A Delta Air Lines passenger reclined her seat, and the woman behind her – she says – began pushing her seat back throughout the rest of the flight. In response, she didn’t ask for help from a flight attendant. Instead she… began yelling at the woman behind her. And another passenger caught it on video.
The passengers behind the woman denied pushing her seat and that just drove the her to the brink, publicly defending her right to recline. It was the end of the flight though, so the battle went on silently until she just couldn’t take it anymore.
Seat recline is important for passengers on long flights with poorly-padded seats. Recline works to distribute passenger weight and reduce back stress. This passenger looks fairly slight. But reclining is also a basic right when it’s a feature of your seat (certain airlines like Spirit and Frontier feature seats they call “pre-reclined” i.e. that do not recline).
- A passenger controls their own seat
- Airlines ban the Knee Defender device, which prevents recline – a device was designed to stop reclining. While their interest is prevent damage to the seat, they do not allow the passenger seated behind to interfere with the recline function
There is an etiquette to exercising your right to recline, though. Don’t recline during mealtime. Try not to recline unless it serves a real purpose (if it doesn’t actually benefit your comfort, don’t recline).
If you don’t want the passenger in front of you to recline, politely ask them not to. And if they want to recline and you don’t want them to, consider whether it’s worth your while to make not reclining worth their while.
(HT: Live and Let’s Fly)
Anyone that reclines their seat is eating into another person’s personal space and is therefore a total asshole.
Who cares. The seats ARE made to be reclined if you feel like resting. You pay for it regardless if it bothers you, the person in front or the person behind you. Recline all you want in accordance with flight rules- ie- when not eating- Btw ive had my tray open when the person in front has been in recline mode ~ no skin off anyones back. Its ok I still had ability to drink and eat and my tray still worked. Lets face it – the recline position is BARELY a recline. Youre still looking straight ahead- so uncomfortable- I wish the seats ACTUALLY reclines minimally at a much lower angle! Ppl are sucks in general – always something to be dramatic about.
Wow
Whining about people reclining their seats should get you thrown off the plane imo.
Buy better seats or a better class instead of whining.
Airlines aren’t changing this. And until they do, continued whining about it does zero.
Grow up, be an adult and realize there are thing you can’t change.
6’6″ and 280lb. I fly 140-170 segments a year. I do get upgraded 70% of the time, but when I get stuck in economy, the seat in front of me is not reclining. My knees are already in the seat back when it is upright, even comfort level. I laugh at the idiots that claim a “right” to recline. I am not paying extra 30-50 times a year for someone else to enjoy their non existent “right”.
Years ago, I would walk up and the agents would automatically give me an exit row. These days, the airlines see those rows for extra $$$$. Complain to the airlines, they created the problem.
@Stacy C ***and*** @ Brad Grover –> Without resorting to name-calling, you are both wrong. YES, manufacturers like Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and others build commercial aircraft. But it is the AIRLINE which specifies what interior show look like. Think of it as ordering a car. You aren’t going to change the exterior of a Honda Accord (for example) to look like Porsche, but you can customize the interior with leather seats in a range of colors; you can order the car with seat warmers or 4-way power adjustments; and so on and so on…
Airlines specify the manufacturer and type of seat (Collins, Thompson, etc.). Airlines specify the pitch, and many other aspects of a plane’s interior. If they didn’t, wouldn’t the interior of every 737 be the same? But United has 16 in First and 150 in Coach on a 737-800, while Delta has 16 in First but only 144 in Coach. An Alaska Airlines Airbus 321neo has 16 seats in First and 174 in Economy, while an American 321neo has 20 and 176 — which plane has more legroom?
I get claustrophobic and I do sit in seats with more room. It might not be such a problem if people didn’t break the seats by forcing them back so that they are essentially in your lap. On one flight, the lady in front of my daughter was literally in her lap. She didn’t want to make a fuss, so I didn’t. I think she did it on purpose because she saw a kid there and assumed she wouldn’t get any pushback from being a jerk.
If the airlines allow reclining, they should make sure that the seats recline only that far.
