Should you recline your seat on a short flight? For some people, that question may have a simple answer: If your seat reclines, you’re allowed to recline it. But what about the person behind you? What if their seat doesn’t recline, too? On a short flight, especially, shouldn’t you be mindful of that passenger and their space? RELATED: 10 Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Airplane Habits
The story of a dispute over reclining etiquette on an American Airlines flight from 2020 drew opinions from all sides of the issue. On a flight from New Orleans to Charlotte, passenger Wendi Williams recorded a video of the passenger behind her repeatedly jabbing her reclined seat with his hand, seemingly in response to her reclining her seat into his space. This, Wendi said, happened after he had already “punched” her seat nine times. The man’s own seat did not recline, and he had allegedly previously asked that she not recline while he ate, a request she complied with.
According to the Daily Mail, “Wendi also claims that despite complaining to a flight attendant, they offered the man a complimentary drink and threatened to have her escorted off the plane. She also says that after complaining to American Airlines, she was told she would have to get in touch with the FBI ‘to get any resolution.'” Here’s more about the incident if you haven’t already seen it:
My Take
This particular story may be old but the question persists: Is it ok to recline your seat? Personally, I usually don’t recline my seat on a short flight. But if I’m tired or if the person in front of me reclines into my space, then I will. When I do recline, I always give the person behind me a heads up that I’ll be leaning back so I don’t crush their laptop or food.
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Once, on a flight from Paris to Lyon, I reclined my seat because the person in front of me did and I’d just gotten off a 10-hour LAX-CDG flight on which I’d barely slept. I was exhausted. The American woman sitting behind me snapped at me, telling me that she had a bad back. I can understand a concern like that, but if the person in front of you reclines and you don’t, you end up squished. What made matters worse is that the woman had her own seat reclined but didn’t want me to recline mine. I told the woman to ask the person in front of me to sit up, and that if that person stopped reclining, then I would, too. If she hadn’t been so nasty about it, I would have just asked the person in front of me myself. If you ask me, she should have paid for first class or just stayed home.
Once I even paid the passenger in front of me not to recline by giving them a coupon for an inflight wi-fi Gogo session.
What do you think? Should you recline your seat on a short flight?
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The problem lies with the airlines – they have taken away so much room that reclining ones seat invades the other person personal space. In all fairness – just be polite and if you’re going to recline let the person behind you know first… and don’t be a jerk!
Most people on planes (and many public spaces) seem oblivious (often intentionally so) to those those around them… loud talking, talking on a phone with speakerphone, shouting during a call, listening to music with no earphones, walking into you while texting, DRIVING into you while texting… Reclining a seatback (often explosively reclining it!) with no consideration of the person behind you is simply the norm of this self-centered/self-focused society. Good manners have become the exception and entitlement has become the new normal. “THIS IS MY SPACE! DEAL WITH IT!”, is the new mantra.
Yes, the seat-pounder should have been dragged off the plane and banned from American. Same goes for the American flight attendant who reportedly threatened the woman with arrest because she recorded the video of the man hitting her seat!
As for the woman, she clearly didn’t care, and that’s a shame. A well-behaved American flight attendant (they’re mostly an angry bunch nowadays because of disrespectful treatment from AA– my stepsister flew for them for three decades) could have de-escalated the situation by kindly requesting the woman not recline her seat fully, and offering free drinks or food to both parties. Apparently that was not seen as a possible solution.
EVERYONE was wrong here, but in degrees.
Welcome to America 2020– and American Airlines 2020
(Oh, the irony.)
I never recline my seat and I find it annoying when the person in front of me does – especially when I am trying to use the tray to eat or work. The airlines need to face up to the realities of the cramped quarters that they have created and discontinue reclining seats.
Honestly? Until the Airlines give us all more room (which will never happen) I wish the seats didn’t recline. Reclining forces everyone to recline, like dominoes, and then every single seat is LESS comfortable for everything but resting. Eating, working, reading to me all work better in a non-reclined seat.
That is assault. I would of called the police the minute the plane landed and charged him.
He acted like a child that constantly kicks the back of a seat. Watching him tapping the back sear while he looked at his cell phone tells me he is just an annoying individual. All he did was prove this to the world
In My Humble Opinion no airline seats should recline unless the airlines povide more space between seats.
I agree with Mike Bishop. If you give me a reclining seat, I have the implicit right to use it. If the pilot decrees that no one is allowed to recline, that’s one thing. But if the person in front of you reclines, you have no choice but to recline or get squished.
Simple – no airline should have the capability to recline.
Airlines need to change seats.. it has gotten absurd the way they have jammed people in.. the FAA should mandate a space requirement.
People are going to go more and more insane because it is not reasonable space.
Airplanes are tight and the seating is uncomfortable. I tend to recline my seat as soon as it is allowed by the pilot. I don’t feel you should have to give the person behind you a heads up but it’s nice if you do that. I don’t expect a heads up from the person in front of me. If the person of front of me doesn’t recline I still recline. That’s the seat I paid for. The behavior of this guy is absolutely ridiculous and worse is the behavior of the flight attendant and American Airlines.
I’m a physical therapist. I’m trained to teach people to find positions of comfort and support for their spine and their legs and to find ways to move. It’s an absolute no brainer for me.
That guy should have bought himself a better seat. It’s not her fault and he is acting like a baby. Only babies are much nicer!!
If passengers weren’t meant to recline their seats, the airlines could easily fix them in place.