The etiquette of reclining seats on flights

[KK Lee 5]

The etiquette of reclining seats on flights

You can see the nervous glances on any flight when the seatbelt light is pinged off, as each passenger anxiously wonders: "Do I have a recliner in front of me? Are my precious seven inches of legroom safe?"

Incursions into personal space are a familiar source of aggravation at high altitudes. So it's not surprising that, according to reports, a United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver was diverted when a passenger prevented the woman in front of him from leaning back using a $21.95 (£13) lock called a Knee Defender. After he allegedly refused requests from cabin crew to remove it, his un-laid back fellow traveller allegedly hurled a glass of water at him.

The man's methods may be extreme, but some travellers - unable to work on their laptops, eat, or simply enjoy the meagre proportions of economy class to the full as a result of leaners-back - will sympathise. For some time now, a backlash against reclining has been under way.

Earlier this year, a frequent business traveller's call for a "revolt"against reclining seats went viral. A survey by Skyscanner in 2013suggested nine out of 10 travellers wanted to see them banned. Another poll for CabinCrew.com indicated that more than 60% of international cabin crew had observed an argument between passengers as a result of them.

It's not just the manufacturers of the Knee Defender that have sought to capitalise. In May Monarch Airlines announced plans to scrap reclining seats, following the example set by Ryanair.

But recliners can offer reasonable excuses. They may be very tall or affected by other physical impairments. On a red-eye, different rules apply - everyone wants to maximise their chances of catching an hour or two of sleep.

So what to do? The advice offered by Debrett's is to "ease your chair gently into a reclining position, which will avoid a sudden invasion of the limited legroom of the passenger behind".

Etiquette expert Jean Broke-Smith takes a firmer line. On overnight flights there is a tacit understanding that everyone will lean back when the lights go off, she says. On long-haul journeys it is acceptable. Otherwise, she says, "I think it's very rude." She adds: "At the very least, you should turn around and say, 'Excuse me' first."

Asking passengers to talk politely to each other? Fasten your seatbelts now, please.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28943131

Personally, i reclined all the time except meal time. If the pax behind feel strongly about his space, he could always travel in J class.

Edited August 27, 2014 by KK Lee

[Jeffery Lim 0]

It is always a chain effect. If the person in front of you reclines, you will be very cramp up and will have no choice but to recline as well.

 

I always recline except meal times as i understand the pax behind needs to eat. I think MH have their crew to request the passengers to do so, but not on other airlines.

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

At meal time...i will quietly gesture the crew to ask the passenger in front to put up the seat...they would usually comply...

[S M Tang 0]

Since we're on this topic of the etiquette of reclining seats,

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/27/travel/knee-defender-travel-gadget/index.html

Edited August 28, 2014 by S M Tang

[Radzi 2]

Travel F. Problem solved.

[Robert 0]

Any idea if they are banned on MAS?

 

Was recently travelling MAS in Y on a 738 and snoozing when the seat in front was reclined and almost broke my knee cap

[Suzanne Goh 0]

This device should be banned on all airlines - if the airline meant for the seat not to recline , it would not have allowed it to.

 

If the guy in front is being an ass about reclining- you talk to the crew.

[Waiping 12]

I'm ok with D7 and MH's new B738, prefers OD and maybe UO.

 

One thing that they can do is make the seat recline slower, like perhaps using some sort of gear with some resistance. It's all a matter of seat pitch, so LCC-style pitch tends to fare worst.

[Samuel Chy 0]

the "sliding" seat reclining sound better for me. i'd been suffered on my trip back to BKI from KUL in a 738 during CNY. the person in front of my fully recline his seat soon after depart and until landing! you know how suffer am i to watch the PTV (esp the ptv is not adjustable! plus the distance!). even when meal is served, he also never bother to adjust his seat!

but fortunately flight attendance kind enough to give him a note after i give her a "signal".

 

IMHO, seat reclining is for your comfortable, but should be more considerate to the other passenger onboard also right?

[KK Lee 5]

the "sliding" seat reclining sound better for me. i'd been suffered on my trip back to BKI from KUL in a 738 during CNY. the person in front of my fully recline his seat soon after depart and until landing! you know how suffer am i to watch the PTV (esp the ptv is not adjustable! plus the distance!). even when meal is served, he also never bother to adjust his seat!

but fortunately flight attendance kind enough to give him a note after i give her a "signal".

 

IMHO, seat reclining is for your comfortable, but should be more considerate to the other passenger onboard also right?

From D7 experiment with sliding seat, it seem recline seat is more popular.

I had a few skirmish with pax behind me, not that they were tall or big size but deem recline seat trespassing their territory/air space.

[Robert 0]

I actually think they are a great idea - seats being reclined back and hitting passengers legs or laptops etc is more than enough justification to use them

[mokhzani 0]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2741904/Rules-air-travel-stop-passengers-hating-you.html

[Cire 0]

Choosing seats can be rewarding, but sometimes we are not that lucky to have this opportunity.

 

 

On short to medium hauls, I don't usually recline and if I wanted to recline the seat, I would only recline it half way. On long haul when the lights dimmed, its usually full reclined. What I despised most is when even pn a very short haul of 1-1.5hrs flight, the pax infront decided to recline and watch some show on the screen. How inconsiderate and self-centered.

 

The next issue to be on the topic is the sharing of the armrest !! I have countered numerous seat partners who are very obnoxious. There are basically two types annoying passengers that barged the armrest. First, the "I am here first". You can see clearly their full length hoarding of the armrest on both sides as if their male boobs are too big. And then, the one that came later, and hijacked the armrest with their hairy arms or foot-thick jacket socked arms. They will sit down and immediately plonked their shoulder next to you, and the moment you ease away a bit, his arm would be on the armrest already. And there's the 3rd.kind of armrest hoarders - the newspaper reading one. Arms outstretched and clueless whether their elbow have encroached over to your space or not.

In such a situation, I can only "repay" their "kindness" by going to the loo as often as I do not need it anyway.. In other ways, I tried to befriend the person next to me, but more often than not, they preferred to be a loner and sleep the entire 1-1.5 hour away.