cestmoi123

In coach, generally, yes. Not in first. Plenty of room.

TheHorta

Delta flies from MSY to LAX?

TheHorta

Seriously? Maybe in D1, but not on a 757 or smaller. I always (politely) request the person in front of me to put their seatback up while I'm eating. It is very difficult otherwise. Also, I always notify the person behind me when I recline, just to give them a heads-up so I don't mess with their laptop / drink / etc.

Common sense ain't so common, and neither apparently is common courtesy, unfortunately.

theddo

It is good that you realize when you are inconsiderate towards others, and I'm happy you saw the errors of your way and changed.

ijgordon

Ugh, another thread on this only a few days after the last one?

Seat recline etiquette— is there such a thing?

cestmoi123

I have no problem eating or working in any DL first class seat with the person in front of me reclined. It would never occur to me to be so discourteous as to attempt to deny the person in front of me the use of their seat. Apparently, some don't have the same consideration for others.

cestmoi123

Yup. Three nonstops a day. 38" pitch in First.

TheHorta

There are people who actually deny others the use of their seat? No one has ever told me that I can't sit in my assigned seat. When couples are divided, I have been asked if I would be willing to swap with one of them so they can fly together, to which I have always been amenable, but I have never been denied a seat.

I'm 6'3" 280 pounds and build like a barrel-chested meat packing plant, so I barely fit into many FC seats as it is. When a person reclines, there is often only 8-12 inches between the back of their seat and my chest. It makes eating very difficult, so I will politely request that they not recline fully during the meal. After that, knock yourself out (though a common-courtesy glance back to be sure you're not going to cause any harm to the pax behind you would seem to be the basically decent thing to do).

That's OK though if they don't. I deal with the entitled and self-important all day long, so I brush it off as normal behavior and the proverbial "sign of the times."

BigFlyer

Just flew Easyjet. The seats don't recline. Made for a very comfortable flight.

hockeystl

overdahill

This person deserves to have six 250lb passengers sit in their lap since nothing is theirs. The height of arrogance! There are only two solutions that seem proper
(unless some creative person offers more) and that is to either eliminate all reclining or add more space. Or split the difference. Or charge for reclining.
Aha,,,that is it. Charge 50$ to recline.$25 goes to passenger behind you. Damages.....

cestmoi123

Much better option - if a passenger A wants to limit the designed function of passenger B's seat, passenger A can offer to compensate passenger B for the inconvenience. Much the same as if passenger A wanted passenger B to swap from an aisle to a middle seat so passenger A could sit next to a travel companion.

shipitfish

FWIW, when I carried a larger laptop for which the screen could be cracked, I informed the PAX in front of me that I needed warning before recline. Only about half did it. During that time, I started putting my hand in between the laptop and the screen unless I was outright typing with both hands just so I'd get an extra bit of warning. I was amazed that people weren't willing to warn even when I asked and explained why I needed warning.

The thing that bothers me, though, is that people will leave the recline down even when they are up and walking about. How lazy can you be that you can't put your seat upright before you walk around.

I have no qualms about reaching up and hitting the button when there is no one in the seat in front of him, although I had a pax once tell me I had no right to put her seat up while she was gone after she took a 15 minute excursion away from her seat.

Orange County Commuter

I have been thinking about this.....

We have 88 posts on this and almost all of them claim to be models of polite society where they always ask before they recline etc....

I have 2 million miles on Delta.

I have NEVER been asked by the person in front of me if it's OK if the seat reclines. As a general rule in First I often notice that as soon as the FA is out of the line of sight the seats go back, well before the plane is fully in the air.

I honestly cannot recall ever noticing anyone around me ask anyone else if it's OK if they recline their seat.

I can recall some "entitled" people demanding that other's not recline their seats while the "entitled" slammed their seat back into the person behind them with as much force as possible (Hint repeatedly slamming the seat back doesn't increase the recline)

So either the posters on here are a huge minority or some of us aren't telling the truth.

I honestly admit I don't ask before I recline. I do check to see what's going on behind me, but it's generally not an issue as I don't like the seat all the way back anyway.

hotturnip

This. total agreement.