Before MRTC on AA, this is why I would upgrade at every opportunity...

On a normal 31" pitch seat, if the person in front of me reclines, my knees are going to get it if I don't happen to be looking when it happens. If I know about it, I can make sure that my legs are fully extended.

All I ask for is:

1. Recline your seat S L O W L Y. Give me a second to react before putting it down all the way. If you are thoughtful about it, I'll try hard not to grab the seatback when I get out, although sometimes if somebody is next to me it's difficult.
2. Please don't recline too much during a meal. If you shove my tray into my stomach, geometry means that I now cannot cut my food - because I can only eat with my aisle hand if I don't want to smack the person next to me in the face with my elbow.
3. If you're not asleep, please lift your recline for a second when I come back from the restroom. And in return I'll try not to get out of my seat more than once every couple of hours. Otherwise, I'll bounce in and out of the seat all night (which is definitely my right as long as the seat belt sign is not illuminated...)

One partial solution for #3 is for the airlines to let the aisle armrest swing up. NW had that on its DC-10s on the outside aisles, and that really made a difference.

Oh and FAs - if you see somebody who is so tall that the headrest of the seat is going into their shoulder blades, please be careful when you take the trolley past them....

I had a recent experience on Continental (of course, this could happen on any airline, and has!) with the seats in coach. I am a six foot lady with long legs. I always try to get the exit row, but it's not always possible.

I was moving around trying to get comfortable and asked the man in front of me if he could feel my knees in his seat and he said no. Then after the plane had leveled off, the man in front of me reclined his seat all the way and I thought "there's no way I can stand this". I was able to get an empty seat on the exit row and spent the rest of the flight in comfort!

If you're thinking, why doesn't she buy a first class ticket, I am divorced and on a tight budget. But I figure that the discomfort for my long legs is a small price to pay for getting to my destination so much quicker than driving!

So, Saturday night, I'm on UA323 from ORD-IAH in F and no less than an SA gives me the worst of the recline situtations.

The second her tray is taken away she slams that seat back all the way as fast and as hard as she can, jamming my tray under her seat.

When the FA comes to take my tray I just say "Good Luck!" She gets the woman to lean her seat forward for me to extricate my tray, but she does the same **** thing again immediately after it's removed.

My knees have no where to go, so I keep shifting them to find a comfortable position (not intentionally kicking yet), and she gives me the little over the shoulder glance. After a minute of this, I try the Air Conditioning Vent trick I learned above, but this doesn't faze her.

I couldn't decide if I was actually prepared to go all the way with the sneeze, but a few more agressive moves of my knees finally gets the question "Do you have enough room back there?" to which I reply that "Actually, No, it's awfully cramped back here."

I couldn't beleive that even in F, and with a United employee, I still get this classless flinging back of the chair with no regard for anyone else.

It boggles my mind.

[This message has been edited by robb (edited 11-19-2001).]

This thread is like a commercial for AA More Room in Coach! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I actually just flew my first flight with AA More Room, and it was wonderful. No knocking elbows or knees. The seat in front of me was reclined, and I didn't even notice it. It's a whole new realm of coach travel.
But for those other times in coach (like the time I braved Frontier Airlines, ugh!), seat kickers make everything miserable. But vodka makes everything better!

I was actually going to say that too! Did my first MRTC trip in AA economy a week ago (5 flights on MD-80s). Unimaginable room (well, in this day and age) with emergency exit rows having more room than in domestic FC!

Forget your current airline and go AA.