passenger behind won't let you recline

[jlkc]

Hi All,

 

How would you handle a situation where the passenger behind you doesn't want you to recline and hits the back of your seat if you try to do so? This happened to my sister, so she was very nice and did not recline her seat during the flight, but I thought you were entitled to recline your seat and I would have been upset had I been prevented from doing so. I have been hearing that this is occurring more often and wondered about the best way of handling this. Do flight attendants stick up for you in this situation or do they leave it to you to handle? Also, what are my rights as far as reclining my seat goes? Thanks for your advice (and let me know if my expectations regarding reclining are wrong)!

 

BTW, if the person behind me asks nicely, then of course I would want to compromise and not recline fully the whole time, but I don't think I'd want to spend the entire flight without being able to recline at all. Anyways, just wondering about seat etiquette, especially for long flights...

[Keith1010]

If I am in seats where a recline all the way back will be a challenge for the person sitting behind me (eg., coach or say first class on say a 737) I do not recline all the way back. If I reclined just a little bit and someone said something then I would politely try to address the issue and if I could tell that I was getting nowhere I would either not recline or I would mention it in a low key fashion to the flight attendant.

 

Personally, when I am in the types of seats I just mentioned I too am not thrilled if someone reclines all the way back and find it a nuisance but that is no excuse to act childish and to kick the seat in front of me. I wish the seats were designed differently so they couldn't recline as far back as they do when they are fairly close together to begin with.

 

In the end people should use some judgement as to how far to recline back and those behind them should use judgement as well as to how to respond.

 

Keith

[vjmatty]

Before I recline I turn and make sure the passenger behind me doesn't still have their meal tray, though the person in front of me rarely offers me that courtesy. :( If I were in your sister's situation and it were a lengthy enough flight where my comfort would be sufficiently compromised, I might politely ask the disgruntled passenger behind me if my reclining is causing him or her problems.

 

Some people with longer legs find reclining seats painful and in that case I think their need to keep their knees intact wins out over my need to recline. I also think what many people believe is an intentional act of kicking or hitting their seat is actually a long-legged person just moving or adjusting to try and fit comfortably.... quite a challenge as seats become smaller and closer together.

 

Of course, if a fellow passenger gives me the leaky tire or otherwise catches an attitude I figure I have done my best to help them out and ignore them. They will get tired of kicking my seat long before I am too bothered by the kicking. Consider it a free massage ;)

[Jade13]

I wasn't able to recline my seat on an overseas flight a few years ago. The person behind me was a very large/tall man. When I started he tapped me on the shoulder, and my DH said it would not be possible. So, I had to sit up the entire flight.

 

It is the airlines fault because people are getting larger and the seats are getting smaller. If you are in coach you can not expect to recline your seat. This man's knees went right into the seat when he was sitting in a normal position. At least we had the balk head seats and more room for our feet. This was on a SWISS flight.

[phabric]

We were on a plane for a 5 hour flight with 3 seats across on an older plane. We were in the second row, window and middle seats. There was very little room between rows. The lady in front of me decided to recline her seat before departure. I am only 5"2" and average size. When I put the tray down, the tray touched my stomach with no space, I could not breath. I asked the lady if she would move her seat up, her reply was "I paid for my seat, I can do what I want". Both my husband and myself, asked again and again the same answer from her and her husband. She then called for the flight attendant and complainted about me. The attendant suggested we moved back a few rows. I was glad it was not a full plane as I like to have the tray down for the whole flight.

[ducklite]

On a very early morning, late night or long haul flight, it's ridiculous to think that a person shouldn't recline. If someone is too tall to comfortably fit into a regular seat, they need to book an aisle, an emergency row, or business/first class, not expect the person in front of them to remain fully upright to sleep.

 

(On a midday or short flight it's a different story--I seldom recline at all on those.)

 

I fly regularly, and had a situation on a 737 in FC a couple of months ago when I reclined my seat about halfway on a 5:10 am flight to sleep, and the guy behind me had a fit and kept repeatedly banging on my seat. The best part was that he had HIS seat fully reclined!. I wasn't touching his legs (he was probably 5'8 250lbs) he just thought he "owned" that space. I finally turned around and asked if he was having a seizure and if he needed the FA's assistance. The banging stopped immediately.

[patseacruiser]

On a very early morning, late night or long haul flight, it's ridiculous to think that a person shouldn't recline. If someone is too tall to comfortably fit into a regular seat, they need to book an aisle, an emergency row, or business/first class, not expect the person in front of them to remain fully upright to sleep.

 

(On a midday or short flight it's a different story--I seldom recline at all on those.)

 

I fly regularly, and had a situation on a 737 in FC a couple of months ago when I reclined my seat about halfway on a 5:10 am flight to sleep, and the guy behind me had a fit and kept repeatedly banging on my seat. The best part was that he had HIS seat fully reclined!. I wasn't touching his legs (he was probably 5'8 250lbs) he just thought he "owned" that space. I finally turned around and asked if he was having a seizure and if he needed the FA's assistance. The banging stopped immediately.

 

That's a good question to ask if he's sick and needs assistance!

