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To Recline or not Recline....in First Class??

To Recline or not Recline....in First Class??

Old Feb 6, 2015, 12:49 pm
  #1  
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To Recline or not Recline....in First Class??

sorry if covered elsewhere.
but is there any standard accepted protocol on whether or not its rude to recline in F?...strictly domestic here obviously...737/753 ilk...

at 6'4" i long ago stopped reclining in coach...and on occasion have asked the person in front of me to consider not reclining as (in e-) their seatback was already physically against my knees before reclining. but i have never asked someone in F to not recline...and not that F on a 739 is so spacious, but basically its not physically hurting me so i don't feel like its "my space" to argue about.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:01 pm
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Recline. The seat and it's functions are yours. I try not to recline during meals. If you don't want to annoy someone, sit in back row. If you don't want to be reclined into, sit in front row (of course, if the choice of seat is available).
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:01 pm
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This has been discussed many, many times. Recline if you wish.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:02 pm
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Originally Posted by pruss2ny
sorry if covered elsewhere.
but is there any standard accepted protocol on whether or not its rude to recline in F?...strictly domestic here obviously...737/753 ilk...

at 6'4" i long ago stopped reclining in coach...and on occasion have asked the person in front of me to consider not reclining as (in e-) their seatback was already physically against my knees before reclining. but i have never asked someone in F to not recline...and not that F on a 739 is so spacious, but basically its not physically hurting me so i don't feel like its "my space" to argue about.
It's been a long time since I've flown Y .... but I always am free to recline MY seat. I do so slowly, so the person behind me can adjust.

But--woe be the person who tells me I can not recline.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:03 pm
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i've been wondering more about this recently, as two of the last domestic F seats i've been on had broken recline settings. basically, if you leaned against the seat back, it would go into full recline. didn't mention it to the FAs out of fear of losing the seat! one was on a A320 and yesterdays was a 739.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:13 pm
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Originally Posted by kevinsac
It's been a long time since I've flown Y .... but I always am free to recline MY seat. I do so slowly, so the person behind me can adjust.

But--woe be the person who tells me I can not recline.
I agree with pruss2ny that I do not recline in Y (unless there is a vacant seat or a small child behind me--or unless someone in front of me reclines). But in F the situation is different. That is one of the reasons to be in F!
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:18 pm
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Originally Posted by pruss2ny
and not that F on a 739 is so spacious, but basically its not physically hurting me so i don't feel like its "my space" to argue about.
It's not your space regardless of whether it's in F or Y. @:-)
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:20 pm
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Recline. The seat and it's functions are yours. I try not to recline during meals. If you don't want to annoy someone, sit in back row. If you don't want to be reclined into, sit in front row (of course, if the choice of seat is available).
Issue with row 1 is that on many plane types the bulkhead really restricts legroom. It feels even more uncomfortable than flying E+.

I usually take the last few rows in F unless I really care about entree choice.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 1:49 pm
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Recline. Regardless of class.

I wouldnt expect the person in front of me not to recline.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 2:06 pm
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Perhaps being of a certain height gives one a different perspective...
I'm 6'5". I do not recline in coach, even though it might be more comfortable for me, because I am aware of what it might do to the person behind.
Like OP, in E- my knees are already against the seat in front of me. I can potentially get them out of the way by contorting the rest of my body. But a sudden recline causes great pain. And the ability to heal quickly seems to decline with each passing year.

Back on point: In First, I generally only recline if I am going to try to sleep, unless I am in the last row. It may not ram the seat into the person behind, but it does make it harder for them to get in and out of their row.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 2:09 pm
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Recline, slowly, in F or Y.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 2:11 pm
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UA to start selling reclining seats at a Premium!

UA's next step in turning the passengers upside down and shaking every penny from their pockets is to sell reclining seats at a premium (throughout the aircraft). You will not be able to sit there unless you paid the premium.

Perhaps there will be a special card you are given to slide into a slot to unlock the reclining feature. The card is only good for 1/2 that segment.
(like the key cards one gets at hotels). A warning flashing light and beep will go off 15 minutes before your time is up at which point the seat will spring back quickly to an upright position, regardless of whether you are awake. So be sure to keep your seat belt fastened when using this feature.

You can update the card for the second half of the segment by ringing the call button for the FA who will stop serving drinks to come swipe your credit card.

Also, UA will sell recline-free seats at a premium. The seat in front of a person will not be able to recline.

However, for a discounted price, one can buy a year-long subscription for either feature.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 3:38 pm
  #13  
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While the OP refers to UA aircraft, this is more of a "general seat recline etiquette" question, so I'm going to move this thread to TravelBuzz where there is a lengthy discussion on this subject

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Old Feb 6, 2015, 3:47 pm
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My $0.02: I do not believe is it poor etiquette to slowly recline in narrowbody F. I usually do it, and I do not object if the passenger in front of me does it.

I consider it one of the benefits of F. I'm 6'4", and I can't recall any discomfort from the person in front of me reclining. There are some old-style long-haul J configurations where it gets a little tight when everyone reclines, but it's still okay: you just shimmy out of the seat if necessary; I completely expect that everyone will recline.

I don't do it in Y except in the specific cases where (a) everyone is doing it or (b) there's no one behind me.
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Old Feb 6, 2015, 4:09 pm
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These threads are crazy. The seats ste built with recline to make it more comfortable, F,C or Y, the principle is the same. Id never dream of asking the person behind me if its ok to recline, same as i wouldn't expect someone in front of me to ask. If you feel reclining is out of order, fly Easyjet or Ryanair.
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