A viral video from a flight that departed Denver shows an angry passenger repeatedly shaking the seat in front of him to stop it from reclining.
A nearby passenger caught it on film, showing the man behind forcefully pushing the seat back up while the person in front tries to recline and looks back in shock. A flight attendant steps in to deescalate the situation, explaining to the upset passenger that the person in front has the right to recline their seat.
To be clear, you are allowed to recline if your seat reclines (except during takeoff and landing, when you’re instructed by crew to be in a full upright position for safety), and seat recline can be important for comfort especially on long flights with poorly-padded seats.
Recline works to distribute passenger weight and reduce back stress. 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
However, there is an etiquette to exercising your right to recline:
- 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).
- Let them know you’re going to recline, and do it gently. That helps keep this from happening:
@Delta small note for the suggestion box, maybe have a little warning sign or someway to prevent my laptop from being destroyed when the person in front of me reclines their seat. pic.twitter.com/QHmphXiDhH
— Pat “Beave” Cassidy (@HardFactorPat) February 26, 2020
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. Many years ago all it took was $5 (offered with a parent’s permission) for me to convince a child seated in front of me not to recline so that I could work effectively on my laptop.
The product you’re buying in a standard coach seat usually does not offer very much space. Keep in mind that both Southwest Airlines and JetBlue offer more space than United, Delta, or American. Not all airlines are the same! And many international airlines offer more space in coach than U.S. airlines do.
By the way here’s an unethical so-called ‘hack’ that is less violent than shoving the seat in front of you, but is still an aggression meant to get under the skin of the person reclining and can easily lead to escalation. What do you think you’re accomplishing by “turn[ing] on the air con above you at full blast and point[ing] it at their head”..?
@thelkshow The plane ride is so long when you get one of these people in front of you 🥱 #plane #reclinetheseat #annoyingpassengers ♬ Blicky – Fresh X Reckless
Ultimately you need to buy the space that you need, ask politely that passengers around you conform to norms, and if they don’t get a crewmember involved. You can also consider a Coasian solution: you each have an initial set of rights and they can impede on each other’s preferences, so find a (cash) bargain.
(HT: Johnny Jet)
I never recline and I ask the person in front of me to limit theirs. I try not to resort to this sort of shoving, but frankly, it can be justified at times.
Swap seats. If the guy in front wants to recline and the guy behind is bent out of shape by that then swap seats.
I couldn’t agree more. When you buy an Economy seat, it comes with an implied set of rules for appropriate behavior. You’ve bought one seat. That does not give you or anyone the right to control two. By definition, they’re not very comfortable and certainly not spacious. Want to be able to be (mostly) recline abuse free? Pay up and buy F. If you don’t have the manners and personal decorum to behave appropriately, you should not be permitted to board.
I’d wait until off the flight and out of federal jurisdiction, then pound the little pissy seat shaker bloody.
So the age-old argument… I don’t get to use my laptop because you’re going to be the only one in the entire cabin to recline? (Yes, this has happened).. if you can’t stop from reclining on a flight less than 2 hours, then find another way to travel. .
I’m about the same size as the angry guy. This is why I play the status and miles games, but in the 1/4 of cases I do find myself in a regular economy seat I just handle it. I know what I paid for, this kind of suffering is a part of the package.
Based on the animated nature of the convo with the FA, there’s probably more to this story than someone merely objecting to a seat being reclined.
Back in the days when the seat pitch on the plane was more generous, reclining the seat was not that big a deal. These days, however, with the Airlines ever shrinking the space it can be a problem. If the Airlines are going to continue squeezing more seats on their planes, then maybe it is time to fix the seats so that they cannot recline.
One time I had some critical work to do on my laptop, and the guy in front of me reclined. I asked him politely not to, and he complied. When the FAs came around with the food cart, I told them whatever he wanted – food, drink – was on me. He got a sandwich, which I was happy to pay for.
I like what Southwest has done to remedy this – all of their seats only recline 3 inches max. This should be mandatory on ALL airlines.
