# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![cram4dell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5e9695/32.png) [@cram4dell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cram4dell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/141 "2020-02-19T15:17:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > As long as it’s not meal time I see no issue in slowly reclining your seat. I mean it only reclines by what, three or four inches at the top anyway. And it IS your paid seat. > > Most times I don’t bother reclining because it’s barely worth it anyway. Agreed.100%. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/142 "2020-02-19T15:24:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > **As long as it’s not meal time** I see no issue in slowly reclining your seat. I mean it only reclines by what, three or four inches at the top anyway. And it IS your paid seat. > > Most times I don’t bother reclining because it’s barely worth it anyway. What flights serve meals?? 😕 Seriously though, I agree. If airline seats weren’t meant to recline they wouldn’t make them that way. Just like if we weren’t supposed to drink and drive bars wouldn’t have parking lots. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/143 "2020-02-19T15:27:17Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > Just like if we weren’t supposed to drink and drive bars wouldn’t have parking lots. 😃 Pro-tip: Never park in a bar’s parking lot. ---
**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 19, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/144 "2020-02-19T15:34:16Z")
Pehaps we could learn from kayaking etiquette. What happens in a tandem kayak if the guy in front leans back? It the rules aren’t clearly established, seems like it could be a tense scenario with both people holding big sticks. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/145 "2020-02-19T15:50:00Z")
Tandem kayak? Oh, you mean a divorce boat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/146 "2020-02-19T16:24:48Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > [ul] > [li]Sitting with my knees at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor, there’s at least 6 inches of room between my knees and the seatback in front of me, maybe more. I don’t think I have particularly short legs.[/li][li]Even if the person in front of me reclines, the base of the seatback (where my knees are) doesn’t move, since it’s the pivot point for the seatback. The top of the seatback moves closer to me, but that’s nowhere near my knees.[/li][li]It’s quite easy for me to extend my legs and stretch them under the seat in front me, which provides additional clearance. There’s also the option of splaying my legs out a bit (“manspreading”, hah!) [/li][/ul] Thank you for this; I’m short enough that it’s not a problem if the passenger in front reclines but I have also noticed that the lower part of the seatback does not move, and the top of the seatback only moves a few inches. Also, the position of my tray table is not affected by whether the passenger in front reclines, although if they do, there is slightly less space between the front of the tray table and the seatback pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/147 "2020-02-19T16:33:10Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > But the correct response to a reclining passenger isn’t to punch the back of their seat – you can just explain to the person ahead of you that you’re uncomfortable. Back in the 80’s I was on a flight with like 10 people on it - plenty of empty seats. The guy in front of me decides to recline all the way. I spent the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with my knees. When we debarked he shot me the nastiest look. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/148 "2020-02-19T16:46:59Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Back in the 80’s I was on a flight with like 10 people on it - plenty of empty seats. The guy in front of me decides to recline all the way. I spent the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with my knees. When we debarked he shot me the nastiest look. 😕 Why didn’t you just get up and take a different seat? ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/149 "2020-02-19T17:13:50Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > So your Napoleon Complex makes you feel justified to literally cause me pain for the duration of a 4-hour flight? If a slight bump to the leg can completely incapacitate you, maybe you just weren’t long for this world :rolleyes: Look, I do feel for tall people feeling squished in their seats. I personally don’t feel any strong need to recline, and if I do it’s never at the full amount allowed. I DO think people who recline shouldn’t throw themselves back with all the force of a raging elephant. But neither am I going to throw a shit fit because someone is using their seat the way it’s allowed to be used. If it’s THAT uncomfortable for you to risk your legs being bumped, spring for more space. Sorry it’s come to that, but sometimes it just sucks to be you. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/150 "2020-02-19T17:16:23Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Back in the 80’s I was on a flight with like 10 people on it - plenty of empty seats. The guy in front of me decides to recline all the way. I spent the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with my knees. When we debarked he shot me the nastiest look. Probably because you could have switched to one of those many empty seats and chose to act in a very strange and aggressive manner instead. