Seat Kickers
 

Hello,

The infant thread reminded me of an annoying experience. It seems for a 6 week stretch from LAX to SFO, I always had a kid behind me and would kick my chair. Depending how bad, I would mention it to their parents. Some parents tried to do something, some would deny it. At some some point they gave up trying to stop their kids. Funny, eh?

On another note, who has the right to the back of you seat? I believe since anything affecting the back of your seat affects you, that it belongs to you. I remember a flight to Europe in coach where the woman behind me propped her legs up against the back of my seat (not a big deal), but she kept moving and moving trying to find a comfortable position, which kept me from sleeping. I got fed up and moved my seat forward causing her legs to slide off, and she screamed "sh*t!". So who owns the back of your seat?

Richard

I'll guess at a fair rule: you have a right not have your seatback bumped or moved as long as it is not reclined into someone else's knees or lap. I make a point of shifting my legs and knees around alot if the person in front of me is inconsiderate of my long legs.

I'd say your freedom ends where the other person's begins and vice-versa. If reclining your seat is going to impinge upon the person behind you, then you shouldn't recline. Similarly, if you're not reclined, then the person behind you should not be hitting/kicking/resting upon/bumping your seatback.

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Time..... is on my side.

But I think you should be able to recline and consider the back of the seat yours. If you were not allowed to recline, then the seats should not be reclinable.

Richard

Hi Richard,

I think we've all had the problem with seat kickers. I normally try to be nice at first and then resort to other tactics like you did or utilising the FA.

Another problem I have had a few times (mind you only in Economy), is where people behind tap you on the shoulder or ask the FA to ask me if I could put my seat back up. Some FA's are great and tell them straight that it is not possible, others look at me and somewhat expect me to put the seat back because the passenger behind is usually older than I am, but I don't care I've paid for my seat. Fair enough if it is dinner time but not at any other stage. One guy had the cheek to say that I should put my seat up because he had long legs and it was uncomfortable for him, not my problem you should have got a seat with better leg room or gone business class.

Whilst ever there is a recline button on my seat, I will fully recline my seat.

Soapbox rant over.

Cheers,
Rich

As a interessting observer, I watched last week on a flight from Nice to Munich that a guy came to his seat, unfortunately the seats were taken buy a couple with a toddler on the hips, who had now own seat (cheaper!). No big deal, they were in the wrong aile, the original seats of the couple was one row infront so he said keep your seats ill just take yours. The drawback was that the child started to kick seat and other things. I thought how would I react?

Always resist on your original seats.

Paul

Richard and Richard: Get used to having your seat bumped. You have no compassion for your fellow man http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

But in the situation originally described by Richard4009, the woman sitting behind him evidently became upset when he put his seat forward. So, if you will indulge me this extrapolation, wouldn't it stand to reason that he should then be forced to put his seat BACK? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Dhacker,

LOL. I think I have plenty of compassion for my fellow man and have moved seats before to accommodate people, etc. Just commenting on when people seem to forget that you have rights also. I was raised to respect other people's rights, not saying that anyone who disagrees with me does not respect other people's rights. I am just curious how people, like the guy who has long legs and therefore should be allowed to ask the person in front of him to recline the chair forward, feel ok about the things they do. That is all.

Kids are kids and are gonna do kid things. I know flying is difficult and can be miserable at times, but does that mean in order for you to be comfortable you must step on the rights of others? And is your comfort so much more important than another person's comfort? What little there is in coach.

I am thankful to be 1K now, but I know that will not keep me out of coach. Plus, this topic is just for conversation. Luckily, I have not had any seat kickers in a while. Hehe.

Richard

I hate it when the person in front of me reclines their seat in coach, therefore I do not recline my seat when I am in coach if someone is behind me ...

Something about the old golden rule ... do unto others ...

I firmly believe that you deserve to enjoy all of the space you pay for. You pay for the seat, the area in front of it where your feet go. And you pay for the sliver of room that encompasses the recline of the seat. If somebody in front of you reclines, you should recline your own seat -- then you have more room. If you sat in a row that doesn't recline for one of many reasons, then you are out of luck and will hopefully learn to insist on being seated in a reclining row in the future.

Of course, if somebody asks you politely to un-recline, you may choose to do so. I always have handy excuses for various requests, such as:

If they ask you to un-recline, tell them you have a back problem.

If they ask you for your window seat, tell them that you are claustrophobic and need the view, otherwise you'll freak out (they won't want that).

If they ask you to switch meals, tell them you have a special dietary/medical reason for eating that meal.

If they try to put stuff under the seat in front of you (i.e. where your feet go), tell them you have a knee problem and need to stretch out.

Again, if they ask nicely and it's not too much of an imposition, you can always grant your request -- but it's best to have your ammunition at the ready if you don't want to grant that request.

As for seat kickers, tell the parents that you would appreciate if they could ask their child to stop. If the kid persists, tell them that you've been flying since yesterday morning (having come from some far-flung place) and you are really trying to sleep. Then, they become the bad guy, not you.

Richard - Reclining your seat until it
causes me pain (or maybe economy class syndrome) is not a right.

Haven't you ever been stuck in the row in front of the exit row? Or the last row? These seats don't recline at all while the seats in front of them do. If reclining were a right, all seats would recline.

What you have a right to is a seat and transportation to your destination. By the same token, I have no right not to be reclined on. I just have a right to expect and hope for a little understanding from people.

For what it's worth, most FA's will ask someone to unrecline without hesitation, at least at meal time.

And if you are crushing my knees, you are going to feel it every time I move, it's just the physics of the situation. And I'm sure you wouldn't deny that I have a right to move my legs as much as I want.

[This message has been edited by dhacker (edited 01-08-2001).]

I never recline my seat during meal service.When I do recline my seat, I only recline it partially. One of my favorites is when the person seated behind me wants to get up and grabs onto the top of my seat and pulls it back as some sort of aid to stand up causing my head and neck to snap back and forth.

I like PremEx2000's ideas. . . sometimes a little white lie is the best way to handle any situation.

Thanks for sharing them with us . . . I'll have them at the ready when I fly next.

Regards,
-levi aka eastwest

It's even better when they manage to grab a chunk of hair at the same time. Ouch.