Restil

The whole point of flying in First is to enjoy the benefits that are generally unavailable in economy, the ability to recline a substantial degree. As for bothering other passengers with it, I'll relate my two most recent experiences. Both were on AA jets, the first one being an MD-80, and the second being a 737. On both planes I was able to fully extend my legs (something I could never do in economy), and the seats were high enough that the seat in front of me leaning back never interfered with my leg space, and there was still plenty of room to stand and my wife in the window seat was able to get past me without me having to move first. The food and drink trays were located in the armrest, so the position of the seatback in front of me didn't affect that at all.

The only difference between the two planes as far as reclining goes is that on the md-80 the seat itself remained stationary while the back reclined, but on the 737 the seatback remained stationary and the seat slid forward, thereby using up your own space when you reclined and not the space of the passenger behind you. This was actually less comfortable though, although still a world better than economy.

Tchiowa

What the airlines monitor is the opinions that people express with their wallets. Over and over and over again the people vote for low price and ignore the comfort issue. Oh, they whine and complain about comfort. But when presented with the option to buy E+ instead of E they choose to accept the discomfort and save the money. As long as the flying public continues to do that, the airlines will continue to provide what they are asked to provide: Low prices and cramped seats.

weero

I was not precise above - I meant that in E+ the legroom is sufficient, so that the only argument I could relate to "knee pain" does not apply there.

People who don't want you to recline in E+ are simply obsessed about their comfort and not about their knees being compressed.
I agree. But it also depends on the cause. Someone wanting to work with the computer would not constitute a compelling argument to me. They can do that before the flight or into the aisle. A person being really tall ... I'd try to find a solution as on a longhaul, I have to recline.

tjf739

Ah, I see now. Yes, I agree. There's frankly plenty of space in F (the subject of the OP) or E+.

State of Trance

I'd do the same, although I'm not sure how much you could actually do to mitigate the situation. If you temporarily swapped seats with the tall passenger, that would just give the same problem to the person previously in front of you. I'm curious since although I only fly longhaul in Y about half the time, I have one such trip coming up this week, and it'd be nice to know in case the situation arises.

aceboy44

Skipping through all the comments, this is my vote as well

pinniped

Most important question: is there relegation???

weero

I swapped or moved on less fool flights.

But it had to be convincing and compelling ... not someone of my own height just being crank.

Carl

I do it from time to time (mostly if trying to rest), but I recognize that doing so can result in more than moderate discomfort for others even in F. With US, for example, some A321s seem to leave plenty of room when the person in front is reclined, while it can be almost impossible for even a fairly small person to get out of the seat on the same differently-configured aircraft if full recline is happening in front. This is also why I often choose bulkheads, since at least I know my personal space will remain largely the same throughout the flight.

5ynaptic

I say recline as you must -- however, if we start taxiing after landing and your seat is still reclined and it looks like i'll need to hip check your seat when the seatbelt signs powers down, believe me, you're getting a hip check. No need to keep your seat reclined when people are trying to deplane and are have to contort to get out of their seat.

Tchiowa

ANA is talking about a new seat on their 787s. Haven't seen it, but read about it. Coach seat with a hard shell back that doesn't recline at all, but the seat slides forward 3 inches.

Lots of thoughts about that, none of them good. At least with conventional seats if you're tall your knees are pressed against cloth and a fairly flexible seat back. Also those who have used it says the seat sliding forward is uncomfortable.

We'll see how long they last.

State of Trance

If it's anything like the CX hard shell Y seats, a lot of people really hated them. I think CX switched to a more conventional reclining seat a couple of years ago due to the backlash.

weero

They aren't great for longhaul and they are super flimsy .. but I enjoy them on the shorter intra-Asia routes as you can recline with impunity.

The IFE is terrible though ...

aristotled

Excellent! Ha! Love it!

ioto1902

+1
I also hated those CX seats with seat belt airbag.
Same also for AF Y+.

Still, the concept of shell in Y should be further studied.