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Original poster

Economy class plane seats should not recline!

38 replies

hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:21

That is my thought after travelling home from Florida on Tuesday/Wednesday.

We flew Virgin but even so the leg room is still pants. On the whole most people were really considerate and few reclined there seats. So why did me, Dha nd DD get the obe family that decided that there seats had tp be reclined the whole journey home?! Argh!!!

Dh is 6 feet1. The bloke in front tried to recline but got fed up with DH's knees jammed in his backhe did sit it back up again soon after. However his two young children "had" to have their seats reclines as far as possible the whole journey - only sat up when asked to for meal time and when take off/landing by air hostess. I spent the whole journey feeling cramped and claustrophic. I couldn't watch Tv properly as my screen was so close to my face and at a funny angle. I couldn't do my puzzle book/sudoku as I couldn't lean over the tray to write. DD struggled to be able to sit on my lap for sleepy cuddles. It was a real PITA!

Why?! It is so unneccesary and so inconsiderate when room is so limited anyway.

I really think it should not be possible to recline seats right back in economy when leg room is so small. You should have to pay more to go into premium class or higher to get that privledge!!!

Rant over - my legs are no fully stretched and uncramped again

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Earlybird · 30/06/2006 21:29

Sounds dreadful. We are due to fly longhaul in about 3 weeks. It occurred to me recently that all stats say the population is more obese than ever before, and there is also all the research on the dangers of DVT. But yet, still the airlines make the seats smaller, leg room less and seat pitch less in order to fit more bodies into the same space.....and the days of having empty seats on the plane are long gone. Seems to me that planes are flying at close to full capacity most every flight now. Flying economy really is flying cattle class.....remember when it was actually a pleasure to fly?

Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:30

I am quite lucky as I am only 5 feet, but for Dh is a pain - he always goes for an ailse seat. But even being short I still found it really closed in, especially as - being a night flight - it was also dark and quiet.

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CountessDracula · 30/06/2006 21:32

You are bonkers flying virgin, they have the WORST seat pitch

Fly AA next time much more civilised

SoupDragon · 30/06/2006 21:32

Er... on a night flight most people like to recline theor seat to sleep.

Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:35

Soupdragon - that was not our experience at all. This family was in the monority. I know this as I spent a fair bit of time walking up and down the ailses trying to escape my closed in space. It was only a 7 hour flight, not massively long. The most others had done is knocked the chair onto the first setting - very slightly reclined. Many had left their chairs upright. Others managed to sleep happily this way. DD slept perfectly well unreclined, just using pillows and the arm rest. I slept unreclined with pillows and leaning ont he head rest.

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Beauregard · 30/06/2006 21:35

This reminds me of the only time i have ever flown(1993)
on return flight from mainland greece(approx 3hrs)the petite greek girl sat in front of me decides to recline her seat right back(selfish cow)as you can tell i was not amused as i am 6ft2.
The bloke behind me and dp was taller than me so no way could i recline mine.I had to sit like that all the way back,dont know why i didn't complain to the crew?(i was only 17)

moondog · 30/06/2006 21:37

There is an item called the 'Knee Defender'(much praised in the Telegraph Travel section) which you can discreetly clip to the back of the seat in front to stop it reclining.
Just a thought Hula,but did you actually ask them not to recline???

Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:37

CD - didn't know that about Virgin. Know now!

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SoupDragon · 30/06/2006 21:37

Have flown long haul night flights many a time and it's been standard practice to recline.

Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:38

moondog - they didn't ask. I did ask them to sit the chair up whilst DD ate - she had slept during meal time and had had her meal saved for her. The father grutnted and sat it up slightly, not fully and the second the tray went back to the hostess it was put back down again - even though his daughter had been asleep mor eupright happily before hand.

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Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:39

I can't remember from other long hauls - probably blocked memory out! I just find it very inconsiderate, especuially to do it without asking.

