Reclining your airplane seat with someone behind you: rude?

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Maybe it's just my dumb luck... whenever I get a seat with no one behind me... I recline my seat to see what the fuss is about. However, I am hard pressed to tell the difference between "Recline" and "Upright"...... the seat maybe reclines 1-2 degrees, at best... lol

(Of course, then I hear the horror stories of folks who recline so much you could perform dental work on them)

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

(Of course, then I hear the horror stories of folks who recline so much you could perform dental work on them)

Me too and I wonder what airlines they fly that recline that far.
I have yet to be bothered by anyone reclining. Heck, it does not even touch my knees.

 

[Princess49]

Please don't think I'm rude! I also believe in the gloden rule-- If we just ALL recline, all will be well! Even when the person in front of me is fully reclined- I can still watch my tv on the seat in front of me, even if I am fully upright! I normally recline freely unless the person behind me has their table down, then I ask. But I do think it would be rude to recline & unrecline a lot throughout the flight-- when the light goes off, I go down & if for some reason I come back up, I keep it that way for the rest of the flight. Also-- I have only flown about 10 times in my life but all of those times, I was never seated behind a seat that could recline so much that someone was visible to me over the top of their seat- it sounds like some of these planes have lazy boy recliners on them! Again please don't think I'm rude- I am a very curteous person & if asked not to recline- for a good reason- I would comply- but I just don't think that I should have to sit upright for a whole flight because the person behind me might think I'm rude!

 

[uksaint]

Wow, most of you guys can sit in front of me anytime!! The person in front of me ALWAYS seems to want to recline. As I am 6'4" you can imagine the discomfort on an 8 hour transatlantic stint. I don't mind anyone reclining one or two notches, but does it have to be all the way. My experience of asking people to move their seats up a little would give results something like this

3 out of 10 will say 'Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realise' and happily adjust their seat.

6 out of 10 will express their displeasure by means of deep sigh, or muttering something like 'I paid my fare I should be entitled to recline in comfort', but will begrudgingly adjust their seat. 2 of these 6 will slowly recline it again during course of flight.

1 out of 10 will refuse, except during meals when almost everybody raises their seat a little.

Just my experience.

BTW, I once had someone recline their seat into my knees - before I could react - they slammed back into their seat so forcibly that I actually had cuts on my knees. Of course, I did not realise this until I got home, but how I would have loved to show that person what they had done!!!

 

[kdibattista]

I don't necessarily think its rude but I would feel very funny doing it. I don't like it much either when the person in front of me reclines back.

 

[seashoreCM]

People who slam their seats back spilling food or causing injuries should be reported to the airline staff instantly.

One good reason for telling the airline you will seek compensation from it, and then doing so, is to induce the airline to take sanctions against the responsible individual. By the way, it behooves the airline to cooperate with the aggrieved passenger. Failure of the airline to help is the reason for things like giving the passenger in front some of the spilled food as well as the water and sneeze.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

If you park too close to the next car at the side of the street, yours can expect touchy feely as it tries to pull out.

 

[chucknrita]

I have to agree with Princess49's post:

"Again please don't think I'm rude- I am a very courteous person & if asked not to recline- for a good reason- I would comply- but I just don't think that I should have to sit upright for a whole flight because the person behind me might think I'm rude!"

Most seats don't recline THAT far back, as far as I know (I've flown United, Continental, Delta, USAir, American, Korean Airlines and Thai Airways). To me, there is a noticeable difference between sitting upright and leaning back that 1-2 degrees or whatever it is, and reclining back really helps on those 11-hour+ flights to Asia. Of course, no one is supposed to have their seats reclined during mealtimes...all flights I've been on, the flight attendants go around and make sure people put their seats up during meals.

 

[Eeyore1954]

It's kind of amusing that the pro-recliners point out that the seats only recline 1 or 2 degrees. That must be the result of the "new" math!

When I can see more than the back of your head (and I am not a tall person by a long shot!), your seat is reclined more than 1 or 2 degrees.

I agree with others though -- I would not mind if the person took a moment to ask. I'd probably always say "Yes, please do." It's just that the gesture of courtesy would help so much.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by Eeyore1954
It's kind of amusing that th pro-recliners point out that the seats only recline 1 or 2 degrees. That must be the result of the "new" math!

I actually got out there with a protracter and... lol j/k... My school actually did have "New Math"... we were guinnea pigs for this new math curriculum put out by HoughtonMifflen (? not sure if that's correct... this was 10 years ago... omg... has it been that long?!) We never had Math books... rather, every few weeks, we'd get these testing booklets marked "CONFIDENTIAL" and those were our math books. It was fairly nice because we could write in them... lol

At any rate... whatever the proper measurement... I've never had an airline seat that could recline very much.

