Originally Posted by PTravel

I don't want this to get heated (and I promise I'll stay civil ), but I really would like to know the answer to this:

How is the situation for a tall person who doesn't have room for his knees without requiring the person in front to refrain from reclining any different from the customer of size who doesn't have room for his torso without requiring the person next to him to have the arm rest raised?

If, in fact, the recline space is "shared space" (and I don't agree that it is -- this is just for the sake of argument), so is the arm rest. I haven't ever seen anyone suggest that it's rude or inconsiderate for someone to insist that the arm rest stay down -- in fact, quite the contrary, insisting that the arm rest remain down is the response of choice of FTers to a COS.

I'd really like to know the difference because, to be honest, I don't see any between having someone's torso in my side or someone's knees in my back. Blame the airline if you will, but if you don't fit comfortably in a standard seat, then why shouldn't you be expected to book a seat in which you do? For COS, that means F or 2 seats. For a COH (Customer of Height?), that means F, a bulkhead, an exit row, E+ or buy the seat in front of you.

I'm not a tall person (I'm 5'-8"). When I go to the theater, I don't get to require that the tall person seated in front of me scrunch down so that I can more comfortably view the play. Why does that same tall person get to make me be uncomfortable on an aircraft by requiring that I not recline?