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Earlybird · 30/06/2006 21:42

I imagine some people think that if it wasn't OK to recline, the airline wouldn't give the seats that function.

I wonder if the people sitting in front of them reclined seats so that they could experience just how uncomfortable it is....

moondog · 30/06/2006 21:56

Yes,good point EB.
They should just have fixed ones.
I fly a lot, back and forth from far east of Turkey (min. of three flights each leg)alone with a 5 year old and a 1 year old on my lap and it is grim.

I once read it would be illegal to transport animals packed as closely together as humans are.

Gem13 · 30/06/2006 21:57

IME everyone reclines. It's more comfortable when not eating, especially for sleeping. I like to think I'm polite but I wouldn't think of asking before reclining my seat. I would put it up for meals though and I would ask the person in front to do the same.

The issue is not with the recline it's with the seat pitch - it's ridiculously tiny. But this is what we get for being able to afford to fly off on holiday.

When we went to the US to visit family in 1979 (Laker - the only way my parents could afford it) it was thought to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I had to give my class a talk about the trip.

I'm not disagreeing with you but air travel now is like bus travel. Uncomfortable but you get to your destination and usually pretty cheaply.

Original poster
hulababy · 30/06/2006 21:58

Definitely gets my vote for fixed seats.

Air travel is just pants full stop I think. Maybe I need an upgrade to research if it is any better.

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moondog · 30/06/2006 22:03

I think it's a bad idea to fly business or first class unless you can afford it every time (or will die imminently).
How depressing would it be fgs to schlep back onto Sleazyjet after having experienced the whole cocktail bar/fresh orchid/wine in a big glass bottle swathed in crisp napkin folderol?????

nzshar · 30/06/2006 22:07

There is absolutely no way i would cope without reclining when going back to NZ which i have done serveral times in the past 12 years

CountessDracula · 30/06/2006 23:36

AHEM Hula

Can you just check my comment here you so did know!!!

warthog · 30/06/2006 23:36

whenever i've been on a longhaul flight, everyone's reclined their seat. you have to recline in order not to have your nose touching the seat in front no?

i HATE flying. had a long haul flight when i was 7 months pregnant so decided to fly premium economy. what a joke. no space, and can't lift up the arm rests!!! so when i went on my walk through economy i was totally mad to find it half empty and people stretched across 4 seats. looked in vain for a couple to settle down on but they were all taken. shuffled back to my vastly overpriced, cramped, uncomfortable instrument of torture.

CountessDracula · 30/06/2006 23:36

Also I have been on a billion and one long haul flights and everyone always reclines, sorry!

SoupDragon · 01/07/2006 08:20

I would be seriously p-ed off if someone used one of those "knee defender" things. If someone handed me one of those little cards that come with it I'd probably tell them to shove it, and theory plastic widget, somewhere inappropriate. Putting one of those on someone else's seat is rude beyond belief.

It's not like people are reclining their seat just to annoy you is it?! They're reclining it, as it is designed to be reclined, to be more comfortable!

moondog · 01/07/2006 08:23

lol
Yes,one can imagine huge punch up breaking out over the Azores. Tiny breadrolls flung and headphones being put to use as garottes,that sort of thing.

2ManyPimms · 01/07/2006 08:30

Great. So people who aren't vertially endowed should suffer by sitting upright for a 7+ hour (possibly overnight) flight just because your DH is 6'1" and can't cope with reclining seats?

Fly business or quit whinging.

moondog · 01/07/2006 08:32

lol

tallulah · 01/07/2006 09:57

On our last longhaul we were sat only one row back from the bulkhead so the people in front had acres of room in front of them, but they still had to recline. They were a PITA all journey, up and down nonstop to the overhead lockers. We did laugh when the stewardess told them off because they had emptied all the safety info etc out of the seat pockets and put it in the lockers so they could put their own stuff in there

The other thing I hate about longhaul is the kick kick kick on the back of your seat from the child behind..