Originally posted by missydarlin:
[b] Does anyone ever deign to speak with children on flights? I'm sure if you had politely mentioned that the recline wasnt working because your knees were there, he would have stopped. [b/]

I don't have the knees problem, but I have spoken with children on flights many times, especially those who sit behind me and kick my seat or throw stuff over my head. I have even "politely" spoken with their mamas (bleached blonde and otherwise http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif). About a quarter stop, a quarter stop for a few minutes and then start up again, and the remaining quarter continue kicking or doing whatever obnoxious activity you asked them to stop doing (perhaps because their mamas are outraged that I should dare ask to restrict the little one's freedom of expression).

As for the question do kids "need" to recline, perhaps not, but they certainly often LIKE to recline, it's a fun option. So much depends on the parent's sense of respect for what the situation is, e.g., with your knees. I have a back problem and if I don't recline I'm messed up for days after the flight, but if I had a long lanky guy behind me with a knee problem I'd ask to be moved to sit in front of someone shorter.

Conversely, one possible solution to the refractory reclining problem if you're really tall might be to ask the FA to ask around if there is anyone who would be willing to give up their aisle seat to a very tall gentlemen having knee pain in his non-aisle seat (or find anyone short sitting in any seat that looks like there's a non-recliner in front of them and offer them $20 to change? http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif)

JS, you will be safe from the reclining Taupo family.
Like you, I am 6'4", find Y seats unbearably uncomfortable, particularly with the long haul trips we do. I found a solution. I fired my boss, opened my own business, work hard and fly in comfort in the front cabin.

It is not your fault that economy seats are too close together for your needs.

What is "your fault"; is that this you are buying a ticket for a seat in which you will knowingly not be able to fit, without adversely affecting others, when more expensive seats are available which are not too close together for you. In other words - you are defraying the "cost" of your not fitting into Economy seats from the monetary cost of a higher seat (Which you would bear) into a social cost (i.e. the fact that you deny the person in front the full facilities to which they are entitled), which is met by others.

What I object to is that you deem fit to make someone else pay the "cost" of you not fitting into a standard economy seat.

It is easy to blame the airline for pitch which you find 'too tight'; but at the end of the day, you are buying a service which you know that you physically exceed the alloted space for - and you intend to take, without compensation, that space from someone else. I would suggest that you / your employer should bear your own costs, either by buying a C/F seat, by buying the seat in front and having it folded down (Again - I am curious to see if this works), or by paying for Premium Economy.

If your employer is unwilling to bear the full cost of your travel (rather than the standard cost of a generic seat - which as I have said, is not adequate for your needs), which means some arrangement with more space; then it is not travel that should be made. Simply tell your boss you physically don't fit in an airline seat.

As an analagy: if you have only an SUV at your disposal, and your company gives you 31 gallons of gas to drive to your destination. Most people's cars will make it on 31 gallons, but yours won't, as it needs 36 gallons. The solution is to ask the company for 36 gallons, not to syphon off 5 gallons of someone else's gas "because I drive an SUV and I need it - while they're car is smaller than mine".

I know there is the argument to the above that you can choose an SUV, but can't choose your size - but the fundamental question then is: "Should society pay for the extra costs of you being tall?"

Regards,
Alex

After reading your argument, Alex, I think your line of thought could also apply to those passengers who are obese and thus take up part of someone else's seat.

[This message has been edited by Analise (edited 10-21-2003).]

It does http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif If you a search you can find my thoughts on people who [IMHO] require two seats.

Regards,
Alex

Airlines with seats that are closer together are cheaper (maybe not at the moment, but over the long haul). Therefore, the person in front of me is paying less to sit in a seat that won't recline if I'm sitting in the next row. Sounds fair to me.


Agreed.

That pretty much destroys your analogy. I can choose an SUV, but I can't choose my height.

As far as the fundamental question, yes, society will have to pay because I'm tall. If there was a way to pay 15% more for 15% more legroom, I would be happy to pay. But that option doesn't exist. If you pay more for business or first, you pay an enourmous sum of money for more legroom, more width, first boarding, first deplaning, pre-departure drinks, maybe a meal, and a nice profit margin for the airline.

Look, society pays for a lot of things that are out of individuals' control. When people have retarded children, we pay a lot more to educate them in the public schools. Should we bill the parents for the high cost of public education for retarded kids?

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"Yippie-kay-yay, Mr. Falcon!" -- John McClane, Die Hard II As Seen on TV

How tall do you have to be for this to be such a problem? I'm 6'2" and when the seat reclines it's annoying but I'm not at risk of injury.

Maybe instead of pitch airlines should quote inseam?