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/151 "2020-02-19T17:16:35Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > We’ve all got problems - this one’s yours. It becomes your problem too if you’re seated directly in front of me. > [@Absolute](#): > > The intersection of all the conditions required to make a sympathetic case here (tall person, urgent travel, would normally pay to upgrade, only basic economy available, no other routes, etc.) is too rare to justify the position that reclining is wrong in general. You don’t need ALL of these conditions, though–that’s the point. I’m not even particularly tall, for example, but I have long legs relative to my short torso, so at 5’7" some seat configurations will impinge upon me. It doesn’t necessarily have to be urgent travel for upgrades to be unavailable, either because they are sold out, not even offered (if most of your flying is LAX to JFK or IAD, I think you may not realize what the options are like for flying into Wichita, Kansas, or Amarillo, Texas, but the rules you want to exist would apply to those flights too), or off-limits for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/152 "2020-02-19T17:18:50Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Probably because you could have switched to one of those many empty seats and chose to act in a very strange and aggressive manner instead. Maybe, but I’ve also been on flights where the cabin crew was on a power trip: you WILL sit in your assigned seat, even if others are available, or you are a “disruptive passenger.” Particularly post 9/11, getting labelled disruptive is not a good situation. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/153 "2020-02-19T17:19:14Z")
It is amazing the knots people are twisting themselves into so they don’t have to be considerate of other people. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/154 "2020-02-19T17:36:59Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It is amazing the knots people are twisting themselves into so they don’t have to be considerate of other people. Who is being inconsiderate? The person who uses the reclining function built into the seat? Or the passenger behind them who denies them the option because, knowing that they are tall, they chose not to pay for an extra space seat? Realistically, it’s the airlines who are responsible for setting the passengers against each other. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/155 "2020-02-19T17:37:49Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Nope. Seats are _designed_ to recline, so nobody is taking away “your” space, it’s a feature of the seat configuration. Similarly, your seat is designed to recline. I get that you don’t like this, and you’d prefer that all seats were non-reclining. But that isn’t the seat configuration that most airlines provide at the moment. The airplane bathrooms are also _designed_ to be used - that still doesn’t mean you can camp out in one the whole flight. Sure, the airlines could solve this “problem” by providing each passenger with a 5 minute passcode every two hours to make everything “fair”, but sometimes people have valid reasons to need to spend 20+ minutes in there, right? Just don’t be a jerk about it. The armrests between the seats are also _designed_ to be used, that still doesn’t mean you can always expect to hog the whole thing. Sure, the airlines could solve the “problem” by increasing the width of the seats to give everyone their own armrest (and charging everyone more), or putting a partition between the armrest (since the partition itself is going to take up space, everyone would be left with less room overall). Or everyone could just not be a jerk about it. Seat reclining is the same thing. The airlines could solve the “problem” by eliminating/reducing the tilt angle for everyone, or increasing the distance between rows (and charging everyone more). But sometimes its a redeye when everyone is sleeping anyway, or there’s a small child behind you, or you were simply polite about it and asked first. Again, just don’t be a jerk about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/156 "2020-02-19T17:40:35Z")
I just remembered that my very first mod warning was in a thread on this very topic. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/157 "2020-02-19T17:46:00Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Maybe, but I’ve also been on flights where the cabin crew was on a power trip: you WILL sit in your assigned seat, even if others are available, or you are a “disruptive passenger.” Particularly post 9/11, getting labelled disruptive is not a good situation. Oh, c’mon. Here’s the claim: > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Back in the 80’s I was on a flight with like 10 people on it - plenty of empty seats. The guy in front of me decides to recline all the way. I spent the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with my knees. When we debarked he shot me the nastiest look. You think for one second (assuming that this happened as described) that a flight attendant would stop a passenger from moving one seat to the left or the right of this flight with 10 people on it or even notice if it happened? And that **Saint Cad** decided that his or her best course of action to avoid being labeled a disruptive passenger by calmly moving one seat was to instead spend the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with his knees? