Recently, a debate on Twitter between some of those I follow morphed into a discussion on reclining passengers. There were those who wanted to work, eat or watch the seat-back video on long haul flights who were prevented from doing so by the person in front reclining their chair.
I have been on the receiving end of just such behaviour. On a flight to South Africa with British Airways the moment the seat belt sign was off the person in front reclined their seat. I was unable to use my laptop the seat came back so far and struggled to eat when the meal came around. At this point I had to ask the flight attendant to ask the person in front to put their chair upright so I could eat. As soon as the meal was finished the seat was reclined again. With the seat-back video screen in my face it was difficult to watch a movie to pass the time. By the time we arrived in Jo’berg I would cheerfully have garroted the offending passenger.
© Melanie Lukesh http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlukesh/4984904550/
Then there were those who preferred to sleep the flight away. I can also see this side of the argument too. Being forced to stay in an upright position when you want to sleep the flight away is just as bad has having someone else’s seat back in your face. Ever tried getting some shut eye on a Ryanair flight where the seats don’t recline?
So, what’s the answer?
Grab an exit or bulkhead seat if you can? At least there is no one in front to recline into your personal space. It’s also the row where airlines tend to put passengers with infants.
Travel business class? Nice if you can afford it or get an upgrade.
Give people more personal space? That would mean less seats crammed in and a corresponding increase in fares. Would we be willing to pay to not have someone recline into our space. If the debate on Twitter was anything to go by some would and some wouldn’t. On some airlines that is already available as an “Economy Plus” class but it comes with a hefty premium.
At home I have a reclining chair close to the wall which is designed not to knock the wall when reclined. When the back reclines the seat moves forward. It occured to me that such a design would work in an aircraft. With a higher pivot point the seat moves forward and the seat back remains where it was so the person behind is not inconvenienced. The downside is you lose some legroom. Recline and lose legroom; sit upright and keep your legroom. Your choice.
Problem solved? What’s your view on this debate? Are there merits in my solution? Do you have another solution? Feel free to comment below (but please keep it polite)
6 comments
Brian's Coffee Spot
Being tall and, for medical reasons, advised not sleep on long-haul flights, this is a subject close to my heart. If the person in front of me reclines their seat, I can’t watch the video (the monitor is too low and the viewing angle is terrible), I struggle to eat and have virtually no personal space. The only other option is to recline my own seat, thus potentially inflicting the same misery on the person behind me (and on a long-haul flight, it is pretty miserable).
It also raises the question as to why airlines invest millions in in-flight entertainment systems only to give passengers the ability to make it impossible to use for the person behind them.
I think the answer is potentially far cheaper and easier to implement than the one you suggest. Simply make one column of seats non-reclining. Then those of us who don’t want to sleep and who do want to use the entertainment system can sit there.
Brian.
Gordon Lethbridge
Good point Brian and I agree it would be a lot cheaper but it would play havoc with seating plans and what happens when all the reclining seats (or the non reclining seats) are taken and someone wants one. I think the airlines would not go for that one as the potential for disgruntled passengers would increase. Of course airlines could all follow Ryanair’s lead and make all seat non-reclining but we all know how disgruntled Ryanair’s passengers are.
Brian's Coffee Spot
There are plenty of reasons for Ryanair passengers to be disgruntled, the number one reason being flying on Ryanair in the first place!
I’m sure it’s not beyond the airlines abilities to devise a booking system that would account for this. Or you take pot luck: if getting a reclining or non-reclining seat is important to you, then you just ensure you get to on-line check-in as quickly as you can. It’s no different from those of us fighting to get the emergency exit seats right now. I’m not sure it would lead to an increase in disgruntled passengers: right now there’s a lot of us who are disgruntled by the reclining of seats to within inches of our faces!
Brian.
Gordon Lethbridge
That, I suppose, is one solution. I would be happy to see all fixed seats on short haul but long haul is a different matter. Personally I like to recline at some point on a long flight and work or watch the inflight entertainment for the rest. However, I am uncomfortable with invading someone else’s space and dislike the person in front determining when I can watch my seat back video. I’m still waiting for the ideal solution to that.
Tim Richards
Personally I’d be happy to pay proportionally more for more space (thought not the enormous markup on Premium Economy).
BTW I’d engage with the other comments if I could read them – because your site has disabled zoom on an iPad, they’re virtually unreadable. Please restore zoom.
Gordon Lethbridge
I’d be more than happy with a proportional fee for extra space too, especially on long haul flights. Singapore Airlines have gone some way to providing a solution on their new A380 aircraft. See my review https://travelunpacked.co.uk/2013/07/01/airline-review-singapore-airlines-2/
Re the zooming problem: I can zoom on my iPad but looking into it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
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