# Is reclining your seat on an airplane rude? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621 "2008-11-20T06:57:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/101 "2008-11-20T23:53:29Z")
I am sharing this with every flyer I meet who is over 6’ now. 😉 You rock. Thank you. > [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > That’s when you save your packet of pepper from your meal and snort it, a little of a time, and sneeze repeatedly on the person’s head who is reclining in your lap. > > You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Libre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@Libre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Libre)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/102 "2008-11-20T23:54:03Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > As for asking first, I have flown a lot and no one has ever, ever asked me if I am okay with them reclining in front of me. To me, this is a sad statement of just how scared we are of communicating with strangers, or (I think less likely) how inconsiderate we are. On a longer flight, I think many of us taller folk sit there attempting to juggle the two equal truths of wanting to be both considerate AND comfortable for as long as we can bear it. We sit there silently swearing never to fly coach again (hating that we can’t afford anything else or that we’re not higher up the ladder in our jobs) and cursing the airlines for cramming us into these impossible spaces. Finally, anger and frustration win out and we press that little button on the armrest and ease the seat back an inch or two, hoping to get just a little relief. Two minutes later, our butts are number than ever and our backs are still aching. We try to shift some of the weight onto an armrest, etc. Sit on one butt cheek. Roll on the other one. Nothing works. Ultimately, the minutes drift into hours and we succumb to a kind of air-conditioned altitude stupor as we give into the painful inevitability that is economy air travel. ☹ Airline travel in coach class sucks. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/103 "2008-11-21T00:19:39Z")
> [@dawson](#): > > You’re the one on the high horse! Am I forcing you to stay in school full time instead of earning a wage? NO! So don’t bitch to me about what you can and can’t afford. Just because you want to stay in school for the rest of your life the rest of us should cow-tow to your needs? Puhleaze!!! > Don’t fly until you can afford a seat with more leg room or until the airlines change the seats so they don’t recline. Did it ever occur to you that the upright position is not all that comfortable for me? No, of course not! It’s all about you isn’t it? I hope, that if I’m ever in a plane behind you, Diogenes is next to me. I almost always fly for business - as in they make me travel. They will reimburse the cost of coach, nothing else. Do you really expect someone to pay an extra $400, $600, or even $1000 just so they don’t have to sit behind a self-centered jerk like you? I’m only about 6’2", but I guess my legs are long. Once, I ran the London Marathon. I flew back across the Atlantic the next day. The row in front of me was the bulkhead row, with almost 3 extra feet of legroom. As soon as allowed, the guy in front of me put his seat back. There went the headphones in that seat pouch into two convenient pieces. I asked him to move up, he refused. I spent a couple of agonizing hours in misery holding him up. When I could take the pain no longer, got up and stood in the back for as many hours as I could, before the stewardesses made me go back to my seat. I honestly could not get back in my seat. I asked the guy in front of me to sit up so I could get in. He said, “Just get in!” with a dismissive gesture. I said, “You don’t understand, I don’t fit.” He said, “Tough!” I told him, “I really don’t fit. Sit up, or I’ll sit in your #\*&! lap!” He finally looked at me, realized I was bigger than him and pissed, and moved. I couldn’t walk right for days. That must have you, or your father. First class would have cost thousands more, and so we wouldn’t have made our only overseas trip, but at least I wouldn’t have been selfishly taking up too much space so that his seat couldn’t recline the whole way. ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/104 "2008-11-21T00:42:40Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > You know I just don’t get your attitude. > > But I have to say its attitudes like this that make me glad I can stop people from reclining completely and they have no choice in the matter. Of course my ability is help by the painkillers I take just to deal with the positions that I have to bend into to fit on some of the planes I fly on. My company will only pay for coach and I don’t make enough money to pay for an upgrade myself and despite my quarterly flights I still haven’t earned enough frequent flyer miles to get a free upgrade. How prey tell, do you stop someone from reclining, and they have no choice in the matter? Has anyone ever complained to the attendant that the person in front of them is reclined? If so, outside of during meal time and takeoff or departure, what is the airlines position on this? Look, the airlines order the airplanes and outfit as they see fit. Two rows, ten rows, whatever the laws allow. They put in seats that recline. Why? So people can avail themselves of this feature. They calculate that space as yours when you pay for the damn seat. The fact is if you’re of average or shorter height (which the seats are made to accomodate) then someone reclining in front of you won’t impose on you. If your taller than average or have abnormally long legs, then _your_ the one who requires more space than you have paid for, and _you_ are infringing upon \*my \*right to occupy space I paid for. Don’t expect the world to cater to you just because your tall, anymore than the NBA should lower their nets so short people can dunk! ---
