Reclining your airplane seat with someone behind you: rude? -- The Poll
- Thread starter Wes
- Start date
I've flown many, many times for business and for pleasure. The only rule of thumb that I'm aware of is that during landings and takeoffs, your seat needs to be fully upright. Other than that, its YOUR seat and YOUR call. After all, the noise level can be a bit high in an airplane. Can you imagine the ruckus if everyone had to ask the person behind them if it were ok to recline their own seat? I shudder to think. 
As far as reclining your seat, it is courteous to recline it slowly, maybe a little bit at a time so the person behind you won't get bonked on the head if they are retrieving something from beneath their seat.
I do recall once when flying American in 1993 (before they returned their seat spacing to more humane levels) this poor Texas cowboy guy behind me was freaking out... guess it was claustrophobia. He started thrashing around in his seat, all wild eyed. The flight attendant asked me to put my seat fully upright to give him some more room. No big deal, I had reports that needed writing anyway. Besides, I was glad to help this guy out. Seemed he was a regular flyer and I nearly suggested if he needed more room, 1st class was available. He was so close to a breakdown I figured the suggestion would be lost on him... (he says with an evil grin)
Darian
As far as reclining your seat, it is courteous to recline it slowly, maybe a little bit at a time so the person behind you won't get bonked on the head if they are retrieving something from beneath their seat.
I do recall once when flying American in 1993 (before they returned their seat spacing to more humane levels) this poor Texas cowboy guy behind me was freaking out... guess it was claustrophobia. He started thrashing around in his seat, all wild eyed. The flight attendant asked me to put my seat fully upright to give him some more room. No big deal, I had reports that needed writing anyway. Besides, I was glad to help this guy out. Seemed he was a regular flyer and I nearly suggested if he needed more room, 1st class was available. He was so close to a breakdown I figured the suggestion would be lost on him... (he says with an evil grin)
Darian
sue Z
Heading to the World soon!!!
- Joined
- Dec 15, 1999
There is nothing worst then having someone put their seat back when you have the tray down and you can't move unless you put the tray up!
I very rarely put the seat back in the planes for this reason. For that matter when riding in a bus (tour) I can't even stand having those seats recline!! If I get in one and the seats reclined I have to straighten it up!!!
I very rarely put the seat back in the planes for this reason. For that matter when riding in a bus (tour) I can't even stand having those seats recline!! If I get in one and the seats reclined I have to straighten it up!!!
No, it's not rude. The seats are designed to recline, so passengers should recline if they so desire.
HOWEVER, the average seat size is so small that reclining seats cause big problems for the people sitting begind the recliners. Personally, I think the airlines should do one of two things:
1) Give people more space.
2) Just eliminate reclining seats altogether so nobody has to be inconvenienced by people reclining in front of them.
HOWEVER, the average seat size is so small that reclining seats cause big problems for the people sitting begind the recliners. Personally, I think the airlines should do one of two things:
1) Give people more space.
2) Just eliminate reclining seats altogether so nobody has to be inconvenienced by people reclining in front of them.
GAIL HAYDEN
DVC Member since '92
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
You can't move if the tray is down regardless of the seat position of the person in front of you. If the seat ahead of you is reclined it only move the tray table about 2".
As the results from the discussion and from the poll have come in, something has been gnawing at me, and I think there are now enough poll results (right now it seems to be about 60% say yes, reclining is ok without checking and 40% say no, it is rude) for me to try to get a handle on this.
There is a glaring disconnect between my substantial airplane experience and what I am seeing in the posts and the poll results.
If the poll results are really representative of the flying population as a whole, then 40% of the time when I see someone recline their seat, I should also be seeing the recliner first check with the person behind them.
But in all the many flights that I have ever taken, I have never once had the person in front of me ask, nor have I have ever seen anyone else ask the person behind them or even warn them that they were about to recline their seat.
So what is the right conclusion about this? Do the 40% of people who see this as rude not fly very often? Do they never recline their seats? Or do they simply go along with the majority and do not say anything? Or is this poll somehow not really representing the outlook of the general population? Because the reality is that I have never seen anyone check with the person behind them when they reclined their seat.
There is a glaring disconnect between my substantial airplane experience and what I am seeing in the posts and the poll results.
If the poll results are really representative of the flying population as a whole, then 40% of the time when I see someone recline their seat, I should also be seeing the recliner first check with the person behind them.
