I can handle a certain degree of reclining, if I have to, especially on a translatlantic and/or overnight/redeye-type flight. I try to size up the situation and gauge the potential for confrontation.

But what has happened to me more times than I can count is that I'll have my laptop open on the dinky little tray table and some galoot whams the seat back fully at maximum velocity and gets the screen part of the computer wedged in good between the seatback and the tray. Which leads to the inevitable "Erm, excuse me, I hate to ask but... you're crushing my laptop. Could you sit up just a smidge?"

If the people in front of me have to recline, I just wish they'd temper their enthusiasm for getting there a bit. Or take a quick look. Crikey.

Isn't this the real reason they prohibit firearms onboard?

If you're trying to work or eat it can be annoyingly cramped, but if you're not doing something that requires the tray table to be out then it's really not that intrusive. As if it reclines very far anyway!

Some people want to use laptops on the plane, some want to sleep.

I do like the vent pointing trick though. Coughing and hacking right by their head also works.

Sometimes just asking helps. "I'm really sorry but I like to get up and stretch every hour or so--would you mind moving your seat up a little bit so I can get in and out of my seat more easily?" It's been successful almost every time.

Just make sure to grab the back of the reclining seat and use it to hoist yourself up every time you need to stand!

People do that to me and I don't recline the seat! Seriously - do people not realize that they are grabbing the back of what my head is placed on when they grab the back of the seat to hoist themselves up?!?

I try to get a seat in the front row of coach. If that doesn't work and a very inconsiderate person reclines into my lap I make a few gagging sounds toward their head, try to reach for the airsick bag and let him/her know I get airsick easily.

Don't get me started on the toddler who insists on kicking the back of my seat the entire trip.

Push the seat back up and tell the person if they don't get out of your lap, you will shove your fist down their throat.

I still can't understand why people who are adament about not reclining the seat are also so self-righteous about it, proclaiming "aren't we all in this together?" Yes, we are, and I'm sorry I planned to sleep between the hours of midnight and 5 AM, even though I'm on an aircraft. If we're all in this together, doesn't that mean that we should work together so I get to sleep, AND you get to work on your laptop? Yes, I agree, it's unforgiveable to just slam the seat back without consideration for the person behind you -- but so are passive-aggressive tricks to get someone to pull their chair up. You call them "tricks" because they are sneaky and rude!

Play drums on the recliner's headrests. If they complain, point out that they're the ones who put their head in your lap.

Ask them nicely to move it up, and if the don't get a flight attendant to ask them to. If they do it again, get a nice up of ice water and make sure the cubes go down their back.

Well, maybe not the last one unless they're being really really really rude.

I'm with Considerate Recliner. The tactics you suggest to keep someone from reclining their seat are even more obnoxious and deliberately offensive than the perceived offense (which was likely done in innocence and exhaustion). Why do you believe your comfort trumps someone else's? For that matter, why do you take someone's reclining their seat as a personal insult? Why not instead show the same compassion you wish to receive?

If you have a problem with me and the fact I recline my seat fully tough. Get life. Want to get passive aggressive. Grow up and get aggressive. Grow a set please. Stand up for yourself. Being passive aggressive is for children. And if you still have a problem with me recling my seat I make sure the flight attendant gets your name etc and the next time you fly can you oops I was detained. How did my name get on that list? That full body cavity serch was worth the price of admission.

I paid my fare to recline my seat! What are you going to do about, punk!

Unfortunately, many people are not nice. Doubly unfortunately, they seem not to know who they are.

Next time you're tempted to recline, try just sitting upright. Once you get used to it, it is just as comfortable, and if you're really that exhausted, you'll fall asleep anyway.

It's officially time to file seat reclining alongside cell phone conversations in restaurants, smoking near non-smokers in public places, and cutting people off in traffic. Does it happen? Yes. Do decent people do it? No.

I paid my fare to recline my seat! What are you going to do about, punk!

