Sitting in Economy person in front reclines seat all the way!

[ottawamom]

What would you do?

I had this happen to me yesterday. He had the gall to turn around and ask if there was a problem when I pushed back on the seat as I tried to cross my legs. He refused to move his seat back claiming disc issues. I don't get why some people feel so entitled as to encroach on the minimal space we are allocated in economy. I know I could have purchased a more expensive seat if this was going to be an option for me. I've just haven't had anyone fully recline in a long while.

We were flying back from Texas where is the motto is "don't mess with Texas". I fee like my motto should be don't mess with a menopausal woman. I was upset but decided against making a scene as it was DH birthday and I didn't want to embarrass him.

 

[BadPinkTink]

thats one of the things you have to compromise when you fly economy. I fly economy transatlantic, 10 hours every year and I try to book seats where possible at the end of the cabin, so when the person in front of me reclines their seat, and I recline mine, there is no one behind me who is getting their space reduced.

As long as the airlines make the seats with a recline function, people will use it. Some airlines are starting to change the seats and taking away the recline function.

 

[AngelDisney]

I thought it’s an etiquette that you asked the person behind you if you could recline your seat and always put it back upright when it’s meal time. Is this just for the Asian countries? I was on Asiana Airline once and the flight attendant asked me to get my seat back upright for the person behind me during meal time. I always pay extra for seats with more legroom. I felt trapped in the middle once needing so badly to go to the washroom but the aisle person was asleep. Our flight delayed and we missed our connecting flight. We were put into another flight without our preferred seats. I called later to get a refund. Fortunately the person woke up just before I exploded! We went to the washroom together. Never again!

 

[Allison]

What would you have made a scene about? He wasn't breaking a rule, irritating as it is to endure.

 

[FreeTime]

What would I have done? Nothing. The seats recline. The occupants are permitted to recline their seats.

 

[Nagle]

I do not recline my seat any longer now that we are crammed in like sardines on most flights. Unfortunately there are many who do not give a damn who they inconvenience so it still happens. Until the airlines start removing the recline function people are within their rights to do so even when most find it a pain in the rear. There was really nothing to make a scene about.

 

[lorenae]

I do not recline my seat any longer now that we are crammed in like sardines on most flights. Unfortunately there are many who do not give a damn who they inconvenience so it still happens. Until the airlines start removing the recline function people are within their rights to do so even when most find it a pain in the rear. There was really nothing to make a scene about.

I don't feel the need to recline on short (most domestic US) flights at all- but the guy in front of me almost always does even on super short flights. That means either I recline mine a little so I can reach my backpack at my feet to get my book, or I suffer. So I often then will recline mine, so the guy behind me has to recline his, etc.

It's not against the rules to recline, and when we are packed in like sardines I understand the desire for someone to do it.

So I would never say a word to someone who reclines. They paid for the seat, and the seat reclines. Their choice.

 

[DLgal]

I would have simply reclined my seat as well, so I would have as much space as I did before. Easy.

 

[ottawamom]

Next time I'll just pay for more room.I would never recline my seat because I know how annoying it is. I guess it's a good thing I didn't say what I was thinking.

 

[lorenae]

Next time I'll just pay for more room.I would never recline my seat because I know how annoying it is. I guess it's s good thing I didn't say what I was thinking.

Yes, I'm sorry that I was rather blunt. You're a nice person, and of course you'd expect the same courtesy. The thing here isn't about the self-centered entitlement that I see often in society, though. It's about all of us being jammed packed in uncomfortable seats with our legs up to our necks so we're all in the same boat (well, plane). I've been kneed in the back many times while not reclining. That's because someone behind me is trying to get to their laptop after takeoff, and they almost can't move because they are unable to bend over in their tiny space. It's really awful.

If someone has a bad back, or has been traveling for a long while, or even standing a long time waiting to board, the seats are killer. Add in someone with long legs, a bit of extra weight, etc, and it's really miserable for the vast majority of us. And if the guy in front reclines, the only recourse you have is to also recline, just to have a place to actually sit upright without their seatback in your face.

