BuildingMyBento

Except that it's not a guarantee.

Anyway, I rarely recline my seat, but also don't protest when the person in front of me does.

The, ehem, bigger issue these days is someone overflowing into my seat...

LaserSailor

Couch potatoes recline.

Professional travellers do not.

tjf739

I agree with most here. If I want to recline, I look behind me first to make sure the person behind me isn't sleeping on the tray table, pouring a drink, or doing something else I might disrupt. I then take my seat back slowly and carefully. I fly almost exclusively in UA premium cabins or Y+, where there is more room than in Y, but I think I would do the same there.

I just don't consider it rude to use the seat as intended by the airline. The bottom line is that I don't consider it the business of the person behind me whether I recline any more than I consider it my business whether the person in front of me reclines. Anyone who wants to should recline for any reason should do so, carefully and gently. I honestly don't understand the notion that only a certain type of person reclines. I can imagine a multitude of reasons one might wish to recline, very few of which denote one type of traveler/person more than any other type. YMMV, of course.

pruss2ny

ok...in F what to do when the person behind you asks that u not recline, or limit your recline? in interests of civility, you want to work with those around you...but honestly it seems like such an absurd request in all but the most extreme scenarios.

about 3yrs ago a 70ish year old grumpy dude protested that my "seat MUST BE broken" (it wasn't) and that i was impinging on his space...and he corralled the FA who asked for the quick fix that i moderate my recline on a transcon. when i went to the lav i noticed that the guy was maybe 5'4" and that my seat back was IN NO WAY restrictive to his space....i fully reclined and took a nap

last night, trying to nap again on a transcon, my seat back is sharply bumped regularly (say every 30-50 seconds) for about 10mins, until i looked back at the gentlemen (40ish) and asked if he was ok. "well...yea...but you're just giving me no room...your seat must be broken" (again...nope...it wasn't) in his defense i could see that he was about my size, and i understand that u can get somewhat claustrophobic at points...and i voluntarily inched my seat up and just asked that in the future, if i was physically causing him pain, he could just speak to me instead of just kicking my seat for 10 mins.

Tchiowa

^^^^^^^

Wrong on all levels.

ooofence

Is there a league?
How does one try-out?
Can you try-out and still keep your amateur status if you don't get signed?
How many flights make up a season?
How many people make the play-offs?
Do you have to be as uptight and entitled as you are to play?

littlesheep

oops, didn;t see the question reffered to first. Carry on!

Annalisa12

What's the seat pitch in this F?

MaxVO

It's unfortunately true that at 6'4" you would not fit comfortably into most E- seats. However, I feel it's completely inappropriate to bother a person in front of you with that problem, or attempt to transfer some of your pain and inconvenience to them. It's not your first flight and you knew you were buying a seat where you wouldn't fit. That issue should be addressed to the source of your predicament -- the airline, not your fellow travelers sitting in front of you.

Sixth Freedom

I like to recline and try to secure a seat at the back of the cabin. That way, I know that nobody can take umbrage.

CMK10

As long as no one is eating behind you I think it's okay to recline if you're in F.

If I'm in Y, I only recline if I'm going to be sleeping, if there's no one in the row behind me, or if the person behind me has an empty middle seat next to them.

CDKing

What about professionally traveling couch potatoes? Half recline?

tigerhunt2011

Recline. Every time. Especially in F.

pruss2ny

awesome post...kind of hits at the core of my question.
but no...i don't feel it's "completely inappropriate" to "bother" someone...i mean...are we really so frail that if there is potentially an issue that puts us at odds with another traveller that we can't even address it?

seat recline is a largely petty first world issue. but the 2 people who pretty much demanded i not recline in F really had the demeanor that i was somehow negating their human right to exist. kind of like the business traveller who asks u to switch seats so that they can sit next to a business partner, and then are crestfallen and befuddled if u happen to decline.

i'm fortunate in my travels and status but have (irrops) found myself in a situation where i was in a crummy seat once or twice on a short flight where i have asked the person in front of me to consider not reclining...its been spur of the moment but something along the lines of:
look, its my problem not yours but i'm really uncomfortable with the seatback digging into my knees...if u can not recline, i'd appreciate it, but not tears otherwise

frankly i find that the simple act of self-advocating is a massive stress reliever...and genuinely there is no expectation that the person comply with the request...some hope, but no expectation. in similar situations i have generally had a positive overall experience but once or twice a frustrated response from the other person...but if they're not adult enough to self advocate, then that's their issue isn't it?

Gongzuokuang

Sign me up! :-)

I don't recline, or if I do, it's only a little. I try to be a good citizen... respectful of others.

On a tangent... I'm excited at the prospect of airlines allowing cellphone conversations on a plane. Imagine the discussions we can can have about how I've paid for a ticket, and it's my 'right' to speak... regardless of whether it bothers anyone else.