Posted by: | September 14, 2007 12:35 PM

HAHA - you are hilarious. So, you're going to get my name from the flight attendants and then make sure I get a full body search next time?! hahaha - listen, turd - you put your seat back and i'll ask you nicely to put it back up. you don't put it back up and you'll have a constant knee bouncing into your back for the entire flight. what are YOU going to do about it?

dctony: What are you 12? Actually I think that most 12 year olds wouldn't act the way you are. Grow up.

Actually, sometimes the only recourse us tall people have it to make it uncomfortable for the people in front. You see, I only fit in non-exit row seats with my knees up to the seat in front of me. You try reclining even a little bit, and you're crushing my knees.

Usually, asking the person in front not to recline is enough. If not, then knees in the kidneys from shifting (it is the only way I can stay comfortable while getting my surgically repaired knee "crushed") usually gets the point across. It does help that the airlines don't put any lumbar support in those seats. No padding to protect the person in front. But if I'm going to be uncomfortable, so are you.

I was stunned when I first saw people complaining about this. It never occurred to me to get worked up over such a small thing. I have never given a moment's thought to reclining my seat, because it doesn't bother me in the slightest when someone reclines the seat in front of me. In fact, no one I know is bothered by reclining seats. The passive-aggressive responses to those who opt to recline are childish and reflect quite poorly on you. And if you're going to kick my seat the whole time or dump water on me, I'll call the flight attendant. I'll bet you'll be the one asked to stop, and I won't be asked to put my seat up.

I don't have that much of issue as my flights are usually under an hour and usually people don't recline or the flight's not full and no one's sitting in front of me.

However, if you must recline, would it kill you to let me know? What if I'm bending over to get something out of my bag that's under the seat you're in?

On one of my rare "longer then an hour flight" this year, I had some person recline as the flight attendent was handing me my orange juice! Thankfully it didn't spill!

It's not true that there are only two types, but I am amazed at how many mental 12-year-olds -- on BOTH sides -- are apparently flying these days.

There are, in fact, plenty of us who recline the seat only partway, and do so slowly rather than suddenly, and not during the meal, if there is one. And I guess we're the same people who don't have a fit when the people in front of us do likewise. (So far, no one has ever complained to me, much less pulled any of these recommended "tricks.")

Yes, airplane seats were made to recline, and no, some of us cannot get comfortable in the upright position. And yes, the airlines are squeezing those seats closer together, so fully reclining in coach imposes on the person behind you. So why not exercise a little compromise and common sense?

Really, people.

Years ago (many, many years ago) there was enough room between rows that a fully reclined seat was not a problem. These days, though, it's difficult just to get into a seat because of the narrow space between rows. I'm short, but my husband and sons are all over 6 feet tall. If I am feeling the squeeze, it must be so much worse for those a foot taller than I am.

I mostly take short (i.e., one to one and a half hours) flights so I don't recline my seat out of courtesy for those behind me. If I were to fly on an overnight flight, though, I'd probably want to recline a bit so I could try and get some sleep. In that case, I would certainly check behind me and let the person there know that I would be reclining the seat so I could rest. If he/she objected vehemently I would see if the flight attendant could move me. If that did not work, I guess I'd try to sleep upright.

Ah, for the "good old days" when we had leg room....

Or, you can spend $15 and buy a set of knee defenders...they won't let the seat in front of your recline:

http://www.livingxl.com/store/en_US/catalog/browse_sku.jsp?clear=true&catID=cat40188&prodId=X1119&id=cat40188

Wow, I didn't realize the Knee Defender was still out there. I thought it surely must have been deemed illegal by now. Interestingly, their Web site notes that it comes with a little card you can hand out to the offending reclining person:

Additionally, we provide the "Knee Defender™ Courtesy Card™" for our customers to use. The card is designed to be offered to a passenger seated in front of our customer, explaining the situation, indicating that our customer will, if asked, do whatever is practical to allow as much safe reclining as is possible, and urging the forward passenger to "complain to the airline" about the situation. The card closes with the following:

"Maybe working together we can convince the airlines to provide enough space between rows so that people can recline their seats without banging into other passengers. Thank you for your understanding."

