gwar69

This sounds like an easy problem to solve. If you don't want the person in front of you to recline, fly on FR or NK. Or fly one of the other airlines whose seats don't recline.

Ancien Maestro

@:-) Or move to an empty seat if there is one, that's not reclined.. and hope for the best until the seat in front of you reclines again.. repeat process..

MSchott

Thank you for the additional information. This makes a difference but it's important to at least be sensitive that you are possibly making the person behind you uncomfortable. Maybe you don't need to fully recline your seat. If I was behind you, I'd appreciate that courtesy.

stifle

There's a load of them in Europe, they're called Ryanair planes

Brighton Line

I fly maybe four times a year to visit relatives, I have no status on any airline. I have paid to get exit row/economy plus when available. This flight in question where the person in front of me said I should buy two seats there was no upgrades available for purchase at T-24.
I also make it a point to ask for exit row or bulk when I can't get them at check in. This flight I was stuck back of the 762 2nd to last on the starboard 2 side.
Never head before that tall people make more money, I in the NBA, played ball though College was scouted but never got picked up by a college.

I had no control over my height, try going thru life being thrown out of the kid section of the library. Being asked to prove how old you are to get child prices. Now as an adult paying more than an average person for basics like clothes.

Airlines used to allow Tall persons the exit row, now as I trek to the back of the bus passing the exit row with an 80 year old 4'8" grandmother sitting there and have to be told to buy two seats because someone can't recline?

You can lose weight, I can't lose height.
On occasion I have gotten help from the airlines, like giving me an exit or bulk head or blocking the seat next to me but now with the more and more flights leaving full and giving exit row to frequent flyers I'm stuck, literally.

RobbieRunner

Years ago, I was in an exit row. And again, I'm 6'1", so probably a typical height for coach design. Maybe slightly taller, but in range.
On board came some college basketball team. Can't remember whom.
These guys were so crammed into their coach seats, it was not funny. The F.A. asked if those of us in exit rows would mind swapping with these poor guys. We all did. If you could have seen these guys, anyone with a heart would have given up their exit row for them, unless you were also pushing 7 feet. They looked like 8 oz. of tuna stuffed into a 6 oz. can.

Back to the debate, before I read the article about the discourtesy of "Reclining" and then seeing this thread, it was not even on my radar. I never even gave reclining a thought. Airline seats recline. So I do likewise. And I'd expect you to do the same. My guess is that those that object to reclining are a very small percentage of the flying public.

You want to go where?

I think that other than extremely tall people who have a real physical disadvantage when someone in front of them reclines, the objections to reclining are more likely to be because of timing and method of recline, rather than the whole practice.

Reclining during meals - not very nice to the person behind you. Reclining quickly without considering that someone may have their tray table down with a drink or computer on it - equally discourteous.

Karstin

I completely agree with everyone's "right" to recline. I never do it, but I recognize that people are entitled to do so, in whatever manner (fast or slow, politely or in complete ignorance of the fact someone is actually sitting behind them) Of course, I refuse to fly red eye unless there's some kind of dire emergency, and my job and life permit me this flexibility.

Still - for everyone who's never given it a thought - bear in mind that if you're not trying to sleep, reclining your seat to reclaim your two inches doesn't really have the same effect. Trying to read from a semi-recumbent position for several hours tends to lead to neck strain. Even if the passenger behind you does recline his or her seat, they still can't work (or play) on a laptop because the reclining seat prevents them from opening the laptop enough to view the screen.

This is, I suppose, one of the reasons the new 'pad' computers are so successful.

Karstin

I'm an advocate for some kind of 'medical' status for really tall people, giving them access at time of booking to whatever extended leg room seats are available. I've sat next to way too many tall people struggling to keep blood flowing in their feet. It makes me uncomfortable just to see them wedged into the seats that I find uncomfortable - at 5'9".

Ancien Maestro

Last time out.. on a few segments..

one was back of the bus CO.. so no problem fully reclining as no one's behind me..

Then UA row behind bulkhead, so lots of leg room, but got a lap child with us, so maybe if I did recline, it shouldn't be that much of an inconvenience behind as there's lots of leg room..

Couple of Jazz AC legs, and the seat pitch was very nice.. extra long and enough for legs.. so I tried reclining partially as needed, and slowly.. so paying attenting to detail..

You want to go where?

Sorry, but I can't agree with this concept of a 'right' to recline. Rights are important, things that are enshrined in constitutions. The existence of seats on planes which do not recline demonstrate that it is not a 'right'. I also would not be surprised that if someone breaks another individual's laptop by reclining quickly and carelessly, that a US court would find them liable for that damage.

This is not to suggest that people have a right to not be reclined into, either. Generally speaking, since the seat reclines, people should choose to recline or not recline based on their personal preference - but they should take into account how their behavior impacts others and use a little courtesy, and also recognize that if an extremely tall person is sitting behind them, reclining may be a physical impossibility.

Please note: This a purely theoretical discussion. I am vertically challenged in the other direction, and have no concerns whatsoever about someone in front of me reclining.

RobbieRunner

UGH!
I just flew from IAH to COS in a commuter jet. STRAIGHT UP. NO Recline available. 2 1/2 hours of pure discomfort!
Even a few inches of recline would have been superb on my back.

Ancien Maestro

FWIW.. there would be more complaints if there was no recline on flights, then complaints in this thread when someone in front of you reclines.

You want to go where?

It occurs to me that we are complaining about reclining and fellow passengers who either recline when we don't want them to, or object to our reclining because they don't want us to. Shouldn't we really be reserving our ire for the airlines that don't provide adequate seat pitch which creates the problem in the first place. Where seat pitch is reasonable, the measly amount of recline that Economy seats have is not an imposition on anyone.

SGT

The last time I flew between LHR and MIA with BA I had the pleasure (as always ) to fly whY. Luckily I was in an 29A the seat behind exit row but with no seat in front.
After dinner the Person in 28B reclined instantly, basicly restricting the guy next to me to not move anymore. This of cause without a warning.

I heard some different opinions here. All are reasonable imho.
I try not to recline. But beeing quite a tall guy its hard. I don't complain as beeing 23, well lets say I can handle a night without sleep and so.

When in exit row I never recline, as I feel I already have the privilidge to a larger foot space and therefore no right to interfere with the one behind me. Also as a courtesy to whoever is behind me.
When not in exit row I normaly recline just a tiny bit and before doing so ask the person behind me if thats ok and therefore inform him about it.
I am often amazed how friendly people react just because you ask them.
If I see he might be big/ tall guy or a woman with a young playing child I would not recline at all.
I dont know its just a courtesy thing I guess.

In times of IPad's I never use my Laptop/ MacBook on the plane anymore because there is no space anyway. Therefore no chance of breaking it because of someones rapid recline. (That is me of cause, as one who does not have to work on the plane unlike others.)

Beeing this my first post, let me say thank you FT for your knowledge and helping me collect 100k Miles by now and therefore maybe once not to fly why?