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The ethics of reclining airplane seats

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Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#31

Post by nateburke »

dboreham wrote: post #18
raverbashing wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can recline it as long as it is far from my knees. But if they need to take their space, the seat won't budge If they need more space they can pay for a seat that reclines more then

Fun story: in the 1980s I flew with a co-worker on Northwest DC-10. Co-worker was a tall solid guy. Person in front tried to recline their seat into his knees. Knees prevented full recline. Person complained to FA. FA yells at my co-worker telling him he has to move his knees to facilitate full recline for person in front.

I'm 6-5, really long femurs. This happened to me one time as well. I told the flight attendant to move my already spread and jammed knees for me. She quickly realized that there was no orientation of my femurs that would make everyone happy.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#32

Post by shkkmo »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #21
dawnerd wrote: post #5

I’m in camp if they give you the option you have to assume the person in front will fully recline. No point in getting mad over it. If you want or need more space just get the premium seats if it means that much to you.

I'm hearing that because I'm 6'6" I should either be able to pay for premium or just never fly. That's a good excuse to get out an in-laws wedding next summer - I'll run it by my wife.

So many things are biased in favor of tall people, I have no problem with them having to pay more for a larger seat rather than externalizing those costs onto everyone else.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#33

Post by shp0ngle »

bell-cot wrote: post #27
chestervonwinch wrote: post #9

seems like the actual problem is the meager space provided in the first place, not the scraps of free room we're forced to battle over

Yet people continue to vote their purchasing dollars for too-tight seat spacing - because the cost of roomier seats is for-sure and up-front. Vs. hope springs eternal on the reality that you'll get.

The options are usually either “dirt cheap economy” or “crazy expensive business”.

For some reason business class is often like 5x 6x the economy! Why is there no middle class?

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#34

Post by jibe »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #21
dawnerd wrote: post #5

I’m in camp if they give you the option you have to assume the person in front will fully recline. No point in getting mad over it. If you want or need more space just get the premium seats if it means that much to you.

I'm hearing that because I'm 6'6" I should either be able to pay for premium or just never fly. That's a good excuse to get out an in-laws wedding next summer - I'll run it by my wife.

I’m hearing that you should recline your seat if you need more space.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#35

Post by zackbloom »

It’s worth pointing out that the last row on a plane often doesn’t recline, so the idea of everyone reclining is a bit of a red herring. That said, you do know that when you book your flight (if you’re wealthy enough to pay for a specific seat), so it could be considered one of flyings many taxes on the less than wealthy.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#36

Post by nippoo »

As someone tall (6'2") who regularly flies (~50-100 times a year) I'm pretty horrified at some of these responses. Yes, reclining the seat in front of me is marginally more uncomfortable on my knees - though offset by reclining my own seat.

But if I have to sit in a non-reclined seat for more than an hour or two, there's a pretty big chance I'll wake up with my head bobbing forward and in horrific neck/lower back pain.

I tend to fall asleep pretty quickly on most flights (long or short haul), recline my seat soon after takeoff and keep it reclined until final approach. Not once in 500+ flights has anyone ever complained or asked me to sit up - and it wouldn't even cross my mind to ask anyone to do the same! It's their seat, their recline, that's what the button's for. Who am I to prioritize my own comfort over theirs (especially when the impact to mine is minor compared to how much I gain from reclining)...

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#37

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

jibe wrote: post #34
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm hearing that because I'm 6'6" I should either be able to pay for premium or just never fly. That's a good excuse to get out an in-laws wedding next summer - I'll run it by my wife.

I’m hearing that you should recline your seat if you need more space.

Now we're in a prisoners dilemma, aren't we?

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#38

Post by bombcar »

shp0ngle wrote: post #33
bell-cot wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet people continue to vote their purchasing dollars for too-tight seat spacing - because the cost of roomier seats is for-sure and up-front. Vs. hope springs eternal on the reality that you'll get.

The options are usually either “dirt cheap economy” or “crazy expensive business”. For some reason business class is often like 5x 6x the economy! Why is there no middle class?

Shop around airlines, you can find some that offer a middle ground - Premium Economy or Exit Row.

At 6'2" I've never really had a problem with someone reclining in front of me, and if someone behind asked nicely I'd go to upright lock position.

Of course, I usually don't have a foot bag which makes a big difference.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#39

Post by zackbloom »

shp0ngle wrote: post #33
bell-cot wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet people continue to vote their purchasing dollars for too-tight seat spacing - because the cost of roomier seats is for-sure and up-front. Vs. hope springs eternal on the reality that you'll get.

The options are usually either “dirt cheap economy” or “crazy expensive business”. For some reason business class is often like 5x 6x the economy! Why is there no middle class?

It’s called premium economy and it exists on most major airlines.

Re: The ethics of reclining airplane seats

#40

Post by danaris »

bell-cot wrote: post #27
chestervonwinch wrote: post #9

seems like the actual problem is the meager space provided in the first place, not the scraps of free room we're forced to battle over

Yet people continue to vote their purchasing dollars for too-tight seat spacing - because the cost of roomier seats is for-sure and up-front. Vs. hope springs eternal on the reality that you'll get.

Relying on "voting with dollars" for something like this is not going to work, because that requires an idealized free market.

Air travel is not an idealized free market. Frankly, nearly nothing in our current circumstances even comes close to acting like an idealized free market, because one thing that requires is enough disposable income for all parties that paying more for something preferred is not likely to cause significant financial hardship. (And before anyone says "but it's only an extra $12 for premium economy" or whatever, it's not just this specific choice—it's about the mindset that you have to adopt when your purchasing power is so constrained, to consider every decision and try to be frugal.)

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