I am 6'4" and almost never have a problem with people reclining (when the tray table is out it can be a bit of a problem if they move their seat up and down allot). However, I fly almost exclusively BA biz and coach. In BA coach I am easily able to extend my legs under the reclining seat back so that my knees are not up against it(only problem sometimes is the pax in front has stuffed a huge carry on way back under the seat in front of me AND is reclining leaving my legs no escape). In this situation I just don't feel that I am seriously inconveniencing anyone by reclining all the way as my own legs are not up against the seat in front of me (assuming they are not 7' tall or something and ofcourse the tray table caveat). Obviously when I am packed in tighter than any sardine deserves it is a different story.

For transat flights for the big and tall I recommend BA whole heatedly (at least an aisle or window seat at any rate, center seats are killers). Also I hear that they are coming out with premium economy for people who want that bit more room but can't afford Biz class fares, still they are more expensive than regular coach. Any airline suggestions for the big and tall for domestic coach travel? Wasn't an airline recently running ads where they were throwing rows of seats out of their plane to promote the extra space they were adding?