**Author:** ![fatnugly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@fatnugly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatnugly)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/105 "2008-11-21T00:48:18Z")
You look for the cheapest possible fare. Most airlines are in financial difficulty. They need to cram the most people into the least possible space to continue flying. If you want more space fly business or first. If you are too cheap, don’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/106 "2008-11-21T00:49:10Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Funny. I’ve never had a miserable flight in my life and I’ve always sat in coach. A few months ago I flew 12 hours nonstop to Israel and had no issues whatsoever. Sounds like you go in looking to become upset. Well most people do find it uncomfortable, harried, and onerous. Just because a bedouin can travel across the desert on a camel doesn’t make it the height of luxury. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/107 "2008-11-21T01:14:16Z")
Last December, my husband and I flew from the US to the UK. The couple in front of had their seats fully reclined the entire flight (except when the attendants asked them to straighten up for meals). It was a BMI flight and the seats reclined much more than usual, which made it extra special. Jerks. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/108 "2008-11-21T01:39:51Z")
I’m 6’2 and pretty long legged. I’ll sometimes recline a little (about 1/2 an inch) if my back starts hurting because it seems to help, but not otherwise. I don’t mind if people recline, but at some point they’re going to run into my legs and I’m going to have to say something as they’re going to be causing actual pain and not just discomfort. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/109 "2008-11-21T02:12:32Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Recline your seat if you must, but don’t try lifting the armrest. It’s staying DOWN. You’re six inches across. Spare a thought for the big folk. 😉 That said, I don’t give a shit if you think it’s rude that I’m reclining my seat. I’m tall.I paid for a seat that came with a reclining button, not a shrieking harpy. If you want more space, go buy a business class ticket. Or specify a seat at the front of the row. Just quit bothering me while I fill out this stupid landing card. ETA: **fatnugly** , are you me? ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/110 "2008-11-21T02:26:29Z")
> [@dawson](#): > > How prey tell, do you stop someone from reclining, and they have no choice in the matter? Has anyone ever complained to the attendant that the person in front of them is reclined? If so, outside of during meal time and takeoff or departure, what is the airlines position on this? > Look, the airlines order the airplanes and outfit as they see fit. Two rows, ten rows, whatever the laws allow. They put in seats that recline. Why? So people can avail themselves of this feature. They calculate that space as yours when you pay for the damn seat. The fact is if you’re of average or shorter height (which the seats are made to accomodate) then someone reclining in front of you won’t impose on you. If your taller than average or have abnormally long legs, then _your_ the one who requires more space than you have paid for, and _you_ are infringing upon \*my \*right to occupy space I paid for. Don’t expect the world to cater to you just because your tall, anymore than the NBA should lower their nets so short people can dunk! Well, I have this huge secret. Mainly that I’m huge, my knees touch the back of the seat infront of me when its upright and the top of my knees is above the top of the armrests, so withoutbreaking my legs the seat infront cannot lean back. So I keep people from leaning back and they have no choice. As for your theory that we are given a set space and we can use it however we want with no consideration of the people around us. That sure sounds like the deffination of rude. Just because you have the right and ability to do something doesn’t make you a jerk for causing pain to the people around you. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/111 "2008-11-21T02:55:43Z")
> [@dawson](#): > > If your taller than average or have abnormally long legs, then _your_ the one who requires more space than you have paid for, and _you_ are infringing upon \*my \*right to occupy space I paid for. Unfortunately I’m not a runway model, so I don’t get paid extra for having fabulously long legs. Still, I’m perfectly comfortable on a airplane - even in coach - except when some less than considerate gentleman or lady in front of me decides to unfairly extend his or her alloted space by infringing on my alloted space. May I suggest that if you insist on flying in a semi-horizontal position, you should try the sleeper seats in first class. ---
**Author:** ![Jaglavak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jaglavak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaglavak)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/112 "2008-11-21T03:46:52Z")
About half y’all are out of your tree. I have long legs and I can deal with a fully reclined seat in front of me if I sit with my butt against the seatback instead of slouching. That’s how the seats are built, that’s the airline policy, and I have no right or expectation that the guy in front of me will not recline his seat. You’d have to have at least a 36" inseam to have a problem with it, and I seriously doubt if many of you are _that_ tall. Having said all that, it is mighty tight and I would happily pay 30% extra for 30% more space. But I can’t seem to find that deal offered anywhere. Airlines really do suck ass. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/113 "2008-11-21T04:14:54Z")