It's not the guy in front of me to blame, it's the airline.

Now, for the kid behind me who kicks my seat for 3 hours- that's his mom I'd like to strangle.

 

[Minniemoo15]

I wish the seats on airplanes were designed like the ones on VIA rail. When you recline, you are giving up your own leg room and not the room of the person behind you.

 

[Karin1984]

It's a problem in Economy on each airline. When one person reclines his chair, everyone in the row behind him, has to get the same space, and the last person whose seat can't recline is then the only one with a problem ;-)

And I am not sure what the best option is: When you recline your seat, the person behind you is uncomfortable. But if you don't recline your seat, then you are uncomfortable. And whose comfort is more important?

 

[ButterbearUK]

What would I have done? Nothing. The seats recline. The occupants are permitted to recline their seats.

I agree. If the person in front of me reclines, that is their prerogative. They are not “encroaching”. The seats are sold with a certain seat pitch, which includes the recline distance. If they are sold that way you can’t get sniffy about people using that space.

Also, I think that “pushing on the seat” of someone else is rather passive aggressive. If I’ve reclined my seat and someone behind me needs more space, I’d far rather that they asked first, rather than kicking, pushing or otherwise wobbling the seat itself. That would just annoy me and make me not want to help them. I expect kids to bash the back of my seat sometimes, but not grown ups. They should know better.

 

[ottawamom]

The seats are not sold with the reclined seat pitch mentioned. It is the unreclined seat pitch which is noted on their website. And it's not simply the inch or two at the knee level. It comes back about 5 inches at the head level. That's a considerable amount.

Yes it was a passive agressive move. I'm Canadian that's the way I roll.

 

[wdwmom3]

People are allowed to recline their seats. And yeah maybe they have a bad back and needed to recline for some relief. The seats are able to recline and he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Honestly I think if you hit the back of seat on purpose, that’s rude.

If you don’t want to deal with being crammed in then you have to pay for a seat with more room. Don’t get mad at others for doing what they are able to do to get more comfy.

 

[ottawamom]

It's rude of me to want to cross my legs so that I can massage my lower leg which suffers from swelling issues? Really.

 

[ButterbearUK]

The seats are not sold with the reclined seat pitch mentioned. It is the unreclined seat pitch which is noted on their website. And it's not simply the inch or two at the knee level. It comes back about 5 inches at the head level. That's a considerable amount.

Fair enough. On transatlantic flights from the UK they quote the distance from the front of your feet to the rear recline of the seat to make it sound bigger, so that’s what I’m used to.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

@ottawamom I can totally relate. I'm tall woman ( close to 5'11 ) with long legs and a little on the fluffier side So the seats are already soooo small. I have a hard time getting comfortable in them at all. I'm sure anyone who sits next to me is like " What the heck is wrong with you " because I'm always moving around trying to get comfy. They must think I have ants in my pants like a little 4 yr old kid lol

The last trip home from Mexico was a 6 + hr flight but it was on a smaller plane that should only be used for short haul trips. (Airtransat which commissions planes for some of their flights - and won't EVER travel with them again for other reasons. ) It was probably the worst flight I have ever been on. I was sitting in the middle...my son had the window...and there was another guest on the aisle seat. It was the only way I could sit without my legs or arms falling asleep. It was not a pleasant experience for almost 7 hrs by the time we boarded and got off in Calgary.

But usually I try not to recline my seat just for the reason of the person behind me. It makes for a long trip when your small space is made smaller by a reclining seat

 

[Allison]

It's rude of me to want to cross my legs so that I can massage my lower leg which suffers from swelling issues? Really.

I think you read the post incorrectly. They said it was rude of you to hit the back of the seat on purpose.

 

[Chickinvic]

What is the problem? If my seat reclines, then I'm going to recline it. Want room? Fly first class. I would NEVER complain if someone in front of me reclines their seat (which they do all the time). If I were you, I guess I'd try to always get myself an exit row or sit in one of the seats with extra legroom for a bit more money.