loobtastic

OOoh dear everyone is getting a bit hot about this thread.

Once the seatbelt sign goes off the passenger in front can do what they like with their seat, whether it be a pain or not.

There is little point telling the cabin crew that the person in front has reclined their seat, that it is what the seat is there for.

Sometimes in a meal service as a purser in wt I would ask that all passengers put their seat upright. After take off and before landing the seat can remain in any position.

HIDDY

Exactly how I interpret the "rules" of seat recline loobtastic, thank you. ^

PUCCI GALORE

Just recline does not mean sliding down your seat.

Actually, since it does not bother you, MHL is awarded the Order of the Golden Hairbrush. (is there a smilie for "looks smug")

Now, this seat business is just really redolent of the incivility of the age in which we live. It's not illegal so I will do as I like. I am absolutely certain that if anyone asked politely - everyone here would respond positively and politely. I think that the difference is HIDDY - all joking aside - you are a gentleman (really folks) and if someone said "I am sorry would you mind my legs are squashed" you would be the first to respond. That's the difference.

We live in an age where rudeness is rife. For my part I recline the seat a just a little (in fact in Club Europe it does itself with no help from me!) as I am not comfortable with the recline a long way back. I also consider people trying to have their drinks and meal. I try to do as I would be done by.

I will now own up to a sanction that was - well a bit of an accident. Some woman who had all the manners of the cowshed did that exact thing to HI. She was quite entitled. HI was entitled to go to the toilet and in handing me his glass there was an accident. Think Heather Mills and Macca's lawyer. I was so apologetic. She put the seat up and that ended it. The Purser was not fooled for one moment. When we got to FCO a little bag with Blue Top was waiting for me. I have carried the guilt of that for some time - the poor woman was drenched and - it has to be said foul mouthed. Clearly none of you were on that flight or my TFTG would be have been well and truly upstaged.

It's only happened once - oh there was that time that man put his stockinged feet (drab once-white socks UGH!)feet up on my arm rest but that was quite deliberate and it was American Airlines and he apologised to me.

I was a Chavette before my time.

Traveloguy

I always assumed that you could not recline your seat until the seat belt sign had been turned off. Is my assumption incorrect?

HIDDY

Says a lot really about the standard of your awards when you promote someone whose geography skills leave a lot to be desired.

As I said before on short haul flights I don't recline mine at all and don't mind at all if the person in front of me reclines theirs without asking me first.

I do however expect the person in front of me to make sure they have theirs upright during meal service. If they don't, I just exaggerate to the FA that I can't get my table down due to the plonker in front of me and they usually instruct the said individual to get it up. (FA's are usually pretty good at spotting the culprits who do this)

Now, more importantly,what's the etiquette on telling someone sitting next to you who's elbows invade your space?

Can I help you

Yes it is, the only rule I can find states that all seats must be in the upright position for takeoff and landing. As no other explanation is made, we have to look at what is meant by takeoff and landing. This is MY understanding.
Takeoff is when the aircraft is on the runway and power is applied until the wheels leave the ground. Landing is when the wheels touch down and until the aircraft leaves the runway. I agree with others that there should be some clarification on this. Others have said it's safer to have seats upright until the aircraft has climbed to a safer height. I don't think it would make much difference if a seat is upright or not if happened just after takeoff.
CIHY

Tits McGhee

Personally, I think that the cabin should remain as the crew prepared it for take-off until the seatbelt sign has been turned off.

That is headsets off, seats upright, legrests stowed away, armrests down and baggage under seats.

Same as after landing. When I see people taking bags from under seats while we taxi to stand, it annoys the almighty crap out of me.

Still, there is a limit to what the crew can do..... We might see someone doing something we don't like but if we're at a critical point in the take-off roll (or critical point of the flight - usually the first 30 seconds) then we're stuck in our seats.

What you came across, really, has no hard and fast rule. One would hope, however, that the travelling public have the common decency and intelligence to do things with consideration for their fellow passengers.

Well, some of you fly more than I do and we all know that just isn't the case.

Shame.

