??? What safety issues? You do understand this is about tilting the seat back by maybe three inches, not turning it into a flat bed?
If the seat reclines to where it hits somebody else’s knees, it’s not okay. It doesn’t matter who paid for what.
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.
The airlines need to stop sucking so much. Actually I would love to see some government regulation put back on these assholes. Air travel gets worse every year. It is still fairly cheap but it sucks badly. I hate flying at this point. 1st class is a prohibitive waste of money and steerage class is an affront. No mode of travel is more dehumanizing than air travel now.
Maybe a Facebook movement in favor of Airline regulation would scare this scummy industry into being more accommodating to passengers.
I’m guessing that he didn’t respond well to a polite request to stop punching her seat.
And I think if you’re tall enough that you’re made uncomfortable by the seat in front of you reclining, you should pay extra for an extra space seat, or one in an exit row or a bulkhead seat.
By the way, while the incident in question occurred on an American Airlines flight, the CEO of Delta Airlines says you should ask permission of the person behind you before reclining. I don’t agree with him. It’s the airlines’ fault that a reclined seat inconveniences the person in the row behind.
The problem is primarily with the airlines. They keep shrinking the leg room on us. I am not going to pay for the upgrade all the way to first class just so I won’t get crushed. The seats should be spaced far enough so that the vast majority of people can have the person in front of them recline without getting crushed. But the airlines are willing to sacrifice our comfort for their bottom line. This is an unintended consequence of deregulation. Back in the good old days, everybody had the same fares and had to compete on service. Now it’s get crammed in and if you’re lucky you get a tiny soft drink.
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.
Second, if you’re trying to use the tray table, as I often am because I’m using my laptop, having the seat in front of you in the recline position puts the table in an uncomfortable position.
I’m 5’2-ish, and even I’m cramped in those airline seats. I don’t know how you tall people do it. Your knees must be practically tucked under your chin. I think it’s inconsiderate and rude to put your seat in the reclining position these days. No, it’s not your fault that there’s so little space, but that doesn’t justify encroaching on what little space the person behind you has. That’s why I no longer do it.
The seats recline because they’re the same seats that were in planes when planes had fewer rows. Remember when planes still had ash trays in the lavs even after you couldn’t smoke on planes? Same general situation. As far as I’m concerned, the airlines could change all seats in coach so they can’t recline. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens down the road a few years.
And I think the more crowded people are, the crankier they get, so pity the poor flight attendants.
My mother raised me to be considerate of others. Give up my bus seat for those in more need, don’t shove my bag in their face, don’t eat stinky food in a packed train carriage, queue nicely, that kind of thing. I don’t always stack up to her high standards, but reclining my seat is something I don’t do.
I do agree, however, that it’s the airline’s fault. I just don’t think I should make others suffer because of it.
As a result, I admit I judge others who recline. Just like I judge those who use my head rest to heave themselves into their seat when I’m clearly asleep.
Airline seats don’t recline; they temporally are moved forward during takeoff and landing.
I pay for a reclining seat so I use a reclining seat, I feel no need to apologies for it nor to ask permission, out of common courtesy I have my seat upright when the meals are served. No one has ever asked me for permission and nor should they.
Everyone getting on a plane knows that seats recline, if that is a massive problem for you, don’t fly.
There are some people who try to be considerate of other people, there are people who didn’t realize they were negatively impacting other people, and there are people who don’t care about other people. It’s true in the air and on the ground.
Are there any hard statistics on the amount of legroom offered by airlines? Its decline is always presented as holy writ in these discussions, but it’s pretty hard to find out how much space there was between rows of seats, say, 50 years ago. I’m not sure there’s even a standard way to measure, since things like tray table design can affect this. (It’s not pitch, or at least pitch is only one factor. Pitch includes the seat itself, and old airline seats were really thick. Which has declined more, the pitch or the cushion? Not that the shrinking cushion is entirely good for passengers either.)
Having the seat in front of me in the default position is not a negative impact. If I want more room, I have the option of paying for it.
The entirety of air flight is a miserable experience, from shoe and belt removal for security theater to omnipresent delays that screw up connections. Just accept it. It sucks. Once you accept the misery of flying, you can tilt your seat back and relax.
Like I said: There are some people who try to be considerate of other people, there are people who didn’t realize they were negatively impacting other people, and there are people who don’t care about other people. It’s true in the air and on the ground
And some people try to signal their virtue without making any actual arguments on a debate forum.
Some of us have virtue to signal. You are admitting that you don’t care about the discomfort of others. What is there to debate? You’re only defense is “I don’t care about anyone else.” It’s pointless to argue with you.
Do you also wear a top hat inside a theater because you paid for it and if it blocks somebody’s view then well, they should have paid for a front row seat?
It isn’t that complicated. The seats are too close together yet they still recline as if there was a ton of room behind them. Either don’t recline your seat or look behind you and see if the person is going to suffer discomfort if you do. Placing your comfort ahead of others is quite uncivil and impolite, in my opinion.
I would argue that placing your complete comfort ahead of others is uncivil. If there is someone behind you, don’t recline fully. It’s not hard to practice a little consideration.