I'm at least 6' 4", depending on whether I'm wearing boots. I always ask the person behind me prior to reclining. At least it gives them fair warning that something is about to happen.

Now that 'moving around the cabin' is restricted, I'm worrying about the health of my legs, but that's another subject all together.

Parents who can't control their children in an airplane are in for a very bumpy ride as the children become teens.

Seinfeld reruns!!! We ARE back to normal!

For those not of the 'live and let live' attitude to inconsiderate shorthaul seat recliners, I have witnessed the perfect retaliaton:

THE SNEEZE!!!

If one is looking for an effective way to remind someone that they have just stuffed the back of their head into the space six inches from your nose, there is nothing like a blast of dewdrops onto their pate to make them think a bit more carefully. Works particularly well for baldies! It certainly made the seat shoot back upright here anyway.

For the record, I was a(n) (amused) witness here, not the avenger.

I also have been annoyed by the person who put their seat back as soon as the flight begins. On one recent flight I asked the person ahead of me if he would just put his seat up for the meal. He smiled and said "sure". As I finished my meal I let him know I was through and it would not bother me if he put the seat back. A little tact and cooperation go a long way.

My husband once grabbed a child's foot after being kicked. The child's parents noticed and the kicking stopped.

I must say I am not on the score a nice person. I have to fly LHR-NYC on a regular basis in coach. I always have the exit row at the front of coach, and on the daylight trip I dont recline as I tend to work. On the night flight back though I tend to take a good swig of NiQil along with a alrge glass of Jamesons Whiskey. As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, I recline the seat and pass out.

Someone decided to wake me to say they wanted to eat. Now what do you do, I need sleep, you want food. I figure you can work when hungry but not asleep. I urged them ti take it up with the airline as I did not fit the seats and make them so cramped.

Sorry

Seems like asking nicely first to stop kicking, sneezing, window shades up/down, and all the other irritating items rather than potentially causing injury by moving seats, spreading body fluids or other similar responses, would be a better way. The irritator may be from ignorance but some of the responses are just plain mean and worse than the original behavior - IMO.

I'll be the one asking the FA for pepper. Nothing can ruin a trip more than the person in front of you reclining the seat without reason, just because it is their "right." I've seen children imitating their parents in reclining and the parents say nothing. I've even seen people recline the empty seat next to them! These people are not blind, they can see the shortage of space between seats - they aren't ignorant, they just could give a ****.

For these people I make it quite clear that there is someone very close behind them. If not a seat kicker, I am a tray overuser - probably the worst they ever imagined. But hey, they should understand, after all its my "right" to use the tray, just like its their "right" to recline the seat.

And, forget just using the tray for eating, the jerky movements from re-adjusting my book and my elbows, as I lean both on the tray, is very sporadic, not coming at regular intervals. Just when they begin to relax ...

As for me, it doesn't take much effort, I enjoy reading during my flights, and leaning forward on the tray is actually quite comfortable.

Of course, I would never dream of reading this way on the trayback of someone in front of me who was being considerate. If someone said something like, "I'm so tired, would you mind if I reclined my seat?" Heck, not only wouldn't I mind, I would be revitalized to know such people existed, gleefully responding, "Please do!"

I continue to be astonished that there are frequent flyers who think they have a right to ask the person in front of them not to recline the seat, or who get irritated when they do.

Really, it just boggles my mind.

.....

dingo,
As a guy that has flown nonstop int'l 10 years and now mainly domestic for 7 yrs (give me int'l please!) I agree with you. Never agree with slapping a child across the face. If the age is 4 or older, a little discipline said under a low voice is appropriate, then a little walk to the restroom for a more firm discussion is reasonable. But this assumes parents that care, that are consistent and kids with no serious behavioural problems. Under 4 yrs old, that's pretty much up to the kid and I've seen great parents with a small child under stress have a tough time. I always go out of my way to stop working, talk to the parents, make faces etc and talk to the child. 80% of the time it works.

Our son traveled from Europe to N America and N America to Asia several times before the age of two. Thankfully he is the perfect traveler, never once crying, even as a baby. We were very lucky, and I understand that!

As for adults slamming their seat back into my knees - three words: knees, kidney, pain.
Inconsiderate people that slam their seats back deserve a nice knee to the kidney and I never let an opportunity pass. Moving back slowly until I am trapped and in pain is the airline's fault - slamming back to smash my patella is a sign of absolute disregard for anyone else's space or feelings. Hence my stoneman's response. They are lucky it is not a club across their skull!

QuietLion,
Do you have a physical disability that requires you to recline? I am between 6'4" and 6'5" and never have a problem riding 3-4 hours with my seat upright. I am astonished with people that never sit in a LazyBoy recliner jump into a cheap airline seat and slam it back like they are in heaven. I've come close to putting a few of them a little closer with my knees in their kidneys!

QuietLion,
Do you have a physical disability that requires you to recline? I am between 6'4" and 6'5" and never have a problem riding 3-4 hours with my seat upright. I am astonished with people that never sit in a LazyBoy recliner who jump into a cheap airline seat and slam it back like they are in heaven. I've come close to putting a few of them a little closer with my knees in their kidneys!

......

I have a back problem that is exacerbated on long flights regardless of the degree of inclination of the seat, but I've found that generally a slight to medium reclination, alternated occasionally, helps relieve the pain. However, there's more room in business class and generally most people recline, so it's not as much of an issue as coach. But regardless of seat location, I always politely check with the person behind me if it won't bother them, and I have yet to have anyone tell me that it does. I don't recline during meals, though, until I know the person behind me is finished. Simple courtesy.

Adult seat-kickers, however, do drive me nuts. Screaming babies can't help themselves, but 'growed' people should know better. Just when I'm ready to say something, it always seems they stop long enough for the moment to be lost.

I sometimes think that these kind of things are due in some part to the lack of simple understanding of how these seemingly minor annoyances make a major impact on the comfort and relaxation on a flight. It would be interesting to see what affect there would be, if any, if airlines did one or all of the following to help eliminate these problems, or at least make people aware:

1 - put a 'Courtesies in the Air' flier in
every ticket package - maybe Miss
Manners could write it

2 - include a few remarks in the canned
pre-flight talk about this

3 - for longer flights with large video
screens, run a segment on this

At the very least, it would put rude people on notice that people around them are aware of these common courtesies and expect to be treated as fellow companions, not as strangers whom you shouldn't care about - especially now. For those who didn't even think about this (first time fliers for one), it would help them learn this - it's not obvious to everyone.

More now than ever, we're all in it together, so what's the harm in trying to cut down on the incivility shown to each other?

Not at all. I just like to be comfortable. That's the purpose of the reclining seat, isn't it?

Obviously one should be aware of potential collisions with the occupant of the seat to the rear. And if there is someone behind who physically takes up so much space that reclining is impossible without crushing him I suppose allowances have to be made. I would grumble about it though. It's the dang airlines' fault for putting the seats so close together anyway.