 

Last flight I was on - I think it was Spirit - the only seats that reclined at all were on the emergency rows. I know that's annoying but it's probably the only way to keep people from fighting about this. Of course, if you have a bad back it's very very hard to sit at a 90 degree angle for a few hours. Then they don't want you to walk around but really what are you supposed to do.

[DanJ]

I'm a tall guy and my knees are usually up against the seat in front when I sit up normally. Coming home from our last cruise, I had my son next to me, and the row in front was a dad with 2 of his young kids. He sat in front of me. When he tried to recline, I politely said that was my knee preventing him from reclining. He was nice about it, and swapped seats with one of his kids, so he was in front of my son, and could recline. His kid didn't need to recline, so that worked out well.

 

I did have one time where the person in front was adamant she was reclining anyway. So, when she did, I just leaned forward, put my arms on the top her seat, laid my head down on my arms and had a nap. Unfortunately for her, I tend to snore when I sleep like that LOL.

[ducklite]

I did have one time where the person in front was adamant she was reclining anyway. So, when she did, I just leaned forward, put my arms on the top her seat, laid my head down on my arms and had a nap. Unfortunately for her, I tend to snore when I sleep like that LOL.

 

I've seen FA's tell people they couldn't do that several times.

 

Book an aisle seat so you can take that extra room. Or fly in first or business class. Frankly I'm not sure why you insisted the guy in front of you switch his seat when it was YOU that had the problem. It seems that you switching seats with your son would have been the more reasonable option.

[twoputt.plusone]

On a very early morning, late night or long haul flight, it's ridiculous to think that a person shouldn't recline. If someone is too tall to comfortably fit into a regular seat, they need to book an aisle, an emergency row, or business/first class, not expect the person in front of them to remain fully upright to sleep.

 

I completely agree with this. A larger person already knows they'll have space issues. If it's that much of a problem, they need to take measures to make their flight more enjoyable when they make their booking. When I book a flight, I expect that I'll be able to make use of my alloted space as it's described by the airline. Even so, courtesy comes into play. I try not to recline my seat when meals or beverages are being served. But to ask me to sit upright for the entire flight is unreasonable in my opinion.

[vjmatty]

I try not to recline my seat when meals or beverages are being served.

 

I've been on at least one airline, maybe it was Finnair, where the FA told us to move seats upright during meal and beverage service. Makes sense and is probably easier for the FA to pass the trays along.

[Globaliser]

Do flight attendants stick up for you in this situation or do they leave it to you to handle? Also, what are my rights as far as reclining my seat goes?

If your seat reclines, you are entitled to recline it - although it's courteous to put it up at meal times, if the reclined seat would hinder the passenger behind from using their tray table.

 

And that's the position that the cabin crew should be taking.

[Globaliser]

On a very early morning, late night or long haul flight, it's ridiculous to think that a person shouldn't recline. If someone is too tall to comfortably fit into a regular seat, they need to book an aisle, an emergency row, or business/first class, not expect the person in front of them to remain fully upright to sleep.

I completely agree with this. A larger person already knows they'll have space issues. If it's that much of a problem, they need to take measures to make their flight more enjoyable when they make their booking.

I also agree with this.

 

If someone is too big to fit into the space provided by the airline but refuses to do anything about it, it's a bit like going to a shop and buying child-size clothes because they're cheaper, and then complaining that the clothes are uncomfortable because they don't fit.

[ducklite]

I try not to recline my seat when meals or beverages are being served. But to ask me to sit upright for the entire flight is unreasonable in my opinion.

 

I'll recline during beverage service, because that's pretty much ongoing through the flight, but I won't during a meal service.

[srlafleur]

Because I'm quite short, if I'm not reclined at least a little, the headrest/neckrest - whatever that bump is supposed to be that's built into the seats on many planes- forces my head down onto my chest. That position is very uncomfortable for all but the shortest flights. I need to recline the seat, at least a little. While I try not to inconvenience anyone, I think I have as much right as the person behind me to be "comfortable".

[Fattony]

What "right" to put your seat at a specific angle? Isn't that in the Third Amendment? If I felt it was a problem for me, I'd ask the flight attendant if there were another seat I could go to where reclining (part way) would not inconvenience the passenger in back. Emphasizing I wanted to help make it a peaceful flight (in the attendant's interest) and not asking them to settle a schoolyard-type dispute.

 

BTW, if passengers are getting bigger, as in obese, don't they take some of the responsibility for this? Are we all wiling to pay more so we can get seats large enough to accommodate our girth? My wife and I are not large, but we have started flying biz clss on international routes.

[Quilter n Cruiser]

The seat space on some airlines is really tight. Several years ago on a trip to Chicago my DH who is 6.1 ft had the person in front fully recline the whole trip which was really miserable for my husband. His comment about it was (he guy was so close that he could give him a scalp massage as his head was in DH lap) We switched to economy plus after that it wasn't a huge amount more but a big difference in comfort. Not everyone who is tall can afford business or first.

