I’m 6’7 and 330. I’m screwed either way. I’m a decent human being, so I don’t recline. Here’s the part I don’t get. We have the “hey fatty, don’t spill over into my chair” argument. I get that, and I’m always conscious of that on planes or at sporting events. However, if the space directly above my legs is a free for all because the chair reclines, then why isn’t the horizontal space to my left and right a free for all? as long as I’m not touching your chair, I’m good, right? I’ve had people recline on me in such a fashion that I could have kissed their forehead.
On the bright side, 2 of the last 3 times I’ve flown, I’ve been told discretely that I could move up to a larger seat once the flight was under way. I hope it’s because I’m ruggedly handsome, but I’m guessing it’s because nobody wants to sit next to a guy the size of a small car. I’ve never been asked to pay for a second seat or anything but I gladly would.
One last anecdote on flying. The first time I flew I was 19 and it was 3 weeks after 9/11. I was in better shape then, a somewhat muscular 315 or so. The first flight attendant that I walked by on the way down the aisle said “If anything happens, I’m calling for you.” That was definitely reassuring. 4 feet later, I walked by a second flight attendant and she stopped me as well. “Sir, what seat are you in today?” I looked at my pass and told her. She says, “I’ll be right over with a seatbelt extender.” EFF YOU LADY.
Sure, you can recline, but don’t act annoyed when my knee is hitting you in the back. There are physical limitations to how far back your seat will go. If you’re hitting resistance, chances are its someone’s body. No need to keep slamming it back.
I never recline unless its a kid or a tiny person behind me. I personally find that it adds very little comfort to recline, but makes the person behind you much more uncomfortable.
I’ve found that asking for “an exit row” once you’re at the gate generally gets you at least a free economy plus seat if you smile and have a little social grace. You have to do it at the right time. They never sell all those seats, so they’re mostly unassigned until they need to find places for people without seat assignments.
You know how I know you don’t fly much in America?
Anyway, I’m with Higgs. I don’t recline. I find it easier to fall asleep sitting straight up, especially if I get the window seat. As for people in front of me reclining, I’ve never had a problem with it but I think it should be common courtesy to recline _ slowly _. I don’t like it when someone feels the need to recline as quickly and powerfully as possible.
If you choose to recline into my knees, (I am 6’3") be prepared to pay for it with my knees in your back. Sorry, can’t help it. I promise you will be more miserable than me.
As far as the “buy a more expensive seat if you don’t like it” crowd, there are a couple of issues. The economy plus seats are not $30. I paid $75 each way extra from LAX to ORD on United. In addition, not all airlinees have this option. It is either coach or first (Alaska), or neither (Southwest). In fact, if you want the additional reclining space, why don’t YOU pay for the extra space in first class.
I will likely be a purchaser of the Knee Defender. I am happy to compromise if we talk about it, but if you plan on laying down on my lap, I would at least hope you would ask for my permission.
I just got my private pilot certificate. My hope is that all trips within California in the future will be non-commercial thanks to the comments here that essentially say “I am going take up what little space you have neighbor, and if you don’t like it, suck it.” Nice.
^For the record, I agree with you on the inconsiderate comments part. I rarely recline, simply because I don’t want to invade somebody else’s space.
But isn’t it just as inconsiderate of you to lock my seat and prevent me from reclining if I so desire? I mean, if you don’t want me to recline, that’s fine. But why not talk to me first, instead of just physically preventing it in the first place?
^ The idea that abnormally large people shouldn’t pay more if they want more space is ridiculous. Do you demand subsidy on an SUV because you can’t fit in a Fiat? That’s stupid. I pay for a reclining seat. I’ll recline. I don’t see how you can say I should suffer more because you don’t want to shell out a few bucks for legroom appropriate for your size. And I’m not a short person. I’m just sick of people that want everyone else to suffer to fit their own satisfaction. I pay for certain pitch and recline on my seat. This works for the vast majority of the population. You can get more pitch if needed, it just costs more because you take up more space that the airline can’t sell. What don’t people get about this?
I believe they’re actually banned by most US airlines. I also wouldn’t be shocked if using them actually violated some FAA regulation about not alterning the operation of commerical airline equipment or some nonsense like that.
^ They are banned because airlines sell certain pitch and recline and taking that away from another customer for your own selfish benefit is fundamentally wrong.
This discussion has me thinking about what space in a plane is “yours”. I don’t think anyone would argue that area directly above your seat cushion is yours, but what else is yours? The pro-reclining crowd seems to believe that the space their seat reclines into is theirs, not the space of ther person sitting behind them. This position would not be entirely without precedent, as the space under your seat clearly belongs to the person behind you.
Also, does the window (and by extension the window shade) belong to the person in the window seat, or is it a shared resource for the row?
I don’t want more space. I would simply like the space that I paid for without someone else invading it.
And no I cant always get more space. What don’t you get about this? I do pay for more space when it is available (economy plus). But many airlines don’t have this option.
I am all for personal responsibility. What has this got to do with being courteous to your fellow traveler?
Your leap of comparing my asking you simply not to take up what little space I have with asking for an SUV subsidy is silly. I am not asking you to “suffer” to fit my own satisfaction. Geez dude, I am simply asking you to not lean into me for a few hours.
My thought is that no one pays for the ability to unlock the recline function. It comes on every seat except like in Greenie unfortunate circumstance and he had the back row. In fact he probably still payed the same amount as the guy in front of him who reclined on top of him.
I think Higgs has it right when he asks what space belongs to who. I don’t think the person owns the full range of extension of the recline. I would say they’re entitled to a few degrees of lean regardless of time. If it’s a long flight overnight I don’t mind full recline. It’s like a sportsgame where if the people in front of you stand you have no choice but to stand. There are times when standing is okay or even encouraged, but if you’re doing it all the time you will probably be frowned at.