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I always try for the exit row. But so does every other tall person (and sometimes not so tall person) and on some airlines, you can’t even get that seat unless you’re a super dooper fresh and fruity elite class member.
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not every airline has first class, and
2a) I’m not made of money.
You make it sound like the airlines are just begging reluctant customers to sit in the exit rows. Those seats are like gold, almost as good as first class on a domestic flight in terms of legroom, and as Raygun99 notes, are now often reserved by airlines for premium frequent fliers and other special members.
Personally, i think it would be a good idea if the airlines reserved those seats for very tall people who are flying coach. At exactly 6’, i don’t really find most airline travel too uncomfortable, but i can’t imagine what it would be like to squeeze a 6’4" frame into one of those seats.
Still, if the person behind me isn’t in that “very tall” category, i’m going to recline if i feel like it.
I guess I don’t fly as much as others on this thread do. The last two times I’ve flown Southwestern I’ve been asked (because of my hefty size, which makes me look like a big, strong boy who can handle a 70-pound emergency door) if I’d like to sit by the emergency exit. Maybe that’s just Southwester, I dunno.
I had to sit on a flight to Brazil where the d-bag in front of me not only reclined, but he put his arm above his head, dangling his hand down into what personal space I had. He did that as soon as he got in his seat, and god bless him, he did it up until an hour before we landed.
I sneezed right onto his hand. Made sure it was wet, too.
Man, what’s with all of the passive aggression? I’ll bet many of these “offenders” are not aware of what they’re doing and would work with you if you were polite about it. Bring a stewardess into it if you don’t feel like a “confrontation.” Jesus, if someone sneezed on my hand because I accidentally got into his space and didn’t even know it, the situation would definitely be addressed!
I guess I’ve always been lucky. I was not aware that this situation existed and I used to fly a couple of times a month.
Same here, Hazle!
Says as she goes out to fly to NYC via Atlanta. And yes, she will recline her seat. Luckily she’s too small for anybody to notice her.
Amen, lock the thread now.
If it bothers you, talk it out. That’s how people work. Passive aggresive kicking, sneezing, spitting is just infantile.
No. I spent most of my life being too skinny. I’ve done a few half ironmen (ironmans?), most recently in July. (I posted a picture of me at the the finish of one in a recent picture thread, although I suppose I could have faked it.) The issue is not fatness. Draw a line from your knees to your eyes. Consider where your forearms end, when your arms are flat at your sides, because remember, there is no room to extend your elbows if you are tall and in economy. (My elbows are on the armrests unless I hold my arms tight against my body.) Where a magazine would be in my hands is maybe 5 inches from the end of my knees. Draw a line straight up from that point to the line connecting your knees to your eyes. Tell me there is room for a magazine. I’ve actually had magazines’ bent in half when the guy in front of my abruptly reclined.
I think the biggest difference here might be between those who fly economy, where the seats are very cramped, and those who don’t. Uzi was among the most belligerent “I paid for a seat that reclines and dammit I’m going to recline” posters. Turns out his company doesn’t stick him in economy.
They put me in business class where available. I do end up flying economy in planes because they don’t have business class, and that you’d really have something to bitch about. These seats make me feel like someone is sticking a knife into my back. The only relief for me is the few inches that they recline. If you feel uncomfortable being tall you have lots of options on that plane: aisle, bulkhead, and exit seats will help you. I only have the option of reclining no matter what seat I’m in. As my seat is designed to recline and that’s what I paid for, I get the choice of who is uncomfortable. When there is a choice between my pain and your pain and I have control over who makes the choice, you have to make a damn good argument to get your way.
By default, I’m reclining. If you don’t like it that I am then speak up and we’ll discuss it. Again, just because you speak doesn’t mean I have to accede to your wishes. This is where people who claim I am rude seem to miss the point. If I am standing in your way and you say excuse me because you want to pass, then I’ll move. But if you have a clear path to go around me, such that I don’t have to move to allow you to pass, then who is the rude one and why should I move?
Wow - I can’t believe how long this thread has lasted. This is far and away the most successful thread I have ever started - my little baby!
I’m glad I started this - it’s been really interesting (if juvenile in places), and I will definitely think of it the next time I’m on a plane. That said I’m pretty sure I won’t stop reclining altogether, because I usually fly long haul and sleeping or at least shifting position is pretty much a necessity. I hope that the anti-recliners will find the way to see the other side of this too.
Picture this (taken from actual events):
I’m flying from Sydney, Australia, to Toronto. Mechanical problems arise after leaving Oz, necessitating a landing in Auckland, thus making me miss my connection in LA. After hours of waiting around I am redirected onto a flight to Chicago. I have now been awake more than 40 hours and am going crazy. Sleep is the only thing I can think about - as soon as we get in the air that seat is going back.
So, maybe that’s why the guy in front of you insists on reclining on that relatively short flight. Try to be a little understanding, and not sneeze on them.
I think the bottom line here is: don’t make silly assumptions about “right to space” or some nonsense.
In other words, be good citizens.
Be willing to notice if someone would be badly inconvenienced. Be willing to be accommodating. Don’t defend your little seat space like it’s some precious territory you must protect at all costs. All space on an airplane is essentially shared, to some greater or lesser extent. Accept that, and be at peace.
For myself, if someone like Meyer6 were in front of me, and politely asked to recline the seat all the way despite my long legs because of his traveling ordeal, I would of course be accommodating as much as I can. But then, I think it would be reasonable to expect him to offer me similar accommodation under a reverse in circumstances, and give my knees a break.