I simply don’t buy the claim that a reclined seat prevents the back passenger from using their laptop unless it is a much oversized laptop in which case it is still the computer user’s fault. In any event the front passenger has every right to recline except when landing, taking off and at meals. Sounds like a male Karen to me.
The Karen should fly Spirit. Your seat has the option to decline. Sorry but the airlines have seats in coach so tight that working on a laptop is not practical. Get your CFO to allow purchasing first so that you have room to work if you’re expected to work inflight.
It’s the airlines for creating all of this
It is well beyond time to make all seats in steerage class non-reclining. There just isn’t enough room in coach for people to recline. I was on a domestic flight recently where the person ahead of me reclined for the whole two-hour flight and I was completely confined – unable to use the tray table as intended, unable to move my knees, which were pinned firmly into the seatback of the reclined passenger. And sorry, but if you do recline in those seats, YTA. A-hole. Straight-up, 100 percent douche canoe.
Someone said by the space you need. At what point should the airlines accommodate their passengers? My wife is 5′ 1″ and has more than enough space. I’m 6′ 4″ and sometimes cannot get my knees in without pressure on them in a standard seat. At what point do airlines declare that passengers of a certain height should expect to be uncomfortable or impossible to fit in the space available on the flight? Are there any reasonable accommodations for these customers? I’ve generally been fortunate to get emergency row seating.
I can so relate to the guy who was pushing on the seat. He barely fits his legs in there and ends up with a thoughless jerk in front of him who slams his seat back. Personally, I’m often stuck behind the sole seat recliner in my part of economy and it pisses me off – because it is thoughtless and rude. It’s not 1983 anymore and a 34″ pitch is no longer standard. Now it’s closer to 30 or 31 inches. Frankly, I think that the airlines need to disable the recline function on all economy seats.
One way to absolutely not get the other person to give a hoot about reclining – kick and act like this idiot jerk. I have been previously asked – nicely I might add – not to recline and agreed. Had this happened instead that would have been war and I have would reclined just to spite the person…… would that make me a jerk, probably, but I do not reward bullying and someone acting out
Alternatively, if you have trouble with leg room pay for it – this is what I do! I am 6’5″ and barely fit into a regular seat with discomfort…..
Whenever the person in front of me reclines, I will recline my seat too!
Did the person in the video also recline his seat after the person in front of him reclined?
Ah … a disagreement for the ages.
What airline is that? Those screens look pretty big.
“I try not to resort to this sort of shoving, but frankly, it can be justified at times.” No, never.
“I don’t get to use my laptop because you’re going to be the only one in the entire cabin to recline?” I don’t get to recline because you’re the only one on a laptop?
One time I was flying on a Delta Boeing 737-800 in Main Cabin a.k.a. Economy, and the passenger in front of me reclined…reducing my space enough that I had difficulty retrieving my SMALL backpack that I’d stashed under the seat for takeoff because it got caught on the back of the seat! Also, I felt cramped, and I’m only 5’5″. I have never booked a Main Cabin seat again on a Delta 737 after that experience, as the only halfway decent legroom, besides First Class, is in their Comfort + section.
When it comes to *Head shaking* situations like this,you;d think that peoples like this would act their age instead of acting like Pathetic/ triggered little brats. If customers on flights end up having a problem with other customers reclining their seats on flights,then that is on them because No One honestly wants to put up with Childish/ Complaining little Piss Ants
The author must not be over 6′ tall. I’m 6’3″, and the pitch of AA economy was 25″. That’s an impossible scenario when the passenger ahead – all 5’6″ of him – chooses to flex his “rights to hide his physiological inadequacies” and make my comfort impossible. I didn’t shake his seat, I just sat straight up with legs (and knees) ahead. That meant his seatback had two solid pressure points, negating his comfort. The cabin attendants rejected my complaints, including the obvious pitch anomaly compared to the pitch across the aisle (2-3″ greater by my quick comparison upon deplaning).
