I’ll buy that. If someone reclines partially and doesn’t either crush my knees or thrust the tray table into my gut, I’m cool with that.
Of course you don’t recline fully, because it’s an airline seat. You can’t recline fully. Nobody’s talking about reclining fully. We’re talking about reclining the slight amount that’s possible in an airline seat.
Complicating the issue is that packing more people onto planes reduces the environmental impact of each person flying. That means that policies that we don’t like as passengers (less space per seat, overbooking flights, charging more per luggage) are actually passing on part of the environmental costs of flying to us. Which is better for the people of the world, collectively.
And in general, packing people closer together reduces the impact of each person on the environment. We, as a society, have to learn how to handle being in closer proximity to each other.
Damn, good point, but I think we’re packed tighter than we should be at this point.
Exactly, recline a bit, but never during meal service. If people just agreed to that, I’d be happy. I’m 6’1" and someone coming all the way back means that my knees are embedded in their seat back.
These threads always end up with one side arguing on behalf of basic civility and courtesy and the other side saying “nope” over and over again.
I always ask. I have* only once *ever been asked please not to recline my seat. The passenger behind me was 6’7, and it was not an overnight flight. It was a fairly short day flight, but I had just been on an international flight, on which I had not gottenenough sleep, and was very tired. I dozed sitting up nonetheless. I had tried to get premium, and had not been successful, and I assumed it was the same with him.
I also always sit up during meals. I even ask flight attendants to put my seat up if I am asleep during a meal, and not in first class.
I’m going to disagree here. I have no problem with varying levels of comfort with variation in price. If I could fly cheaper than I do today in exchange for standing the entire time, I’d consider it.
Which completely ignores the fact that many routes simply don’t offer first class - or even “comfort class” seating. So you and every other passenger get to complete for the 12 out of 130+ seats that are in emergency exit rows.
To all the people who say they’ll recline their seats no matter what: what if your seat is literally hitting a tall person’s knees behind you? What do you expect them to do? Sit sideways? No space.
It’s pretty much the same as jabbing them with your elbow. It’s a physical assault.
There are only so many aisle seats available, and it’s discriminatory and ridiculous to make tall people pay hundreds of dollars more for first class to not get banged up.
Is there a problem making someone who is morbidly obese buy two seats if they take up two seats?
Of course reclining a seat is ok. It’s a built in function.
I was wondering the same thing.
does the theater provide top hats for the customers to wear?
Wouldn’t the person stopping you reclining be putting their comfort ahead of others as well?
I’m tall and I have long legs and I’ve never had a problem with crushed knees even on the tightest of flights. The only problem with a reclining seat that I’ve ever found is when I’m eating so I never recline at that point, otherwise, I use the facility for my comfort and I suggest others do the same and not worry about it.
Ryanair actually went to non-reclining seats on their newer planes and that solves the issue completely.
I don’t think so but that seems like a different thing to a reclining seat. For the recline you are using a known and sanctioned function in a standard way. When you spill over from your seat into another one into your neighbour, it isn’t.
If the recline function was broken and went much further back then that *would *be cause for complaint.
Fly first class.
When you purchase an economy seat, you need to know what you’re getting into: minimal service from flight attendant, little leg room, and a good chance the person in front of you will recline their seat.
I’m sure THIS time we’ll reach agreement on this topic! :rolleyes: How many years ago was it that some yahoo was marketing some kind of devices to prevent reclining?
This is pretty much my position:
For all those folk who say, “How much does it really infringe upon the person in back’s space?”, I respond, “Does reclining a couple of inches really make you that much more comfortable?” When I am subjected to an uncomfortable situation along with other people, I try to do what I can (within reason) to avoid making things less comfortable for the others. Reclining one’s seat is a (relatively minor) way in which one selfishly causes (relatively minor) discomfort to a fellow passenger. Air travel is so damned unpleasant in so many respects, that I just can’t get worked up about it one way or another. But I personally never recline.
FTR - 6’3", and for the past few years I have always flown first class. Just decided to do what I could to make the beginning and end of my travel suck a little less.
Once we resolve this, can we address the folk who bring carry-ons that exceed the stated limits, and place them in overhead bins other than directly above their seats? :dubious:
The idea that this is all the airlines’ fault is a fallacy. Everyone loves to moan about airlines - how service is deteriorating, how the airlines are sneakily making us pay more. But if you look at actual data it shows that airline travel is very substantially better in every respect than it has been in the past: safer, cheaper, more efficient.
People love to moan and say they want more services and more space, if only those mean airlines would give it to them. But their actions show otherwise. Consumer behavior shows that what people actually want is simply a ticket price that’s a cheap as possible. Unbundled no-frills pricing with minimal inclusive services and putting as many people on the plane as possible allow airlines to give the consumer what they want.
Almost all airlines do offer extra-legroom seats for a small premium. If you book early, you can usually get a deal on business class seats. It’s often possible to get a business class seat for less money than you would have paid for an economy seat 25 years ago.
If there were a huge demand for flights with far more seats with substantially more legroom at a higher cost, why on earth do you think airlines wouldn’t provide this and make a killing?
I’m far from being obese. I am tall. So I’m missing your point.
I recline my seat slightly, if at all, since I’m not a dick. And I fly Southwest where first class isn’t an option.
I was responding to:
If someone is too wide to fit in the airline-provided seat, they need to buy two seats. Maybe someone outside the norm WRT height needs to buy a seat that can accommodate their height.
That’s a tough one. If they’re large enough that the person next to them is getting squished in their own seat, then I guess they should pay for 2 seats. But how obese is too obese? Where’s the limit? Do we have to measure their width? It seems pretty absurd. I don’t have a good answer to your question.