There was a sense of decorum on flights in the early jet age. Lately though all that seems to have mostly gone extinct. There are way too many instances of rage on flights in the US I have flown on full flights in Japan for years and you never see anything like that
Ok here is an experience I had on a 5 hr flight from Toronto to Vancouver, so I was traveling with my mother, and I’m a 5″ 10 guy, I know its not necessarily “taller then average”, BUT..
Right from the beginning to the end of this flight the lady in front of me had her seat all the way back I was really uncomfortable as I couldn’t move much, i was in the middle seat needless to say my knees were digging into the seat, and ways I had to sit to be comfortable myself didn’t help with that. I got so annoyed with it I didn’t care after a while, she wasn’t even sleeping either…
I think if you got to recline your seat fine but at least be considerat of the people behind you too, also don’t put it all the way back and especially not the whole damn flight.
“Oh that’s your fault for not choosing your seats with more room” well sure I could’ve but it’s also expensive and also I never had that happen to me before. Needless so say once I got home I was hurting for a few days after…
You have the right to recline, but I have the right to my leg space. If you recline I will continue to knee your seat all flight long. It is my right to do so.
There are so many made up rights here. If I buy a seat and my seat back reclines, then I spent my money for the seat that reclines. The plane is designed this way. The person behind my seat can get the 2 inches back by reclining their seat. Arguing, fighting or getting removed from flights over a designed mechanical device for space management is simply not worth it. Airlines are like any business, they built the plane, they service it and hence, they are responsible. If a person is 6’6″ then it is incumbent on you to find an airline that accommodates your size. Otherwise this fight is with the airline, NOT the person behind the reclining seat.
If someone tall is too cheap to pay for an exit tow west, they get what they deserve .
We are stacked into today’s airplanes like sardines. Compared to 30 or 40 years ago, the back of the seat in front of us is now 15” to 18” from our faces. When the inconsiderate passenger in front of us decides to recline , that distance is reduced 12” to 13” . It’s very uncomfortable and somewhat claustrophobic. I am surprised that the airlines have not realized this issue and done away with their feature. Considered passengers do not recline. Douche bags do.
Exit row seat I mean.
We are stacked into today’s airplanes like sardines. Compared to 30 or 40 years ago, the back of the seat in front of us is now 15” to 18” from our faces. When the inconsiderate passenger in front of us decides to recline , that distance is reduced 12” to 13” . It’s very uncomfortable and somewhat claustrophobic. I am surprised that the airlines have not realized this issue and done away with this feature. Considered passengers do not recline. Douche bags do.
The woman paid for her seat. That gives her the right to recline her seat. The woman sitting behind her could of politely ask her to adjust the recline only if the reclined seat was on top of her legs.
If reclining jams the knees of the person behind you and you insist it is an assault. I have two artificial knees. I pay for the space and if the person insists on reclining and causing me pain I I will push back hard enough to get their attention concerning my discomfort. People can’t smoke because others don’t like it and reclining should be treated the same. If insisting on it I’ll make a citizens arrest for assault and a LEO must take them in like it or not.
If you are 6′ 5″ tall ,you will buy clothes to fit right!. Your car is also that way and your chair at home !. We’ll get on a train – bus and and quite bitching. Some people are so god like and need to be spanked. Spoiled little kids don’t like thire car seat.
O buy the way , spend 18 hours in a C-130 with jump seats with a 85 lb ruck sack sitting on your legs .
If your seat reclines use it. I take more issue wiith the cheap ass that has 3 carry-ons and stows 2. Flying has become the bus in the sky. If your last on your standing.
I’m in the 6’2″ category. I’ve been in seats that knees don’t easily allow the seats ahead to recline and ended up having trouble walking off the plane. But my real problem is seat backs reclined so far back I can’t get out of the seat with out grabbing the back of the seat in front of me to allow to exit the seat in a reclined posture. This results in the reclining passenger complaining about my “rudeness” jerking the seat back. I don’t have a choice- it’s the physics of the seating. My wife and I try to get seats with the extra legroom but they are not always available or can cost more than twice our current fare. I could ask a flight attendant to help me get up and change seats, negotiate with the passenger that can’t give up reclining and blaming me for rudeness, or apologize for the pool of urine in my seat and in the aisle. I do hold the airline responsible for putting me in this situation and may not fly with them again but that may not work either as airlines abandon routes that service my local as airport.
