What cuts both ways? The old lady? In that case, I would most assuredly NOT relinquish my seat to her and would likely notify an authoritative figure of a rogue cut-happy geriatric on the bus. What has this world come to anyway? Crazy ol’ ladies, always tryin’ to give some honest bus rider a cuttin’… sheesh.
Seriously though, you completely missed my point. The old lady reference was mainly for dawson’s benefit, as he is the one proclaiming that if you’re tall enough for reclining to bother you, you should *obviously *just fly first class or stop traveling. If you would kindly scoll up and look at the post I made minutes before that one, you would see my original point. I would, by all means, allow that space to accomodate a brother (or sister, for that matter) in peril. That person paid for that space, just as I paid for the 3 inches behind my seat. Though technically I have a right to it, I can choose to share it with someone else if I like. Moral decency dictates that, in the case of someone tall or injured behind me, that I concede the space, even if I did indeed pay for it. This the concept that folks like Uzi and dawson fail to recognize. Likewise, the person in front of me paid for the three inches behind his seat as well. It is his space to use as he sees fit. I would never ask the person in front of me to not recline unless I had a broken leg or a pressing medical issue such that agonizing pain would necessitate the request. I generally put my seat back, as it is much more comfortable (and I sometimes suffer from back issues myself). If someone were overly tall or otherwise had a problem with it, and asked me in a polite fashion not to, I would respond in kind. Yes, I paid for my seat, including the space it takes to recline it. It is at my discression to utilize that space or not. While I prefer the comfort of a reclined seat, if there is a good reason not to (such as a larger-type or injured-ish person behind me), I won’t. I expect the same from everyone else, including the fellow (or fellette, for all you feminists out there) in front of me. They have a right to recline, same as me. If I ask nicely for them not to, it is their choice to concede the space they paid for or not. Granted, I don’t ever ask, I’m 5’10" and it’s only a very minor inconvenience to me, but if I suddenly hit that all-too-familiar mid-20’s growth spurt, I might feel the need to voice my request.
Ok it’s now like 3:45am (I’m in India) and the Ambien has obviously kicked in because I’m now seeing triple. Sorry for any typo errors.
Many people in this thread have cited that reclining does help their back pain. It is also the only way to sleep for many. From my point of view having the person in front of me recline does next to nothing. Funny how people have different perspectives and all.
The “don’t recline!” people must all have torsos that are fourteen feet around. I’m 6’ tall, and I’ve flown on puddlejumper jets and 747s, and everything in between, and reclining has never prevented me from doing anything I wanted to do.
I can kinda see how I might find the space a bit restrictive if I was, say, making balloon animals, or having sex. I can also see how the seatback might hit you in the knees if you’re really tall.
That said, my legs are long and my torso is short and I had a good eight inches of kneeroom last time I flew (in coach), on a British Airways 777.
Usually bulkhead and exit row seats are reserved for premier executive card holders or higher on United at least. But the seats don’t recline, there is more legroom though. And I check seatguru for the best seat for my need on that flight.
I fly a lot and have reached elite status on some airlines in the past and presently and noone has ever asked me if they can recline their seat. I expect them to recline because the seat has that function. I normally don’t as it isn’t comfortable for me but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it happened. I know people have asked others for their aisle seat which is always declined by the aisle seat holder.
I am more bothered by someone who is resting or spilling into my seat or sitting next to someone with a lot of perfume/cologne. Or having a kid kicking the back of my seat.
I can’t sleep in economy class. But I can make it as comfortable as I can for myself which means I would like to recline, even if it is only a couple of inches.
And if you want to do ‘business’ then fly business class. Otherwise, you are flying cattle class and that means everyone is pretty much uncomfortable to varying degrees.
WTF? Because I recline my seat the 3 lousy inches that it allows me you are going to go all postal? Some other idiot says he will garrote the person in front of him for it. And I’m the rude one?
OQO There you go. Now can I recline in peace? Good.
3" inches stops you from reading a magazine? Maybe a newspaper, but a magazine? Yeah, right.
Really, I have no desire to meet you.
Work for a company that cares about their employees. Mine flies me business class, where available, so it is unlikely that we’ll ever meet.
Geez, get some perspective. I’m talking about reclining a seat, not assaulting someone. If you sit behind me, ask and I’ll listen. But, don’ t confuse asking with telling. And any threats will be met with the contempt it deserves, nor do I care how ‘big’ you think you are. What? Are we in a schoolyard?