But in all the many flights that I have ever taken, I have never once had the person in front of me ask, nor have I have ever seen anyone else ask the person behind them or even warn them that they were about to recline their seat.
So what is the right conclusion about this? Do the 40% of people who see this as rude not fly very often? Do they never recline their seats? Or do they simply go along with the majority and do not say anything? Or is this poll somehow not really representing the outlook of the general population? Because the reality is that I have never seen anyone check with the person behind them when they reclined their seat.
With as little the amount of room a passenger has WITH the seat ahead fully upright, not only is it rude to ask ......it is just plain rude to recline your seat. Like someone would say "oh sure, no problem, I love having your chair back stuffed in my face" As someone else said, I would NEVER recline my seat out of respect for the person behind me. Nor have I EVER! WHY??? Because I know how it feels!
Want to start another one..........how about parents who let their kids kick the seats ahead of them for hours on end...
ARGH!!!!! I knew there were reasons we hated flying.......long before 9/11
Wes-You are so right!!!!
Want to start another one..........how about parents who let their kids kick the seats ahead of them for hours on end...
ARGH!!!!! I knew there were reasons we hated flying.......long before 9/11
Wes-You are so right!!!!
I'm not sure what I am right about. I am really puzzled by all this, particularly the disconnect between the poll results and what I have actually seen. That's why I have raised questions with no answers -- because I do not know the answers.
So please clarify what it is you think I am right about. And thanks for taking the time to help un-puzzle me.
Meaning I have never been asked, nor have I ever witnessed anyone else having been asked.
So I guess how people feel and how people act are 2 different things...........the point you have made here.
But then the poll asked for an opinion.........not how people act.
So I guess how people feel and how people act are 2 different things...........the point you have made here.
But then the poll asked for an opinion.........not how people act.
It's pretty common for people to respond to surveys one way and then behave differently. Some examples: I used to work in radio. What do you think the most common complaint is from radio listeners? Too much repetition. Survey after survey has shown that people "want" less talk, more music and more variety. But what do the ratings tell us? The most popular stations are those which play the top ten hits every 90 minutes. The highest rated personalities are the ones who talk a lot.
Another example: public transportation is very popular in the survey world, but not in reality (speaking only of the USA here). As cities become more congested, the proportion of citizens supporting mass transit projects has increased while the percentage of people actually using it gets smaller. Some cities built light rail systems based on paper demand that didn't translate into actual riders. Likewise, a majority of Americans support the continuation of Amtrak service, but a very small percentage of people ever actually use it.
A common thread in the transportation industry is "people always support transit projects in the hopes that OTHER people will use them, thus clearing space on the road for themselves."
In this particular case, I think the 40% who think it's rude to recline without permission would just rather sit upright than risk getting rejected by the person sitting behind them.
Another example: public transportation is very popular in the survey world, but not in reality (speaking only of the USA here). As cities become more congested, the proportion of citizens supporting mass transit projects has increased while the percentage of people actually using it gets smaller. Some cities built light rail systems based on paper demand that didn't translate into actual riders. Likewise, a majority of Americans support the continuation of Amtrak service, but a very small percentage of people ever actually use it.
A common thread in the transportation industry is "people always support transit projects in the hopes that OTHER people will use them, thus clearing space on the road for themselves."
In this particular case, I think the 40% who think it's rude to recline without permission would just rather sit upright than risk getting rejected by the person sitting behind them.
luvs2plan -
nah, thats about it... two inches is all the hoo-haa in this thread is about. Remember too, that the seat in front of you reclines those precious two inches in front of your tray table - which doesn't move when the seat is reclined (on all the planes I've ridden at least.) The amount of room "lost" by those behind you when you recline your seat isn't much to speak of. Its more perception. Though if a person is feeling claustrophobic, no amount of space is enough. Thats when you turn all available air vents on your face and think happy thoughts.
Darian
nah, thats about it... two inches is all the hoo-haa in this thread is about. Remember too, that the seat in front of you reclines those precious two inches in front of your tray table - which doesn't move when the seat is reclined (on all the planes I've ridden at least.) The amount of room "lost" by those behind you when you recline your seat isn't much to speak of. Its more perception. Though if a person is feeling claustrophobic, no amount of space is enough. Thats when you turn all available air vents on your face and think happy thoughts.
Darian
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