DC Tony when your knee is wrapped around the back of your head you wont care about my seat reclining. If one of you fools decides to wear a knee defender have great time tasting it from the wrong end. I bought my ticket and I will recline my seat if I want to. If you dont like it complain like a little girl, punk!

This is just idiotic. All of you, get a grip! The problem is not your fellow passengers; it's the airlines who have created this debacle by jamming too many seats into too small a space. Instead of fighting back against the airlines and lobbying Congress for redress, you idiots have decided to buy seat defenders and pour ice cubes down each others' necks.

No wonder the Saxons conquered the British; the Vikings conquered the Saxons, and the Normans conquered the Saxons/Danes. All of the losers were so busy fighting each other they let the real bad guys come in and take over.

Look, if the flight is a short one, fine... but if it's transatlantic or one of my regular hops to India, my seat WILL be reclined, starting right after the trays are cleared from dinner. I paid for the seat, and I get to utilize what small amount of comfort there is on a 17 hour journey. if you are cramped or miserable, consider upgrading. but don't take it out on me.

I once had a very very obese man behind me, and his tray table would not go down even if my seat has been upright. but I was pregnant and the journey to the US from India is a long one and I reclined my seat. This guy forcibly shoved my seat forward causing me significant discomfort and told me I had no right to recline. He refused to admit that his obesity was the issue, and he was severly cramped with or without my seat being reclined. finally the airline relocated him.

whatever. and I am dismayed that someone from the travel section would advocate being passive aggressive. you point your air nozzle at me and I will ask you point blank what your issue is. grow up and act like an adult!

I'll point out that the tray table mechanism is completely independent of the seat reclining. It doesn't matter if the seat is reclined or not, the tray table will go down exactly the same.

The difference is in what you can put on the tray table if the seat is reclined. It can be very difficult to open a laptop sufficiently when the seat is reclined, for example.

Ultimately, the problem is what someone else mentioned - the airlines have reduced legroom to an absurdly small amount. If there was a decent amount of space between the rows, this wouldn't be an issue.

I'm with Arlington, VA -- I never give it a thought either way. It's just part of flying. The person in front of you can recline if they want and so can you. It's a shame that the airlines have smashed more rows in making reclining such an issue.

Seems that in the US we have resorted to intermediaries in issues of civility. Loud party next door? Call the police. Smoking a few tables over, call the waitress. Passenger trying to wheedle a slight bit of comfort out of their tight space, call the stewardess. Jesuscristo people, just talk to your neighbors. They won't bite.

Wow! I had no idea until reading this (and the chat a few months ago) that reclining your seat the whole way back is taboo! Granted, usually when I fly it's overseas, so for longer, and often overnight flights. But I just thought that the guy in front of me reclined, so I reclined, so the woman behind me reclined, etc... Apparently, I don't fit the two-types-of-people mold: I don't think it's my God-given right, but I thought everyone did it! I'm kind of embarrassed now...

PS. I do, however, recline slowly... no need to slam into the guy behind me.

First, I'd like to say that phrasing this as "those evil, inconsiderate sub-humans versus us poor put-upon genuises", or words to that affect practically guarantees the kind of teeth-bared, spittle spewing rants that you've received. So congratulations on stacking the deck!
Second, I don't know which airlines the responders fly on, but personally I've never seen an airline seat that reclines more than 2 inches, none move at a speed that allows a seat to be "whammed" back, and none put the head of the person in front of you in your lap. I've used a laptop on a tray table and there's plenty of room with the seat ahead of me reclined.
If you want to have a discussion, stick to the truth and please stop making outrageous and false claims. If your claim can't stand up using the truth, you don't really have a case.

On my last trip from Seattle to Denver the woman in front of me reclined her seat fully and had me pinned. While she napped I really wasn't terribly upset. But then she woke up and was leaning forward to look out her window and such and and kept her seat completely back. At that point very evil thoughts were moving around my brain. I did think about spilling something down her back. I didn't. I'm an adult but I was sorely tempted.

