled announcement at meals time.

But either way that is the policy on all airlines I’ve been on, which is why the flight attendant backed the woman behind OP’s DH and also has backed me when I’ve been in her situation.

So if you don’t want to be woken up and want to sleep through meals I suggest you don’t recline @JudyMoncada

Planes are cramped. Why include reclining seats if it's not acceptable to recline them? He was being unreasonable however arguing with the air hostess. And yes, he is a nob to not put them up when food is out.

Because it's acceptable to recline them at night.

It happened to me on a 14 hour flight from Singapore 😭😭

No he wasn't - he was being a class A prick.
Using the female insult for a male is misogynistic tbh.

I've been in both situations; woman in front of me recently didn't want to raise her child's seat so I could eat. Stewardess wasn't very supportive and it was apparent she felt I was wrong. A few years ago, we reclined 2 seats on a night flight so I could get comfy with a young DS. Teen behind banged on seat, parents were rude to DH when he asked him to stop and I suggested that if their tallest child was not comfy next to the window he could have one of their 2 aisle seats, continued that I only had a small child and should be more considerate, stewardess told me I was not to recline the seats after the meal service because I was upsetting other passengers. So it appears my viewpoint is always the wrong one!

If you sit with your legs crossed it's hard to recline the seat in front, really annoys people, but even I couldn't do it for 7 hours.

Have a day off.

You can't. And if you try you're accused of damaging the seat.

They do and it was 😭😂 my experience of this was in April and I haven’t flown long haul since, but I feel like when I do I’m frequently stuck behind the person who wants to recline fully.

Although on the way there surprisingly the person in front of me was so polite. He asked if I had enough room and he only reclined a tiny bit for some of the flight, whereas the man next to me was behind someone who had fully reclined the entire journey minus the mealtimes. He was really angry about it and they exchanged words.

If I remember correctly we were in a row that couldn’t recline much if at all. I think it wasn’t the back of the plane, but it was the back of that seat section - so there was a wall behind us .

So it’s not even as if the man next to me could’ve reclined even if he wanted to.

I really don’t miss your point. You shouldn’t travel by plane if you don’t want to fall in with the accepted way that things are done on board. It’s accepted that seats are upright during the serving of refreshments. If you’re so tired that you don’t want any and think you could have fallen asleep when the crew come round to serve everyone then keep your seat up while you rest so you can carry on sleeping and the person behind can have enough space to eat and drink.

or pay for business class and recline when you want.

I’m firmly in the recline camp, but not until after food/drinks service. And not when there’s no need and you know it’s bothering the person behind you. That is proper dickhead behaviour.

This is utterly bizarre. All the responses are bizarre. What a reflection of our society. If there was a sleeping child in front of me I would not have a problem with the seat being reclined.

Seats recline for anyone who wants to recline them for whatever reason for any time of day or night. Although I think many airlines will ask you to put seat upright at mealtimes. Unless person behind you is asleep too or also recline & not bothered .

Exactly what I was about to say. Or his head on your/DH's lap.

Also who the hell says "out of badness"??

Well, if you’re trying to eat & not possible due to do so. Comfortably with seat in front reclined then I think it’s ok for airline to ask you to put seat upright at mealtimes?

No they are not bizarre. Perhaps you’re not aware but Flight policy is for seats to be upright during meals and for good reason.

It’s very difficult on some flights to get your table unfolded if someone is reclined, the reflection on society is the way the OPs husband behaved. Some people are very entitled and inconsiderate.

They are only concerned with themselves and/or their own “little family” - and to heck with anyone else. Especially if they have children.

It’s definitely became worse post pandemic.

Airplane seats are designed to recline. Once the seatbelt light is off the person in front of you has a perfect right to recline their seat until the landing lights go on. The tables are designed to go down nicely even if the seat in front is reclined, so no need to put the seat upright just because drinks are coming round. I travel a LOT and I have pretty long legs, When the person in front of me reclines their seat, it causes me no added discomfort whatsoever. Reclined or not reclined, it makes no difference. And in short everybody who moans about people reclining their seats are simply wankers looking for something to whinge about.

Maybe someone whose first language isn’t English?

Omg
Those seats are so cramped to begin with, why be bloody selfish

"It’s very difficult on some flights to get your table unfolded if someone is reclined."

I fly 20+ times a year on a wide variety of airlines and this has never been my experience.

Recline during the day in economy though? Surely you can see how unreasonable this is?