This is an airline created problem. With seat pitch shrinking over time due to airlines trying to maximize revenue, reclining into another person’s space will cause conflict. The solution is to eliminate seat recline in coach. It would also make the seats less expensive, lighter, potentially stronger and with less costly maintenance, all wins. Those who want reclining seats would still be able to get them in more premium seating locations.
There are numerous seats on the aircraft that DON’T recline. If it’s that important to you, purchase a seat behind one of those. Buy a seat in or near the exit rows. Buy a bulkhead seat.
You can also recline your own seat. If you both recline, you have exactly the same amount of space you started with.
I almost always recline my seat, if I can. Sitting bolt upright for 4 to 6 hours is excruciatingly uncomfortable, especially in these days of tiny little alligator-arms armrests that you can’t actually lean on for support. And what if the person in front of me has reclined? Am I just supposed to suck it up because you have economy-plus tastes on a basic economy budget? Please.
What the hell is wrong with people?? No — this is NOT OK. The person doing the reclining is not breaking any law or rules. Yes, it would be nice if everyone I interacted with went through life seeking to satisfy all of my personal interests and desires, but guess what? The world doesn’t work that way — and I’m not so narcissistic to expect it to. Live. With. It. Where does this stop? I laugh too loud in a movie theater and this guy turns around and punches me? Someone’s dog brushes against his slacks so he kicks it? Someone’s kid makes a face at him so he slaps an 8-year old?
He should ask them nicely. If they say no and he’s unhappy about it, he should try the Gary Leff payoff approach, or ask someone short around him to switch, or talk to the FA. If none of those satisfy him and he’s still angry enough to whack someone or something, maybe HE shouldn’t be out in public.
Stop it. Just stop it.
OK, I’m done venting…
@edward: I use a ThinkPad X1 Carbon on UA and AA. That is a SMALL laptop,’
If the seat in front of me is reclined in Y, I can’t use the laptop on the tray table.
I’ll recline on a 30-minute flight if I want to. Don’t like it? Pay for J or F so you can work on your laptop like your peon job requires you to. I paid for my seat same as you.
Reclining is a major issue on flights. No one addresses what are the rights of the seat behind the recliner. Are we just supposed put up with it?
Airlines are at fault. They are aware that clam seats exist. With a clam seat reclining is within the passenger space. Therefore no issue.
But what about the pissy entitled man’s dear chess game?!
If I sit in a reclining seat, I sometimes, recline it a bit. I know I can recline all the way but having been in that position myself, where someone reclines all the way back and how uncomfortable it is, I never recline all the way. That being said, the guy pushing his seat is a total…I mean total….jerk. He has no right to do that. Yes, that guy in front was also inconsiderate and really reclined a lot, which would have made it uncomfortable for the guy behind, but unfortunately, he has the right to do so. Really, I hold airlines responsible for this. They have made economy seat space so tiny, it is soooo un-pleasurable to fly economy even on the best airlines. That is why I only travel a few times a year and always business or first. I would rather fly less than fly more and be miserable.
“Who’s Really To Blame?”
The airline.
Only one comment has been posted that this is all the fault of UA, AA and Delta for reducing the space between seats so reclining becomes a problem for most men. It should not have been permitted by the FAA, who has the legal authority to set a minimum standard for spacing for safety and comfort. The airline industry has too strong a lobby in DC. There should be public hearing to help the FAA see the light.
How’s this. Get up and speak to the person sitting in front of you. Explain you will be working on your laptop. If they can avoid reclining, that would be great. If not, could they please warn you before hand to avoid damage to your laptop. That the adult way
Wow . . . a bunch of Karen’s here and it’s not the people reclining. “It is thoughtless and rude to recline?” No way, but it is thoughtless and rude to prevent the recline of a passenger who chooses to do so.
I’ve got a bad back. I recline my seat because in the full upright position, inside of 20 minutes I’ll be in absolute agony and be forced to take a pain killer. Some of the people above say I should pay for first class. I say that if you want more room than the airline’s economy seat provides, then you should go pay extra for premium economy or first class.