Can I help you

Very well said "Tits"
CIHY

Can I help you

Have you pulled anything in the bar yet "Tits" ?
CIHY

Tits McGhee

NOW, cabin crew cap off...

Reclining of seats annoys me. Really.

I'm a big fella and I've sat in Y seats many, many times before. As a full-fare paying passenger, as a crew member positioning, as a crew member on staff travel and as a crew member on break. I can quite comfortably sit - and SLEEP - in an upright seat down the back.

Reclining a seat benefits ONE person - the person in said seat. The person behind them is disturbed and, if the reclined seat is on an aisle, the people towards the windows are also inconvenienced every time they want to get out of their seat.

Now, reclining on domestic or shorthaul flights is a REALLY big peeve of mine. I don't get it. I don't think there's a need for it. I think people who do it are inconsiderate.

I flew home to Scotland a week back and saw an American chap recline his seat back on an elderly lady. She was pretty pinned down in to her own seat.

The seat infront of the American chap was not reclined.

Did he want to sleep? Nope. Did he want to watch a DVD and benefit from the extra space to open his laptop lid further? Nope.

He just sat there. Sat and did nothing.

ALSO, I recently positioned home from New York in a seat down the back. Was perfectly comfortable. No problem sitting down there in future.

There was ONLY ONE seat in the whole cabin (I know - I looked) reclined and it was the chap infront of me. He, again, wasn't sleeping. Just watching a film. I didn't want to inflict a seat on the lap for the person behind me so I stayed upright (ooo errrr).

While on short flights I'd like to see the recline function removed from flights, on longhaul I'd like to see a little etiquette employed so everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable flight.

LeisureFirst

The strangest thing I find about this thread is just how uncompromising many of the views are, on both sides, including this one.

I'm quite often on a two or three-hour short-haul flight after a long working week, feeling pretty exhausted. I find it much easier to sleep if the seat is a little reclined. (I suspect the ultra-frequent traveller, such as yourself, finds it much easier to sleep than most.) Furthermore, in roughly the front half of most BA short-haul planes, the extra seat pitch means that this doesn't create discomfort for the passenger behind me, unless he is very tall - which is one reason I find these hard and fast rules (e.g. "no recline on short haul") unreasonable.

Seen from the other side, I am 6'5" and suffer more than most if the person in front of me reclines his seat. But I never behave as though he had committed a mortal sin for so doing. Do you know who I blame for my lack of legroom in those circumstances? The airline. (I suppose I could blame my mother!)

See above. If little old ladies (was she little?) are being regularly pinned down to their seats, don't you think it would be a good idea to provide everyone with a bit more space. In fact, given how much of an issue this is, not just in this thread, but much more widely - it must be one of the top gripes amongst non-frequent Y-travellers - I'm still amazed there doesn't seem to be more of a market for paying a little extra for 2" more of seat pitch.

I'm not saying he behaved impeccably, but maybe there was a reason. He might have had a medical condition which meant he needed to stretch his leg out straight as much as possible and he couldn't do that with an upright seat?
You think that's a strange explanation? Well, I've been in exactly that situation myself on a flight with a recovering fracture.

OPebble

Please do tell where one can find this miraculous extra pitch? The only cabin I know of that has extra pitch is the front cabin on 767s and they aren't common. Most BA shorthauls in Europe can have as few as three rows CE and that means cattle class sitting as far forward as row 4 and we can't have them getting above their station and having extra pitch! Whatever next!

Tits McGhee

I did meet a few old friends, yes, but as for pulling?!! Nope. Well, unless you count my calf muscle as I tried to run out on the bill.....

EDIT : Oh, and well done for putting two and two together and coming up with, well, four. Very observant.....

d'Yquem

As an atonement, a signed copy of Margaret Thatcher's autobiography (both volumes) is on its way to you...

d'Yquem

Or what about the plonker in "C" who insists on hanging his jacket on the hook between "A" and "C" before you've had a chance to sit down in "A" and then gives you one of those looks as if you're going to rip his jacket to shreds when you shuffle past his seat (they normally don't get up for the said shuffling, but rather swing their knees ever-so-slightly to the side in a most unhelpful way)...