 

[Jen D]

The toddler issue reminds me-- I used to carry my daughter's toddler car seat on, which put her much higher in the airplane seat. I have had recliners who recline back and basically pin the kid to the seat, since a reclined seat will touch the car seat. It's pretty much impossible to stop the kid from kicking the seat, moving is kicking.

 

[Mom of 5]

I would never recline my seat unless the seat behind me was unoccupied. I just can't stand to have someone in front of me recline their seat - it's just too cramped and uncomfortable when someone is reclining on my lap. It's one of my pet peeves about flying.

If the airlines want to provide reclining seats, I think they should provide much more legroom.

 

[chucknrita]

Most of the people posting here said that they would first ask the person sitting behind them if it's okay to recline their seat back. My question is this: Why SHOULD I have to ask the person behind me if it's okay to recline my seat? Why am I being rude if I don't? What if the person said no - - don't I have a right to be comfortable on the flight too? I never slam my seat back onto anybody so I think I'm pretty considerate in that respect. Okay, I'm ready for you all to flame me now!

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by chucknrita
Most of the people posting here said that they would first ask the person sitting behind them if it's okay to recline their seat back. My question is this: Why SHOULD I have to ask the person behind me if it's okay to recline my seat? Why am I being rude if I don't? What if the person said no - - don't I have a right to be comfortable on the flight too? I never slam my seat back onto anybody so I think I'm pretty considerate in that respect. Okay, I'm ready for you all to flame me now!

No flames from me! But to answer your question...

On many planes I fly there is not that much space between the back of your seat and my personal space. To be comfortable, most people need a certain amount of open space around them.

For me, I need some extra room to hold my book out to read. I wear bi-focals, but sometimes, I need to hold the book a little further away. (I know, I know -- go to the eye doctor, but I can't afford new bifocals right now.)

The problem I have is two-fold: when most people recline, it first invades my own perceived personal space and second it pushes my book/arm/hand closer to my face (unless I want to rest my hand on their head - YIKES!). Result: I feel uncomfortable and l cannot read easily thus making the flight seem much longer and more intolerable.

I suppose I could solve this by flying first class all the time, 'cept that my company won't spring for a 1st class ticket. So I am stuck in coach.

 

[J&J]

We try to be comferable but yet considered on the person in back of us. The worse problem we have is when you go to the bathroom, the person in front has their seat so far back and will not pull it up for you to get out. Then you are doing a balancing act and if in a three row seat hope the person next to you understands.

 

[Jen D]

Originally posted by chucknrita
Why SHOULD I have to ask the person behind me if it's okay to recline my seat? Why am I being rude if I don't? What if the person said no - - don't I have a right to be comfortable on the flight too?

I don't really want to flame you-- I'm genuinely interested in everyone's responses-- but when you lean your seat back, you basically give yoursellf all this EXTRA comfort while significantly REDUCING someone else's comfort level. It's considered rude because it is selfish.

If every single person reclines their seat, then all is equal, but then no one can eat, use their laptops, and going to the john is damn near impossible.

 

[Mish19]

I don't like when people recline their seat all the way back, it's a comfort issue with me. I have leg room if someone does recline far back but I just don't see why my personal space needs to be invaded. When I flew to London from New York I had a feeling the person in front of me was going to recline and I wanted to read in comfort so I held the chair back right before the person reclined. I just got back from a trip to WDW on a very empty plane. The woman in front of me layed across the 3 seats in her row and reclined EACH one, now was that necessary?
I feel uncomfortable reclining so that it my personal preference.
I guess I wouldn't make a big deal with the person in front of me reclining unless they were really close to me.

 

[Wes]

Since this question seems perfect for a poll, I have started a separate thread so you can vote on it.

 

[chucknrita]

I'm not trying to start any arguments, uprisings, etc., and I'm posting this question in a nice tone so I'd really appreciate responses back in the same manner:

What is this "personal space" everyone keeps talking about in their posts? You pay for an airline seat and you get your seat, just like the next person. Where does this "personal space" start and stop? What if you're in a middle seat and have to share an armrest with someone...who does it belong to?

 

[donmil723]

Airplane seats recline?????????????

 

[RachelEllen]

I've never been bothered by people reclining their seats. Yes, it makes my space smaller, but it's pretty small to begin with, and I've never thought of that space as 'mine' or that they have to ask permission to use it. Kind of like that armrest, no ones' 'rude' you just have to share

Do the folks who think one has to ask permission think this changes at night? The only time I recline my seat is to take a nap (rare) or sleep on a red-eye. If it's an expected sleep time, should we expect everyone to recline? Is the one person who now wants to read being rude if they insist (or do the knee jamming, very rude in my book) on using my reclining space so they can stay upright?

Rachel