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/158 "2020-02-19T18:10:55Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > You think for one second (assuming that this happened as described) that a flight attendant would stop a passenger from moving one seat to the left or the right of this flight with 10 people on it or even notice if it happened? And that **Saint Cad** decided that his or her best course of action to avoid being labeled a disruptive passenger by calmly moving one seat was to instead spend the next 2 hours banging the back of his chair with his knees? I have no idea at all whether this did happen as described, but oh yes, I have met people who would be more than happy to come down like a load of bricks on anybody who dared to deviate from their assigned position, and with only ten people in the cabin, it’s a lot easier to keep track of who is “supposed to be” sitting where. This was indeed supposed to be back in the '80s, when the rules were somewhat loosy-goosy, and it would be rare now for a flight to be that empty. However, today, failure to comply with the cabin crew before take-off means the plane won’t leave until you comply or are removed from the flight; failure to comply in-flight means you’ll get to meet law enforcement at the other end. Either makes a bad day a whole lot worse. Have you never run into a power-mad petty dictator who demands absolute compliance with the rules, no matter how absurd? They’re thankfully rare, but I’ve encountered several over the years in various positions, and it’s never a pleasant experience. Sure, you can complain later, but that won’t help you in the immediate. Here is one example: the airline claimed a couple were repeatedly trying to “self-upgrade” to better seats; the couple claimed they sat somewhere else in a half-empty cabin because a sleeping man was in their seats. [They were removed from the flight](https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2017/04/16/bride-groom-who-asked-for-upgrade-kicked-off-united-flight-in-houston-on-their-way-to-get-married/). No matter who was right in that instance, their travel plans were disrupted. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/159 "2020-02-19T18:31:54Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > I have no idea at all whether this did happen as described, but oh yes, I have met people who would be more than happy to come down like a load of bricks on anybody who dared to deviate from their assigned position, and with only ten people in the cabin, it’s a lot easier to keep track of who is “supposed to be” sitting where. > > This was indeed supposed to be back in the '80s, when the rules were somewhat loosy-goosy, and it would be rare now for a flight to be that empty. However, today, failure to comply with the cabin crew before take-off means the plane won’t leave until you comply or are removed from the flight; failure to comply in-flight means you’ll get to meet law enforcement at the other end. Either makes a bad day a whole lot worse. > > Have you never run into a power-mad petty dictator who demands absolute compliance with the rules, no matter how absurd? They’re thankfully rare, but I’ve encountered several over the years in various positions, and it’s never a pleasant experience. Sure, you can complain later, but that won’t help you in the immediate. > > Here is one example: the airline claimed a couple were repeatedly trying to “self-upgrade” to better seats; the couple claimed they sat somewhere else in a half-empty cabin because a sleeping man was in their seats. [They were removed from the flight](https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2017/04/16/bride-groom-who-asked-for-upgrade-kicked-off-united-flight-in-houston-on-their-way-to-get-married/). No matter who was right in that instance, their travel plans were disrupted. We have truly entered absurd parts of this argument. I’m quite sure that Saint Cad’s terrible behavior was not affected by the story of a Dallas couple who tried to scam a free first class upgrade thirty years later. He or she had the option to move seats from one of the many open seats on this magical 10 person flight. There is no flight crew in the world who would have objected to this, and Saint Cad’s story makes no mention of making any attempt to remedy the situation by rational means and instead decided to kick the seat for two hours and tells this story as if he or she is the one in the right. Anybody who chooses instead of taking this rational choice and instead chooses to kick the back of a seat on an empty flight instead (and uses this as an example of the other person’s bad behavior 30 years later) has made a series of remarkably questionable decisions. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044/160 "2020-02-19T18:42:41Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I’m quite sure that Saint Cad’s terrible behavior was not affected by the story of a Dallas couple who tried to scam a free first class upgrade thirty years later. I didn’t say it was. I used this as an example of a flight crew objecting to passengers sitting in the “wrong” seats (not, apparently, first-class seats, however; it sounds like they may have grabbed premium economy seats), with adverse consequences for the passengers. > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > There is no flight crew in the world who would have objected to this I have MET the flight crew that would and did object to passengers sitting in seats not assigned (and that was a smaller jet that only had one class, so it definitely wasn’t somebody trying to scam first-class seats). You are lucky that you have not encountered people like that. I repeat again that I’ve no idea whether Saint Cad ran into a similar crew or was just being a jerk, but don’t try to tell me it’s an impossible story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-passenger-etiquette-reclining-your-seat/848044.md?page=9)