# Airline passenger etiquette: reclining your seat **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044 "2020-02-16T21:22:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/81 "2020-02-17T22:30:14Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > So you’re okay with pushing your seat into someone’s knees as long as you paid for it? Good to know. I’d really like to know what airline you’ve been flying with where the seats recline that far back. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/82 "2020-02-17T22:33:26Z")
I think reclining a seat is vaguely obnoxious, especially when drinks or a meal are being served, but I sure the hell wouldn’t punch the seat in front of me over it. Someone being mildly annoying just doesn’t justify turning into a full-blown asshole. The one time I did get (quietly) riled up was when I was traveling with my son as a six month old on my lap and the woman in front of me reclined suddenly, nearly into my lap. That was a terribly shitty thing to do and she was damn well aware I had a baby with me because she turned around and glared at me every time he made a noise. Then she had the gall to hiss at me to keep my kid quiet when he started to cry because the tray had hit him in the head (the catch was loose and it slipped when she reclined so violently). Just be aware of the people around you and the circumstances and don’t be a total shithead. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/83 "2020-02-17T22:33:56Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > False equivalency. The inconvenience of not reclining one’s seat is miniscule compared to your hypothetical situation. I see what you’re trying to say, but it kind of proves my point. If my seat reclining jams somebody’s knees, that’s an assault. All I have to do it un-recline it (not move to a jumpseat) . Crying that “I paid for it and I’m going to use it!” is idiotic if using it literally jams somebody’s knees. It’s not false equivalency, it’s simply a more extreme version of what you’re arguing - that someone should sacrifice their own comfort in a seat that they have paid for, in order to accommodate someone who knows they can’t fit into a normal seat, but who has declined to pay for more space. Of course I’m not advocating actual assault, but I am questioning exactly who’s being the jerk in a situation where someone cannot recline the seat they’ve paid for because of someone who has refused to pay for the extra legroom they need, and chosen to sit in the too-small seat behind them. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/84 "2020-02-17T22:35:07Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > If you have a problem with seats that recline take it up with the airline. The person in front of you paid for a reclining seat. They should not be forced to sit awake because you’re really tall. Nor should they get grief from someone unhappy with the seat design. > > In the end, you’ll come hard up against the fact that, like most standardized things, they are designed for persons a few degrees either side of ‘average’. So, yeah, it sucks to not fit in that range, everyone gets that. > > Taking it out on the person in front of you is ridiculous. They didn’t do this to you, the airline did. Feel free to express your disgruntled ness with them. > > But if you haven’t bothered to EVER bitch to an airline about your issue, and you bought a ticket KNOWING the seats recline, then seethe in silence. Which I have done multiple times. BTW, I do sincerely hope that you get the seat in front of me sometime and proceed to ram your set back without so much as a word and ignore my request to not completely recline back. I’m quite sure you’ll love me breathing on your head for the duration of the flight. After all, I paid for the air. If your lucky I’ll have had the Greek salad that day. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/85 "2020-02-17T22:41:14Z")
But you’re all okay with someone not catching a wink of sleep, on a seventeen hr flight back from Asia, because the person seated behind me is above average height? Good to know. Because their comfort over rides because…they’re tall? I see plenty of other very tall people, (and have a 6’6” nephew), and they all seem to manage, without complaint. They don’t think it’s someone else’s cross to bear that they’re extra tall! If you’re only irate enough to complain to the people around you and can’t be arsed to EVER speak to the airline, then you’re just being an annoyance on someone’s trip! IF it was such a significant issue, and involved sufficient numbers, (or y’all bitched to someone who mattered instead of us!), you might see change. But instead you’re just being miserable to others. Your forward seat mate didn’t make you oversized and they are not obligated to sacrifice their comfort for yours. (Also I’ve never been on a plane that didn’t require ALL seats upright during food service. Like, they always check AND make everyone abide. And I fly frequently, mostly long haul.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/86 "2020-02-17T22:48:57Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > First of all, the guy in the seat behind the woman was in the very last row. _Those seats don’t recline_, so “everybody could just recline” isn’t possible. Also true of the seats in front of the exit row. The argument that “the seats are built to allow you to recline, so you should be able to recline as much as the seats let you” doesn’t hold any water with me either. As the airlines have reduced seat pitch, their focus has been on more seats and more revenue, and any thought they’ve given to the recline of the seats has almost surely been an afterthought. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/87 "2020-02-17T22:52:12Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > But you’re all okay with someone not catching a wink of sleep, on a seventeen hr flight back from Asia, because the person seated behind me is above average height? … I think you vastly exaggerate the comfort provided by that minor recline. But, your perception is your own. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/88 "2020-02-17T22:52:45Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If my seat reclining jams somebody’s knees, that’s an assault. So by reclining my seat, I have been engaged in attempted assault all these years? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/89 "2020-02-17T22:53:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’d really like to know what airline you’ve been flying with where the seats recline that far back. I haven’t. I’m going off of what others here have reported as their own experiences. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/90 "2020-02-17T22:55:15Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > So by reclining my seat, I have been engaged in attempted assault all these years? :dubious: Only if it jams the person’s knees behind you. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/91 "2020-02-17T22:56:24Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > But you’re all okay with someone not catching a wink of sleep, on a seventeen hr flight back from Asia, because the person seated behind me is above average height? Good to know. Because their comfort over rides because…they’re tall? > > I see plenty of other very tall people, (and have a 6’6” nephew), and they all seem to manage, without complaint. They don’t think it’s someone else’s cross to bear that they’re extra tall! > > If you’re only irate enough to complain to the people around you and can’t be arsed to EVER speak to the airline, then you’re just being an annoyance on someone’s trip! > > IF it was such a significant issue, and involved sufficient numbers, (or y’all bitched to someone who mattered instead of us!), you might see change. But instead you’re just being miserable to others. > > Your forward seat mate didn’t make you oversized and they are not obligated to sacrifice their comfort for yours. > > (Also I’ve never been on a plane that didn’t require ALL seats upright during food service. Like, they always check AND make everyone abide. And I fly frequently, mostly long haul.) Wait, aren’t you the one who thinks babies shouldn’t be brought onto planes because their crying disturbs you? Apologies if I have you mixed up with someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/92 "2020-02-17T23:00:16Z")