Recliners are absolute scum. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/114 "2008-11-21T04:15:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > You guys just must be flying nicer airplanes that I am, because on the last several flights I’ve taken “omg he put his seat ALL THE WAY BACK” would mean that he put his seat a whole inch back. Of course if somebody said something I’d never recline, and I try to do it slowly, but seriously, it goes back such a tiny little way these days and can be such a comfort issue for my back that I’m really shocked so many people are calling it rude. That’s like saying that somebody next to you turning on their directed reading lamp and reading while you’re trying to take a nap on a plane is rude - it’s just one of those little airplane annoyances. I’m glad you said this - I was starting to think I was crazy. The idea that reclining leaves someones ‘head in your lap’ is just plain ridiculous on every plane I’ve ever been on. I’ve also never seen a case where reclining meant you couldn’t see the TV or use the tray table for a drink or something. The bottom line is that I paid for the seat, and the seat reclines, so I recline it to increase my comfort. If the person behind me politely asked me to cease, I might consider it, or I might agree to a compromise (like only reclining for a few hours of a very long flight, or only going halfway or something). But, I do not respond to passive aggressive bullshit under any circumstances. I can’t believe people are actually admitting to deliberately kicking the seat, allowing children to kick, poking, hitting, and otherwise hassling the person in front of you. Are you incapable of asking for something nicely? Or are you doing it that way because you know they are actually well within their rights? ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/115 "2008-11-21T04:29:10Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > Or are you doing it that way because you know they are actually well within their rights? Of course people who recline their seats are within their rights. So are people who use their cellphones at the cinema or bring too many groceries to the express lane or make mean comments to strangers on the street. Just because their behavior is within their rights doesn’t make it commendable. I take it on faith that most people who recline their seats **don’t** realize they are causing discomfort to the people behind them. That’s why it helps to have a thread like this. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/116 "2008-11-21T04:32:28Z")
Using you cellphone in the cinema and having too many items in the express lane are both against the rules. That’s not a reasonable comparison at all. If you don’t think that people realize you are uncomfortable, then why don’t you tell talk to them about it? ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/117 "2008-11-21T04:46:43Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > Using you cellphone in the cinema and having too many items in the express lane are both against the rules. That’s not a reasonable comparison at all. If you don’t think that people realize you are uncomfortable, then why don’t you tell talk to them about it? I don’t think that people are necessarily always ignorant when it comes to the knowledge that they are inconveniencing another person. I also don’t think that people always need to necessarily go out of their way to make sure that everyone around them is 100% comfortable. Take a concert for example - I don’t believe that super tall people should always have to stand at the back, but I do it, because I am self conscious about being in people’s ways. I don’t think though, that casting an eye behind you to see if anyone is going to be greatly inconvenienced is a huge leap for anyone to make. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/118 "2008-11-21T05:23:02Z")
> [@Jaglavak](#): > > You’d have to have at least a 36" inseam to have a problem with it, and I seriously doubt if many of you are _that_ tall. A 36" inseam isn’t _that_ tall. It’s only tall-ish. (I have a 35 inch inseam and I’m 5’7" which is slightly above average) Many people are tall-ish. ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/119 "2008-11-21T05:36:05Z")
If the person in front of me reclines, then I can no longer use my laptop. The viewing angle becomes too acute and I cannot read the screen. I also almost lost a laptop when it was wedged between the tray table and the top of the recess in the seat back, and the guy in front reclined. It cracked the case, but the display still worked. On A320’s, 737s, MD-80s, and 747s, when a seat is reclined in from of me, there is only about 3 to 4 inches from the tip of my nose to the back of the seat. It starts comparing to an MRI for claustrophobia. I will then rest my book or magazine on the top of the seat, simply because there is no room anywhere else for me. So if the passenger behind you has a laptop, please don’t recline. I have to remember that sneezing trick… Who would want their scalp showered in snot? Re the armrest, the intensity of the negatiuve reactions here surprise me. After all, it’s not like we’re sitting naked in a sauna in Dusseldorf or anything. And you’re just sitting side by side, it’s not like you’re lying down on top of each other. People get that close on the bus & subway all the time, it seems. In any case, the armrest is not going to prevent hips and legs touching underneath anyway. I prefer the armrest up, as it does give me more room, but i just ask politely at the beginning if my seatmate would prefer it down. I always comply. Oh well, I guess I just have to add that to the list I need to remember of things some people find icky, along with having your peas touch your mashed potatoes on your plate and strangers complimenting your beauty… The Dope is useful for that… ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621/120 "2008-11-21T06:35:51Z")
> [@trupa](#): > > On A320’s, 737s, MD-80s, and 747s, when a seat is reclined in from of me, there is only about 3 to 4 inches from the tip of my nose to the back of the seat. It starts comparing to an MRI for claustrophobia. I will then rest my book or magazine on the top of the seat, simply because there is no room anywhere else for me. I know it can seem claustrophobic, but unless you have an immensely large head or are actively leaning forward, that is just not possible. The seat pitch on a 737 is 31 inches, with a 3 inch recline ([site](http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/aircraft/733.aspx)). That leaves you 28 inches in between. Unless your head is almost 2 feet from back to front (or, as I said, you are leaning forward), the seat is not 3 or 4 inches from you. Also, I have to ask, how am I supposed to know if the person behind me is using a laptop? I’m unclear as to how I could see that, even if I tried to glance back. It’s not that easy to see what the people behind you are doing. And again with the suggestions of sneezing on peoples heads - jeez, just talk to the guy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reclining-your-seat-on-an-airplane-rude/473621.md?page=7)