Given that the seat only “reclines” about 3 inches or so back in the cattle car where I ride, I do it immediately. It won’t affect the person in back of me that much.
And if you want to do ‘business’ then fly business class. Otherwise, you are flying cattle class and that means everyone is pretty much uncomfortable to varying degrees.
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I’m just running your quotes in reverse. No company I’ve ever worked for has been willing to pay for business class.
Well he went too far. But yes, that 3 lousy inches are the inches a magazine, or even a hardback extend into. If you recline your seat, the on anything like a 767 operated by United, I can put a small paperback on my diaphragm and attempt to read it, but otherwise I’m left with nothing to do but stare at your head.
No flight I have been on since the 80’s has enough space for any laptop. And no, I’m not counting glorified phones as a laptop.
What flights do you usually take? I fly to Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, DFW, Lihue, Newark, and Philly fairly regularly. I’m usually forced to take either United or American. On no flight have I been able to place a magazine on my lap and read it, if the person in front of me reclines and I’m not holding the seat up with my legs because I carelessly moved them to the side. Think about it. If the seat hits my knees, and angles towards my head, exactly where would a magazine fit.
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It’s not about caring. The government and government contractors are ruled by the FAR. The FAR will not let them pay for business class. It is all part of saving your tax dollar.
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Reclining into my knees is far closer to assault than someone pulling up the armrest. All the same logic applies. The only difference is the armrest violates your sense of personal space, whereas your reclining actually hurts. And frankly, I don’t believe you would listen without something along the lines of physical intimidation. Not from the stridency of your posts.
I have never, in any plane (737, 767, MD80, A320), been so cramped by a recliner that i can’t easily rest a paperback or a magazine (Newsweek or Time size) on my lap to read.
As i said earlier in the thread, it’s always a little more pleasant when the person in front of you doesn’t recline, but some people act as if it’s like being placed in a full body restraint.
I guess i must, then, have imagined all the laptops i saw on the flight i took from Baltimore to San Diego this week.
I flew through O’Hare, and on the leg from Chicago to San Diego i had to get up to use the bathroom. It was dark outside the plane, and the cabin lights were dimmed, and the whole plane was lit by the rather eerie glow of LCD screens playing movies, showing spreadsheets, etc., etc. There were only about 8 rows between my seat and the bathroom, but there must have been at least a dozen people using laptops in those 8 rows alone.
I was on American, and the plane was a McDonnell Douglas Super 80. Hardly a plane with a reputation for lots of spare room.
I just realized something. These conflicting “no room for a mag/computer/book” vs. “plenty of room for a mag/computer/book” pronouncements might be a reflection of differences in how thick their bodies are through the middle.
Fat distribution varies a lot. A thin guy, or one whose extra fat is distributed evenly around his body, may very well have 6 or more “extra” inches between his belt buckle and the seat back ahead of thim that the guy with a significant pouch/beer belly type figure might not.
I know one of my uncles was never happy with a laptop computer because he had a MAJOR beer belly and as a result, way too much of his ‘lap’ vanished beneath his protruding belly when he was seated. This left him having to balance a laptop on something like last six inches of his thighs (measuring up from the knee I mean) which was insecure and made it hard to reach the keyboard comfortably.
So – you ‘tall’ guys who don’t have room to hold a book on your lap, time to fess up. Do you have a big gut that is eating up some of that room?
As someone who flies a LOT (21 flights in the past four months), and as a 6’5" 220 pound guy, I want to weigh in that I hate people that recline. Especially people who recline and then shift constantly in their seat, bouncing it off my knees.
Maybe it’s just me, but I couldn’t even imagine being so rude as to invade someone’s already limited space on an airplane.
The next logical question, of course, is who gets the armrests? I say the poor sap in the middle should get both of the inside armrests, and the aisle and window guy get the outside ones.
At 6’6", plane flights are uncomfortable for me in just about any circumstance, but I hold to a middle ground. I recline only slightly if someone is behind me, and don’t worry if the person ahead of me reclines slightly themselves. I might complain if the person in front of me reclines all the way, but if you’re the dude on the last flight I took who uses his seat like a fucking rocking chair, yeah, you’re getting my knees in the small of your back for as long as I can hold it.
The seats are meant to be reclined. If you need extra legroom, you can choose seats by the escape hatches or fly first class. I always volunteer to sit by the escape door over the wing.