[twoputt.plusone]

What "right" to put your seat at a specific angle? Isn't that in the Third Amendment? If I felt it was a problem for me, I'd ask the flight attendant if there were another seat I could go to where reclining (part way) would not inconvenience the passenger in back. Emphasizing I wanted to help make it a peaceful flight (in the attendant's interest) and not asking them to settle a schoolyard-type dispute.

 

BTW, if passengers are getting bigger, as in obese, don't they take some of the responsibility for this? Are we all wiling to pay more so we can get seats large enough to accommodate our girth? My wife and I are not large, but we have started flying biz clss on international routes.

 

While a good thought, some of what you said is easier said than done. Most of the flights I've been on recently are at or close to capacity. Much as I'd like to fly business class, the cost of upgrading is out of the question.

[ducklite]

What "right" to put your seat at a specific angle? Isn't that in the Third Amendment? If I felt it was a problem for me, I'd ask the flight attendant if there were another seat I could go to where reclining (part way) would not inconvenience the passenger in back. Emphasizing I wanted to help make it a peaceful flight (in the attendant's interest) and not asking them to settle a schoolyard-type dispute.

 

BTW, if passengers are getting bigger, as in obese, don't they take some of the responsibility for this? Are we all wiling to pay more so we can get seats large enough to accommodate our girth? My wife and I are not large, but we have started flying biz clss on international routes.

 

If the airlines had a problem with you reclining, they wouldn't make the seats recline-able. So the "problem" is with the people who don't understand that other passengers will recline and have the right to do so and either try to act like bully's or horses asses about it.

 

I don't think the person who wants to recline should be the one to move--rather it's the person who has a problem with another passenger reclining.

 

And I agree 100%, a big part of it is having personal responsibility, which unfortunately is a dying virtue in today's world.

[ducklite]

The seat space on some airlines is really tight. Several years ago on a trip to Chicago my DH who is 6.1 ft had the person in front fully recline the whole trip which was really miserable for my husband. His comment about it was (he guy was so close that he could give him a scalp massage as his head was in DH lap) We switched to economy plus after that it wasn't a huge amount more but a big difference in comfort. Not everyone who is tall can afford business or first.

 

But they can book aisle/bulkhead/exit to gain more space. Even on the carriers that charge extra for one of those seats, it's never more than $20 or so. I paid a total of $50 r/t on Jet Blue for one of their expanded legroom seats to PR a couple years ago. It was worth every dime.

[PennyAgain]

I had the guy in front of me fully recline his seat on a flight from South Africa to Switzerland. Plenty long flight. He refused to budge and I was miserable.

 

The seat back was actually laying on my legs.

 

I am not a big person.

 

All we can do is hope that the people around us on flights are polite and reasonable. When someone is not, the situation can go bad. My legs swelled so badly I could hardly walk off the airplane.

[Toto2Kansas]

This past spring we flew on one of United's older planes to Hawaii. We were in the second row of first class. The man in front of my hubby was fully reclined (even during his meals) throughout the entire flight, with his bare feet outstretched on the wall in front of him. Poor hubby couldn't even move as he had the guy right in his lap. BUT, we didn't say anything as he is allowed to recline his seat just as anyone is. It is the chance you take when flying. If the airlines didn't want you to recline your seat, they would put stops on the seatbacks so this isn't possible. IMHO

[Wannaknow]

Being one who has not flown for more than 15 yrs., because of fear of flying and the discomfort discussed in this thread, I'd like to ask why one would not call an FA to "arbitrate" the matter. The FA is the only "person of authority" you can call on and it would seem to me that they would make a fair decision considering both passengers' rights?

 

We are flying to Alaska in less than a week & I'd really like to do the right thing and not get into an argument but dealing with certain types of people can be impossible and you need an "official" voice???:confused:

[Globaliser]

BTW, if passengers are getting bigger, as in obese, don't they take some of the responsibility for this?

This I agree with.

 

But people have been getting taller as well, which is not something that they are generally responsible for themselves. And with a tendency for pitch to reduce, that is what causes the knees-jammed-up-against-seat-in-front complaints.

If the airlines didn't want you to recline your seat, they would put stops on the seatbacks so this isn't possible.

And not only that, they would not ban the use by passengers of devices that stop the seat backs reclining - as they have done.

 

One shining exception to all of this: Ryanair, whose newer aircraft have non-reclining seats. (But, inevitably, not installed for the purpose of enhancing passenger comfort.)

[Creeks]

On a flight from Ireland to California, we had a mother and daughter in front of us who were fully reclined the entire flight - made us miserable,

but there was no-where else to move to. Yes, you have the right to recline, but have some consideration for the people behind you too please. You can recline just part way, or just part of the time. We all paid for our tickets and are entitled to a comfortable ride.........

 

 

 

 

This past spring we flew on one of United's older planes to Hawaii. We were in the second row of first class. The man in front of my hubby was fully reclined (even during his meals) throughout the entire flight, with his bare feet outstretched on the wall in front of him. Poor hubby couldn't even move as he had the guy right in his lap. BUT, we didn't say anything as he is allowed to recline his seat just as anyone is. It is the chance you take when flying. If the airlines didn't want you to recline your seat, they would put stops on the seatbacks so this isn't possible. IMHO