So you are sitting in F and working on your laptop they guy in front of you puts his seat back at full force and whacks your laptop screen.

Should you be upset (this is F and supposedly these people should realize that someone may be working behind them)?

I have a vision that some day they will catch the top of the laptop just right and pop the screen out in the process.

To me it's just common sense, don't shove your seat back at full force as quickly as possible.

I witnessed this across the aisle from me on a flight last week. The gentleman with the laptop reached up and violently shook the offending person's seatback until they moved their seatback up. Nothing was ever said, and that was the end of the issue. I thought it was a strange way to handle things.

Anyway, when I recline in a mad dog, I always do it s-l-o-w-l-y since there really isn't much room with the seats reclined all the way...

Yes, you should be upset. At the airline, for not allowing you sufficient space. You have no right to be upset at the guy in front of you, who is just reclining his seat, as it is his right to do. He rented that space, and he has the right to use it. If you feel that the airline has not given you sufficient space, then your complaint is to the airline, not to the guy in front of you.

I always have the same fear when using my laptop on the plane. Though I've never been too concerned while seated in F. In coach, where there is a little lip on the seat back where the tray comes out of, and where space is soooooooooooo tight, I am always paranoid that the person in front of me will quickly recline the seat, catch the top of my laptop screen and snap it in half.

For that reason, I always keep my screen angled back toward me so that it won't get caught in the lip. It makes it difficult to see the screen, but I'm not taking the risk.

This is also the reaon that I never recline my seat in coach unless I'm on a night flight where everyone is sleeping. And even then I look first, then recline s-l-o-w-l-y.

perhaps one could talk to the person in front of you, explain what you're doing, and ask if they will let you know when they are doing the seatback thing....

Good advice, as is a quick word to the person behind you when you plan to lean your seat back. Just a courteous thing to do all the way around. I don't think we can count on the airlines to give us more space or even care much about it one way or the other.

Oh, no, not the "whose space is it" arguments again...

Fact is, regardless of whose space it presumably is, legs and knees, laptops, etc. one SHOULD look behind before reclining, as a courteous action, just as someone with very long legs should be courteous and assertive enough to inform the person ahead of the situation and ask for consideration (e.g. "please let me know...".) We all know where the road paved with good intention leads... The common sense we hope the others possess is wishful thinking at best (and certainly does not depend on class of service,) whereas assertive, informed self-advocacy and risk management tend to be much more consistent and reliable.

When I use my laptop, I gauge where it will become imperiled by the person in front of me - and act accordingly ( space carefully, speak to the passenger in front of me or use a lap board.) Because regardless of the actions after the fact, I can't afford to have my laptop smashed.

With over 50 years of flying, it's worked for me - the worst occurred when an oaf I attempted to communicate with (on a NW DC-9) immediately became hostile, rang the FA call button - and saw me seated in an exit row when the FA realized there wasn't much I could do about the situation (e.g. remove my legs and put them in the overhead.)

Good luck to you.

If it is critically important to you, rather than imposing arbitrary no recline rules on the guy in front of you who has every right to recline in J (or Y for that matter), reserve in the first row in J (or Y) so nobody reclines. Since nobody's there. To bbkenney who actually tells the person behind them , hey I am going to recline now? Nobody.

I think some are missing the point.

The issue is not whether they should recline or not, of course they are entitled to do so.

My issue is instead of:

1. Checking what is going on behind you (i.e. if you fly enough to be in F you certainly should be aware of what might be going on behind you).

2. Or at worst, slowly reclining so that the person behind you has time to make adjustments.

In the recent case this happend in hour 2 of a 3 hour flight. After 2 hours you have a bit of a comfort level that the person in front of you is a non-recliner.

I can come up with about a dozen things people are entitled to, which can be handled badly (i.e. you are in the window and need to use the restroom, do you just push your way by the person in aisle seat or do you let them know you need to get out?).

This topic has been discussed many times in the travelbuzz section of FT.

May be a better place for it, I don't really see how this is in any way AA specific. Just my .02 cents...

Of course.... but how many things occur in society where people just don't give a crap about other people. This is simple case of manners.

I usually look behind me if I am in the aisle- and announce my intention, or as you point out- slowly start, pause, then continue the recline....it's just being civil.

On the topic: I agree with you.
(slightly) off the topic: what do you all think about the person behind you grabs your headrest, pulls it down to raise him/herself up or to get into the aisle? I can't keep track of all the times I was woken up this way. Happened mostly on those MD-80 tiny seats/pitch.

If it's an MD-80, it helps if you avoid sitting on the A and B side of F

Well, lets see. I fly AA almost exclusively. This happend in F. Maybe the guy in front of me this week is reading this.

I hate the headrest thing and or people boarding that decide leaning on the back of your seat is the best thing to do.

To avoid this, when working with my laptop on an airplane in economy, I often will lay the screen flat on my lap, and have the keyboard against my stomach. It's a little harder to type, but you don't have to worry about the dude in front of you smashing your screen.

Of course, I don't like to work on the plane, don't do it very often and try and limit the amount of time my laptop is out. If I had a lot of work to do, it would be very inconvienent to have to work like that for hours at a time.