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.

For overnight flights where everyone reclines.

You don’t recline the seat until after the meal service. Basic etiquette. And sounds like DS slept well regardless of seat position so it wasn’t even necessary for him to nap.

Your DH should have put the seat up fully when drinks were served, but otherwise I don't think people are arseholes for reclining seats on a long flight.

This is one of the great mysteries of air travel. Planes all have reclining seats but woe betide anyone actually using them.

I am going to go against the grain and say she was rude, and I applaud your DH’s level of pettiness.

You should really only be reclining during an overnight flight, and even then after the meal service.

It was absolutely 100% on your arrogant, ignorant twat of a DH. Your DS was clearly oblivious to the seat position.

It is horrible being behind a reclined aircraft seat, especially if in economy, because you can't put your tray fully down, it is shoved against you and your drinks and food become a problem. Very uncomfortable.

This is why many airlines now have fixed position seats in their economy class. Especially the no-frills airlines.

He said DS would wake up with a stiff neck otherwise

You didn't say what time of day but if it was a day flight not reasonable to recline it at all. Not reasonable to recline it right away as drinks/food service is always fairly soon after take off so you gain little by doing it. No need to recline for a 4 year old at all as they can sleep upright or across you.

Just possibly reasonable to recline after the service but still unnecessary.

Your DH comes out of this looking 10 times worse than the other passenger.

Your DH is an annoying tosser.

Early morning

As pps have said
your dh is a
bellend
arshole
arrogant twat
annoying tosser ( personal favourite)
and the lovely posters who are so kind to just call him unreasonable

Hate being behind utter selfish idiots like your dh

But you are also unreasonable too OP
Why didn’t you just put the seat up yourself ?!

To be clear, the reason your DH was the idiot was not because of the reclined seat, but because...

• he reclined it during the drinks service
• he refused to follow the instructions of the air steward.

Absolute dick move to fully recline seat before drinks and food has been served. After that, have at it, it’s basic flight etiquette.

If someone reclined their seat into my space at the very beginning of a 7 hour flight, I’d cry.

Your DH is a dick.

Perhaps she couldn't if her DS was seated on the other side of her DH from her, so she would have had to have leant across him first?

She doesn't say, but that's my guess.

Exactly what I was going to say.
However, swearing around your child by other couple is not acceptable and I would have asked them to moderate their language.

A 4 year old doesn't need to have their seat reclined. Your DH is a nob.

Yeah your "D"H was winding them up.

All on DH. It's horrible having the seat in front practically in your lap.

Out of thoughtfulness for others, I tend not to recline my seat. But your DH was fully entitled to recline. I mean, reclining is an option on a flight.
Flying comes with so much discomfort which most of us shrug off. I mean, it was a 7 hour flight, not a life sentence. I understand the woman’s annoyance but I don’t think it was worth the confrontation. Both your DH and the woman could have done better.

It seems OP trusts the judgement of her dh too much
When asked why he didn’t put the seat up she said her dh said he would get a stiff neck
not
she thought her ds would get a stiff neck

Time for OP to step up me thinks
lean across if she has to and do the right thing
Time to ignore her thoroughly unreasonable and entitled dh

I would ban him from the airline on the grounds that he didn’t obey an instruction from the steward.

If the air steward told him to put it up then he should but honestly, what's the point of reclining seats if you're not allowed to recline them. Overall, I think she was the most unreasonable.

Completely selfish.