It strikes me that with opinion split down the middle on this, a fair and simple way to resolve this would be for airlines to simply disable the recline function from all the seats on one side of each plane (or whatever proportion satisfies typical supply & demand for the recline function). If you choose the “recline” side, outside of meal service everyone expects to be able to recline seats if they wish. If you choose the other side, the seats are just locked in the upright position. A few people on full flights would not get the side they want, but overall people should be more content, right? ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/93 "2020-02-17T23:10:55Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > It took me a few seconds to find a non-stop First Class ticket at $600 on that route on that date. But First Class isn’t really the apt comparison, most airlines do offer extra legroom economy seats for a much smaller premium. > > Overall, the cost of flying has halved in the past few decades (relative to what we earn). So it isn’t really a “let them eat cake” argument. It’s a “don’t be a cheapskate” argument. You could pay for seats with extra legroom, and still get a fare that’s maybe 30% (rather than 50%) cheaper than a few decades ago. > > What I do think we need is regulation for much greater transparency about exactly how much extra room you’re getting when you pay for some kind of “Economy Plus” seat, rather than claims like “UP TO six inches”, which is completely meaningless. Did you find seats on airlines that **still have seats that recline more than 2 inches**? That’s precisely why I selected Delta: reseats on their flights are still not recline-restricted. Apples to apples. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/94 "2020-02-17T23:53:42Z")
Try this experiment, as I just did: sit in a recliner and move the seat back precisely two inches, the amount all major airlines seats will recline as soon as Delta joins suit. Wow, isn’t that _super_-relaxing? Don’t you just feel SO much comfier? No? Neither did I. Why bother? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/95 "2020-02-18T00:04:42Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Wait, aren’t you the one who thinks babies shouldn’t be brought onto planes because their crying disturbs you? Apologies if I have you mixed up with someone else. You’re totally wrong, not me. I’ve flown back from Asia with twin newborn girls on the same plane, screamed the whole way. Every time we’d refuel or switch planes…they’d get on too! I assure you, as annoying as I found it, as did most people, everyone was seemingly understanding and sympathetic. I mean, I’m sure some were seething over it, but they didn’t let on that I could see. I often fly long haul and that tiny recline makes all the difference in being able to sleep, for me and, from appearances for most people on the plane. You gotta know that on long haul flights the airline is pretty invested in getting people to sleep for several hours if at all possible, right? They give you a pillow and blanket for a reason, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/96 "2020-02-18T00:47:19Z")
I don’t know why we continue to have this debate when one’s position on the issue is entirely determined by how tall they are. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/97 "2020-02-18T00:52:40Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > This whole thing is stupid. The viral video currently making the rounds - the dumb woman thought it would be better to take video to post online than to just turn around and ask the guy to stop. And if the guy was being crowded by the woman reclining, just tap her on the shoulder and let her know. Jeebus, people. > > And there is the answer: be present and accountable to your own comfort. If someone reclines and it impinges you, let them know. If you want to recline, either do it slowly or just let the person know. Sheesh, it’s like we cannot even communicate with one another any more. Yes, this. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/98 "2020-02-18T01:12:47Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I don’t know why we continue to have this debate when one’s position on the issue is entirely determined by how tall they are. Because I’m not entirely sure that’s true at all. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/99 "2020-02-18T01:16:23Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > You’re totally wrong, not me. I’ve flown back from Asia with twin newborn girls on the same plane, screamed the whole way. Every time we’d refuel or switch planes…they’d get on too! I assure you, as annoying as I found it, as did most people, everyone was seemingly understanding and sympathetic. > > I mean, I’m sure some were seething over it, but they didn’t let on that I could see. > > I often fly long haul and that tiny recline makes all the difference in being able to sleep, for me and, from appearances for most people on the plane. > > You gotta know that on long haul flights the airline is pretty invested in getting people to sleep for several hours if at all possible, right? They give you a pillow and blanket for a reason, after all. Sorry about that! I think I figured out who I was thinking of. I did remember that you’re a well-seasoned traveler. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/100 "2020-02-18T01:38:31Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > (Also I’ve never been on a plane that didn’t require ALL seats upright during food service. Like, they always check AND make everyone abide. And I fly frequently, mostly long haul.) :dubious: I’ve never heard of such a thing, at least not on United. They ask people to have seatbacks up for takeoff and landing, I can’t remember ever hearing them say to put them upright _during_ a flight. It also depends on the type of plane. On one United flight last year, the seats in the default positions felt like my neck was angled _forward_. Reclining made a huge difference. Whereas on the new Dreamliner, the seats were already comfortable in the upright position. I’m a bit :dubious: at someone 5’2” claiming the seat hits their knees. I am 5’8” and I have never had a problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044.md?page=6)