allergictocoach

Taking the only available option for a late miles booking I ended up with an MCO-DCA-PHX routing on US last week. Booked in F going out and back with CO in Y I was a little skeptical about what I might find on US. The flight up to DCA was great. The flight to PHX was a 319 and man it seemed tight in F. Maybe the pitch is there at the start but when the seats are reclined the person in front is pretty close.

So much so that the guy behind me thought the best way for him to exit 3F was by pushing and jarring my seat to the point that it nearly put me out on the floor. Bulls running through china shops used more care than this somewhat obese knucklehead. Sure it's pretty tight and I had my seat reclined (as did the person in front of me) but how about a light tap on the shoulder and a polite request for me to sit up momentarily if that's what's required to get your large rear end out to the aisle?

This gentleman then decided it would be a great time for a three person conference in the aisle whereby his rear end was about 3 inches from my face for 20 min. I let this go but another 2 trips from his seat during the flight in the previously described manner is where the line was crossed. When he returned after the 3rd incident I whipped around in my seat and looked at him as he stood in the aisle. I asked him if he would be knocking me out of my seat again on the way back in and proceeded to let him know what I thought of his lack of on board manners.

I was pretty hot and the FA came back trying to calm the issue. She seemed to be somewhat defending the _______ and his lack of manners. Maybe this is accepted practice on US given the tight quarters? It was a DCA flight full of haughty types for sure. I could care less if Barack Obama was behind me this guy was an ______ and I let him know it. Other than the company and the cramped space the service and food (didn't know US had food) wasn't bad.

TiredOfTooMuchTravel

Sorry to say it but your response to the guy was not at all appropriate. While the guy was being inconsiderate and rude (which is understandably upsetting), getting hot and being rude right back is in no way a solution to the situation. You could have tried a polite request that he not yank on your seat when getting in and/out? And if that didnt work, then say something to the FA. Not saying this guy was right but you didnt do anything to help the situation.

mrredskin

I'm 6'2 and had no issues on a 319 in row 3 for the first time last week. It's "cramped" because there were 3 rows in F. What do u expect? Sit back in coach if you want cramped

tommyleo

Huh? The OP is complaining more about the rudeness of the passenger sitting behind him than about the cramped quarters that is F on US.

allergictocoach

Everything is situational for sure. The guy was so blatant in the way he did it and he got a response commiserate with his actions throughout the flight. Judging from his very loud conversation with the guy from 1A he was some type of lawyer/lobbyist type. He forgot his manners multiple times....I forgot mine once. Too bad.

Seatback grabbers, pullers and pushers should only be found on the bus or at the back of Y.

Beckles

I don't think US FC on an A319 is any tighter than the typical domestic FC cabin on any other US airline, they're all tight, especially if the person in front of you is reclined.

As for seatgrabbers, in my experience about 90% of passengers think the seat in front of them is an appropriate handle to help them out of their seats, I don't believe this is any less prevalent in F than Y. In my opinion there is a general lack of consideration for other passengers throughout the air travel process, whether it be gate crowding, stowage of carry-ons, or deplaning, I try not to let it bother me too much, I have better things to worry about.

dcpatti

+1 on all counts.

Sometimes I can't resist the urge to shoot someone the Look of Death after they've yanked themself up against my seatback but I find that a politely worded reqest to please be gentle on the chair works a lot better.

You will find rude people everywhere. That doesn't mean you can or should turn into one yourself.

TiredOfTooMuchTravel

True on all counts. FC on a US A319 actually has more room than DLs A319 and slightly less room than UAs A3192.

ArizonaRoadWarrior

According to Seat Guru, the pitch on an US A319 is 37 inches whereas the pitch on an UA A319 is 38 inches. The pitches on a CO 737-900 and DL 737-800 are 38 inches. It is my opinion that FC on US is the smallest and is last among CO, DL, Alaska and UA (I haven't flown FC on AA). There is no IFE, no power outlets (at least on the HP metal), etc.

mrredskin

i believe that was still part of the argument, yes? so why did you even question my comment if it related to it?

TiredOfTooMuchTravel

This is not true. Some US planes have more pitch than some competitors, other planes have less pitch than their competitors and some planes have the same pitch as their competitors. There is not one domestic airline out there that has FC pitch on every single aircraft they operate that beats their competition.

757lover

It's even worse if you're sleeping and have longer hair that can be grabbed along with the seatback! It's happened twice to me, once a little old lady who I wasn't so mad at, but once with a big burly guy that almost took a chunk of hair out of my scalp. It's VERY irritating and can be completely startling if you're fast asleep.

tacostuff

First, regarding the seats in F on US's airbuses, I think they do recline a bit further than most other airlines, but there's also an added problem... Has anyone ever noticed how part of the seat will "flex" even further back than it is supposed to go? Usually, this happens on the aisle side. Between how far the seat goes back, and the "flex," there can be zero room to get by. For some reason, the F seats on the Boeing planes seem to be a much better experience and don't "flex" as much.

That being said, I always try to avoid the window seat in F so this isn't an issue, but if I am stuck in a window and I have to get up when the person in the row in front is reclined, it ceratinly can be difficult to get by (esp if there are drinks on the middle console). I usually try to avoid touching the seat in front when I get up, but the laws of physics still unfortunatley apply, and somtimes when there's a choice of falling into the seat that i'm walking by, or grabbing the seat in front of me, the latter wins.

Oh, and incidentally, I usually try not to put my seat back all the way (if I even recline) becuase I know how tight it can be.

tacostuff

Forgetting which incident may have been more painful, I think I would be angrier at the little old lady. At least with the big guy you can understand why he has a harder time trying to get by the reclined seat.

tommyleo

There is one exemption that comes to mind, UA's domestic Premium Service. Though that cabin is certainly not typical.