Do you recline your seat on planes? Every time I come across the topic of reclining airplane seats, I'm startled by the violence of people's opinions. Until quite recently, it would never have occurred to me that reclining is considered so rude by so many people. I don't usually do it myself since I prefer sitting upright, but I fully expect everyone else to. My lack of awareness on this issue is probably a privilege of being on the shorter side; apparently taller people find it very painful when the seat in front of them is reclined.
Come to think of it, tall S has complained about knee pain on flights from reclining seats, and usually springs for an economy plus seat to avoid the issue. But I don't think it's ever occurred to him that the person in front of him shouldn't recline... or that he himself shouldn't.
I guess I don't really understand the vehemence of either side of the debate because the whole thing seems so murky and conditional. To the proponents of the "NO ONE SHOULD RECLINE, EVER" school of thought: what about on overnight flights? What if the person in front of you and the person behind you are reclined? What if the person behind you is a small child who doesn't need the legroom? To the proponents of the "RECLINING IS MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHT" school of thought... well, that's just asinine if you know you're hurting the person behind you.
Doesn't it seem like an aircraft shouldn't be equipped with buttons that passengers can use to cause each other pain, and that create so much bad will between people who are stuck within a foot or two of each other for hours?
I liked that the article blamed the airlines, rather than the passengers -- it's true, there should be enough space so that people don't have to be in pain from sitting in a cramped seat.
ReplyDeleteI either keep my seat up or recline slightly. I don't think it's enough to bother anyone. I wouldn't recline a lot because I do think it intrudes into the space of the person behind you. After reading that article, maybe I won't do it at all.