Any attempt at asking an american to be considerate of others is considered rude and disrespectful! The idea that any american should be concerned about someone else’s feelings is absurd! Everybody knows it’s YOUR FAULT for having feelings so only you should suffer for them.
Have a crappy american day!
I paid for my ticket, I will recline.
If you want need or whatever else a bigger seat than pay for it or fly a different airline.
Hitting the back of my seat will probably get you punch in the face faster than you can imagine.
And then I will sue you for assault for hitting my chair first.
So calm down and deal with it or buy a different seat.
I am 6’3″ my corporate travel booked me in the cheapest seat on my flight. The rear bulkhead. The guy in the row in front of me launched his seat in recline and was stopped by my knees. After repeatedly slamming into my knees, he turns around and demands that I allow him to recline. I said I wasn’t stopping him, but because of my size thats as far as he was going to get. He threatened to get the attendant to make me let him recline. I said “go right ahead, these seats were not engineered with people my size in mind”. The row I was in and others around cheered.
If it’s allowed then don’t be a crybaby and let them recline their seat. If your feeding your face just tell the person in front of you and stfu.
Honestly… who cares.
I don’t sit in coach anymore or even economy comfort. But if I did and being 6’8″ 280lbs it will be a physical impossibility for that person sitting in front of me to recline their seat. Irregardless if they think they have a right or not.
LMAO
Reclining is now assault.
Good luck with that one.
Don’t like reclining seats?
Fly Spirit. They don’t recline.
Don’t like Spirit? Too bad.
Just because I *can* fart in an elevator, does not mean I *should*. Same with reclining my seat.
Judging by these comments, we’ve become a nation of assh@les.
I’m 6’5″ 240lbs and other than first class, nowhere is comfortable on planes in the modern era.
This woman crying about her ‘right to recline’ is laughable. Recline into my lap and I will annoy you the entire flight. That recline will come with a price. I will push your buttons the entire flight.
This woman crying about her ‘right to recline’ is laughable. Recline into my lap and I will annoy you the entire flight. That recline will come with a price. I will push your buttons the entire flight.
In general, people are more selfish, rude, and have a sense of entitlement that amazes me almost every day. Just because something is allowed, doesn’t mean you should do it. (remember manners? Probably not) Anyway the problem is with the airlines maximizing profit at the expense of our needs. Think about it, the airlines are one of the few so called service providers that take your money, shaft you , and you have no say or recourse. Until people force them to change, which won’t happen, and the airlines know that. Things won’t ever change.
I recently flew American Airlines and the woman in front of me reclined the whole time. She invaded my space by up to 6 in. I paid for my seat and it didn’t include her. Reclining seats should not be allowed.
I sincerely hate having a strangers scalp In my face because they choose to recline…
Yes…they have that right, but I guess they have a right to belch as loud as they can in a crowded diner, also…thankfully, most people will give up some rights for the sake of others.
When it comes down to it, this would not be the divisive issue it is were it not for the extreme greed of the airlines…they are happy to have miserable customers for extra profit…
I would suggest leaving the drink cart off flights that are less than 2 hours…save $ in other ways and keep tickets affordable for normal people and maybe not give up on the idea of comfort being a positive.
I have issue with someone reclining two inches. It’s when they are literally in my lap that I have a problem. Many years ago, I was on a flight and was sitting with my legs crossed. The man in front of me pushed the seat ALL the way back with some force and crushed my legs so badly, I screamed out loud. Did he move his seat up even an inch? No. Was I literally looking at his face, upside down, because his seat was in my lap? Yes! And you can bet I spent the next 30 minutes crossing and uncrossing my legs, just to annoy him until he put the seat back up. And yes, if you hurt me, that is assault.
You paid for the seat. Recline it if you want as that is your right. If the person behind you don’t like it and starts kicking get one of the flight attendants.
I fixed the problem of inconsiderate recliners. Take your air circ nozzle and turn it full speed on their head/face. This rip came from a flight attendant on a cross country flight. Have used it ever since and there’s nothing the jerk in front of you ca do.
