Reclining your seat on a plane

[Commander]

When on a plane, do you recline your seat, or do you stay upright out of respect for the person behind you?

I am currently arguing with people who say it is disrespectful to put your seat back as it limits the person behind you's space.

Nonsense I say, the seats are made to recline and only the back part moves anyway, which can be easliy solved by reclining your own seat.

 

[Stoo82]

Never felt the need to recline my seat.

Don't think anyone in front of me has ever reclined their seat, or I simply have not noticed it happening. So in the end, it simply does not matter to me!

 

[8ace]

I only recline mine if the person in front of me reclines their's.

 

[rool]

Have only done it on overnight flights from the US.

I think it's bad form when people just recline their seats when food is about without checking behind first but otherwise I don't mind.

 

[Rookie]

Think it depends on the flight, long haul recline but check short haul no need to recline. It does piss people off, leg room is crap enough without some chump reclining and then not enjoying my knees in the back of their seat

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

its not neccessary to recline ones seat during a short haul flight, say 4 hrs. Its a totally selfish act.

 

[Trufflehound]

Depends on what sort of plane you are on. On a big plane with properly spaced seats the person behind won't notice anyway. On a pack 'em in Ryanair 737, reclining your seat often entails breaking the nose of the person behind.

 

[Simster]

A bit of give and take required. On a two hour journey, I won't bother unless the person in front has done so, and even then I'd always ask the person behind if they'd mind.

However, I think it is expected on an Atlantic crossing when they've turned the heating up. There was a ridiculous woman on a trip to LA over a decade ago who sat behind me kept complaining if I even reclined more than an inch. In the end, I snapped and told her it was tough shit, as there is no way I was going to NOT recline at some point on an 8 hour journey.

 

[severnside gull]

I'm with you, whether I'm travelling back of the bus or in business, makes no difference. It's made to recline and that's that. If you start to ask permission then the person behind you asks the person behind them and.................where does it stop? (yeah ok, the back of the plane obviously but it was a rhetorical question). The one golden rule as far as I'm concerned is ALWAYS but always sit it back up when food and drinks are being served even if you're not having anything yourself.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Fat people seated next to me annoy me more on a flght to be honest.

 

[Simster]

Fat people seated next to me annoy me more on a flght to be honest.

Agreed.

 

[User removed 4]

Fat people seated next to me annoy me more on a flght to be honest.

We agree for once ! I also really enjoy having a small child seated behind me rhythmically kicking my seat.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It most certainly IS disrespectful to your fellow passengers, to even get on a plane, if you are a FATTY.

Stay at home CHUNK.

 

[Commander]

I'm with you, whether I'm travelling back of the bus or in business, makes no difference. It's made to recline and that's that. If you start to ask permission then the person behind you asks the person behind them and.................where does it stop? (yeah ok, the back of the plane obviously but it was a rhetorical question). The one golden rule as far as I'm concerned is ALWAYS but always sit it back up when food and drinks are being served even if you're not having anything yourself.

Just to be clear, I am not one of these people who gets on an Easyjet flight to Spain, and the second the seatbelt sign goes off I smash my seat backwards into the face of the person behind me. I am talking about a longish flight, say at least 5 hours. The people I am arguing claim they wouldn't recline at all on a flight to Australia, which I think is utter nonsense.

 

[k2bluesky]

This is really down to the airlines 'pretending' you are in a luxurious reclining seat, which as we know is total bullshit as they cram in as many as they can. Unless there is at least 35" legroom the seats should not be able to recline (so that is probably only 1st class).
Its bloody annoying in a small cramped seat if someone in front reclines theirs for the whole flight (I usually jam my knees into the back of their seat so they get the message there is not enough room to recline the seat.) Seats should not recline full stop.

 

[Mendoza]

I dont see what the 2cm difference makes, especially during take off and landing

 

[Jonno]

How fat does someone have to be to be annoying?

 

[Goring Gull]

Alot of planes you can't do this anyway - or is that just because i normally fly with cheapo airlines.

 

[Chicken Run]

Fat people seated next to me annoy me more on a flght to be honest.

Anyone sat next to me annoy me if i'm going solo, with regard to the recline, if its a day flight of less than six hours i.e New York, Dubia ect I wont recline, night flights of more than six I will recline after meal service.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

We agree for once ! I also really enjoy having a small child seated behind me rhythmically kicking my seat.

Bushy/HT....the new era.

Fat people on planes also ALWAYS seem to fidget and be preoccupied. They never just sit and relax.