When I recline, I do it slowly after warning the person behind me. If they ask me not to recline, even if I’m going to be the sole person on the plane to recline, I politely decline that, briefly explaining I have a terrible back (several operations and I have lots of hardware back there holding it together). I try not to recline at meal time, but if they take forever to take away the stuff, then I’ll still recline once the pain is hitting me.
It turns out that I actually do try to fly first class, but sometimes when it’s a late purchase for business, it’s not available. If not in first, then premium economy, but sometimes that’s sold out too. Then you all will be stuck with me and frankly you’re going to have to tough it out the airline has blessed reclining by making it available to me.
If you want to positively make sure you’re not behind me when I “thoughtlessly and rudely” (NOT) recline, then fly Spirit or Allegiant. I don’t fly on those airlines. For that matter, you’re safe on Southwest too, as I don’t fly them either.
You all have this wrong. It’s the airlines and FAA’s fault. No company or Federal department should allow such tight space for air passengers. No one should have to fork up a fortune to fly like passengers did in the 80’s. Why do so many of you stick to who is really to blame? You’ve all become complacent and tolerate this hateful situation which would END if airlines treated passenger like human beings, not chickens cooped up in a pen without space.
I always recline as my back gets jacked up if I don’t, and sometimes will recline when I first sit down to ensure that the people behind me know that I am going to be doing it. It is my right as a passenger to do so and I try to sit economy plus to ensure that the people behind me also have extra room, but that isn’t always the case (2nd row exit). If you want to have more room, buy a better seat. Having said that, If someone behind me asked politely I would respect their wishes and work with them, but if they came at me with attitude I wouldn’t.
I’m 6’4″ tall. My knees are literally smashed up against the back of the unreclined seat. If you recline your seat? My kneecaps are sheared and the plane has to make an emergency landing so that I can go to the hospital. This is not about comfort, this is about assault.
I always ask about bulkhead seats and am told that mothers with babies get priority. But after that? There is no priority for people too tall for the ever shrinking room between seats. No matter how I explain this problem to short people, they don’t seem to understand.
I have zero control over my height. I can’t go on a diet and lose a couple of inches. I don’t need extra legroom, I need *adequate* leg room.
This is discrimination, and that’s against Federal Laws.
Ask first, if the person behind you says no? That means No.
I am unable to recline without shearing off my own kneecaps.
I was going to post a photo of my knees smashed up against the upright seat back that I have used (without success) to get a bulkhead or emergency row seat.
@William Martel. Right or wrong, good or bad, to my knowledge tall people are not a protected class and thus I question whether Federal anti-discrimination laws are relevant.
And yes, as someone who is generally all for the free-market, the airlines are inviting regulation to address the fact that their interior design in going so counter to overall demographic changes. Sure, people can choose not to fly or fly other airlines, but travel is essential and there are few airlines — in part due to the existing airlines blocking alternatives.
I rarely recline out of respect for the people behind me, but as I usually save up to fly biz/first it isn’t that much of an issue for me. The real problem isn’t the recline, its the fact that there’s so little space between rows! Back in the seventies (yeah, I’m ancient) this wasn’t a problem since there was more legroom and pitch in the days of regulation, but no longer. Nowadays, with such little room between rows the recline is far more noticeable than in the past.
@Paul
Some of us don’t have a choice about flight times. The vast majority (95%+) are 2 hour or less connections to a hub. And the vast majority of those require I leave at 5-6 am in order to get to my final destination the same day (no, I don’t much care for a 23 hour flight with a 12-14 hour layover at an airport). I’ll turn it around. There’s no need for you to be working on your laptop at 5:-6:00 am when others are trying to sleep *reclined*.
It is the airline’s fault. A Coach cabin with extra legroom that is the majority of the Economy cabin will cost one or two rows and bring in the additional revenue from up-sells . . . or credit cards which seem to be the real money maker. Those who want Basic Economy with little to no legroom can book early for the limited seats.