I blame the greedy airline industry ( which we tax payers carried through the pandemic ) , that squeezes every possible nickel out of the consumer. When they started the outrageous baggage fees during the energy crisis, never considered returning to previous fee schedule once fuel prices came down, did they.
Airlines can remove one row of seats and eliminate these issues. Giving flyers a little more space. They are maximizing their profits while offering a seat the reclines creating these issues. Its not the manufacturer of seats or airplanes. Its the airlines that order them this way…
People crying about people reclining are trash humans. Next time seat behind the no recline rows at the emergency exit if you don’t like people exercising their rights.
I’ve seen trash humans that reclines themselves while refusing person in front them to do so.
Just trash human all around.
We have been flying as a family for over thirty years. Even back in the day the seats didn’t recline enough to offer much comfort. My husband reclined his seat every time we flew and it just irritated me to no end. He finally admitted that the extra inch and a half didn’t offer him enough comfort to cause the person behind him discomfort. I don’t think it’s about rights or worth fighting about. Just be a decent human being. If the extra inch increases your comfort level by leaps and bounds, fine. If you’re just doing it because you can and don’t like being told what you can or can’t do and want to make a point, just stop.
Recline your seat.
You paid for it and if the jackass behind you starts to play games, shift your weight and slam something hard into his/her knee, then call the flight attendant.
He is she will tell the whiny, selfish nozzle behind you, that YOU, paid for the seat, it reclines, so you have a legal right to use the feature. Some 6’5′ scum bag tried that shit with me, I stood up to him, the flight attendant upgraded ME and my friend.
Stretch lost his mind.
Yet if suggest to them that they should sit in the back of movie theaters, concerts, and sporting events, these same whiny assholes go completely opposite. They want to be right in front so nobody else can see.
They want all the benefits of their height and none of the MINOR inconveniences.
“If insisting on it I’ll make a citizens arrest for assault and a LEO must take them in like it or not”
JFC, imagine being this dumb as a functioning adult
How can you all be arguing with each other? Air carriers started making tiny seats 20-15 years ago. Before that, there was no ptoblem.they are ripping us all off, bigtime, and you are yelling at each other instead of writing to your Congressman. Do you think Congressmen get the tiny little seats? They are undoubtedly upgraded for free. When a Congressman was stuck in an unairconditioned jet for 6 hours at (?) Kennedy in summer, that was illegal by the end of the week.
How can you all be arguing with each other? Air carriers started making tiny seats 20-15 years ago. Before that, there was no ptoblem.they are ripping us all off, bigtime, and you are yelling at each other instead of writing to your Congressman. Do you think Congressmen get the tiny little seats? They are undoubtedly upgraded for free. When a Congressman was stuck in an unairconditioned jet for 6 hours at (?) Kennedy in summer, that was illegal by the end of the week. I didnt post my previous comment, you lying censor!
After many years of travelling, I retired and now have become an airport virgin. It takes 5 years to regain your innocence. All my relatives live within one day’s train ride. I will never subject myself to airtravel again. It can all fall into the pits of hell. Maybe it has.
So, what is the true cause of this problem? It’s the airline putting too many rows in the aircraft. There should be a minimum pitch as part of a passenger bill of rights. This is like the wait person getting blamed for poor service when the cause is an understaffed restaurant. We must demand a solution that addresses the real problem.
To the anti-recliners: grow up or upgrade. I always recline & always will, as long as the seats are designed to do so. I suppose it could happen someday but no one has successfully challenged me on this. The bravery you show online would rapidly evaporate face to face with just a glance. Every. Time.
Sorry, not sorry. Deal with it.
Yes, it’s awful to fly on these planes, but why the “Karen” voice, or rather the MTG voice? Has she never been inconvenienced before? Best to drive or pay for a different class of seating.
They are designs for different airframes that allow for reclining without impinging on the seat space behind you. Is it too expensive? I don’t know, but if the airlines don’t understand that the bad press that this type of behavior, both from the recliner and the ‘impinged upon’ has and the monetary value associated, then the airlines need to look at what your customers want and pay for, versus you bottom line. But, of course, this a recurring argument for all the airlines and a lot of their policies.