Have you seen something on the market called a Knee Defender? For $10 you can purchase a device that you wedge into the seat in front of you which will prevent someone from reclining. Obviously, the airlines don't like it. I haven't tried it but would if I flew very often. Up until now, as soon as I sense that the seat in front of me is going to recline, I put my hands against the seat to block it. People try to push but eventually give up. I guess they think the seat is broken. Too bad!

The problem could easily be solved by the airlines' adjusting the seats so they don't recline so much. I was on a British Airways flight last winter and had a panic attack when the guy in front of me reclined his seat fully. The flight attendant refused to ask him to put the seat up just a little; I was re-seated in the flight attendants' seat, where I could breathe. I do not believe people should be allowed--or physically able--to recline their seats into your lap.

The aircraft manufacturers and the airlines designed the seat to let the passenger recline it. If reclining a seat is no longer reasonable, the airline and the aircraft manufacturers have an obiigation to readjust the seats so that they do not recline. It should not be the obligation of the passenger to decide whether it is reasonable to use a piece of airline equipemnt for the purpose that it was intended.

Even in Business Class, a seat can be reclined so much that the person behind is trapped, literally unable to stand up or move to go to the head. In my case, the "gentleman" was asked to move his seat up a bit, but he refused. When dinner arrived there was no way to get out the tray, & the flight attendant noticed it, & asked him to move a bit, to which he refused. Then she called the male attendant, who repeated the request - he grudgingly moved just enough to get the tray out, & then returned to his full recline, which he kept for the whole flight. Though I had also paid for my ticket, I was not allowed to have my comfort that this person demanded for himself only. The flight attendants were so upset by his behavior that they advised they were going to report him when they landed. I wonder what happened to him - I hope he never was again allowed to fly on that airline.

I agree with the recliners (btw - well said Dominick).

If you are big enough that you are "pinned" by the slight recline that airline seats allow, you may be too large for coach. I would suggest paying the extra $ for business class where space will be less of a problem. If you are large, or are otherwise unusually bothered by a reclininng seat, it is not the person in front of you that has the issue, it is you. I guess it is similar to the requirement that a very heavy person buy 2 tickets, when 1 seat will not accomodate them.

BTW - The airlines aren't making money with the current seat configurations. Adding "the space we used to have" to coach will increase fare prices. Is everyone OK with that? If you are, then you are in luck...you can buy a business class ticket on many flights.

I believe the airlines can and should do some passenger courtesy education on this. After the presentation on safety and emergency escape, they ought to remind passengers to recline gently and that it would be civil to ssk the passenger behind. Such a message can also be printed in their cabin magazines and even on paper napkins. However, if the passenger behind me said no, do I have to sit straight for hours? As long as the reclining mechanism is there, I'd like to take advantage of it.

The problem is the flying public demands fares that are too low. As someone who flies over 50 times a year, I wish all the airlines would raise their fares the amount necessary to provide more room, cleaner planes, and better filtering for the air. $100 more per flight is fine with me.

Most of my flights are cross-country and it always galls me to hear someone complain about paying $500 for a round-trip ticket. That's $250 per leg, or $250 for 2500 miles, or 10-cents a mile, to carry yourself and your belongings! Try finding a cab that costs that little.

Shame on us for being so cheap -- we get what we pay for.

The only way this recline/block recline problem will get resolved is for the FAA to issue safety regulations regarding seat spacing. Not for comfort, but for safety for getting out of the seats in an emergency. Then the airlines will not get a (temporary) advantage by stuffing the seats closer together than their competitors. When all the airlines have to comply with the same minimum spacing, only then will the "rush to crush" cease. I generally don't like calling for more regulations because of the unintended consequences, but in this case, I think it has now become a public safety issue, which legitimately requires government standards. I suspect an unintended consequence of such a regulation will be that the airlines will start paying attention to customer service again, because that will be a basis for competition.