Eliminate reclining airplane seats.

[trof]

(rant)

Here's the way I see it:
When I buy an airplane ticket, I've paid for the use of a few (VERY few) cubic feet of space for the duration of the flight.

When you recline your seatback, YOU'RE STEALING MY SPACE!
YOU'RE TRESSPASSING!
You didn't pay for my space, you paid for YOURS.

Two solutions:
1. Disable the recliner mechanism on all seats.
(cheapest)
2. Install a circuit that would enable the flight attendant to disable all recliners on crowded flights.
(more expensive, but a bit more accommodating on less crowded flights)

What say you?

p.s. I've been on some smaller commuter flights where NONE of the seats reclined. Wasn't much of a hardship.

[wtmusic]

1. You must fly short hops.

Longer flights would be intolerable.

[trof]

42. I don't fly at all, if I can possibly avoid it.

I was an airline pilot for 35 years.
Flying today just sux, for passengers and crew.

Intolerable?
No, just an inconvenience.
I've flown 6 straight hours in the very cramped cockpit of an F-84, with two air refuelings.
It was uncomfortable after about 3 hours, but even that wasn't intolerable.
;-)

[wtmusic]

46. Ok, not waterboarding-intolerable

but I'm 6'3" and the back pain and numbness from sitting upright for more than three hours would make a vacation not worth it.

I'd rather have my knees slammed, the pain goes away with the help of a couple of gin and tonic "refuelings" :D

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. 3rd Solution: Stop cramming so many damned seats onto planes!

[KittyWampus]

5. Airlines have reduced space and size of seats alloted to each passenger down to the smallest

the public is willing to tolerate.

Now it's to the point the airlines ask moderately large flyers to leave (Kevin Smith).

[NightWatcher]

6. sit down and shut up you human cattle you, the more cargo on the plane = more money

[Deep13]

32. +1

[Fla Dem]

53. Yes, unless you fly in an upgraded section, the regular seats are too small.

I am an average size person and I have to turn sideways just to be able to get my hand down between me and the arm rest to grab the seat bealt. Seats used to be wider, but the airlines want to pack as many people is as possible so they make the seats smaller.

[Angleae]

59. When did seats used to be wider?

Keep in mind I work on these very planes for over 20 years and the seats are the same size. They might vary in size depending on what plane, some larger widebody planes have wider seats than a narrowbody does.

[Hekate]

71. Within my lifetime. Airlines used to boast about "legroom" --then they added several rows...

... to enhance profitability. I was the same height and weight I had always been when they started to do that, and I noticed.

Hekate

[Angleae]

100. And that explains my confusion.

Difference between seat "width" and seat "pitch". Yes airlines have been cramming more seats in them, but they're still the same seats.

[Fla Dem]

112. Well, I've been flying since the 60's.

I know I used to be able to put my pocketbook between me and the armrest. I may have spread out a little over the years, but my perception is the seats are narrower. Maybe it's the less legroom that gives the perception of smaller seats; you just feel all crammed up.

[Hannah Bell]

80. +100. it's purely profit driven. they did the same with bus seats & turned long-distance

busses into shitholes. When I was young they were a reasonably comfortable transportation choice.

Planes are fast becoming shitholes too.

[Jamastiene]

104. Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

That is very similar to my proposal. :thumbsup:

[JVS]

113. But what about the companies!!!!

[SoCalDem]

115. AMEN !! n/t

[Fumesucker]

3. If someone reclines in front of you then you recline also..

That's what I've always done and I end up with the same amount of space.

Not everyone is comfortable sitting bolt upright, I know I'm not.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. That doesn't work if you're seated in the row ahead of an exit row or in the last row .

Ultimately on a full plane some people get squeezed.

[Robb]

4. See, I see it that *I* paid for that space where my seat reclines into.

More of a three-dimensional thing. :shrug:

[wtmusic]

12. Hey, I paid for *half* of that armrest you've got your arm on

There must be some civil way we can settle this

[Robb]

17. Pistols at dawn.

It's the only civilized thing to do. :D

[wtmusic]

25. The sun will not rise again before this affront is avenged

Right now, in coach!

*pats ribs* Er, I seemed to have left my arms in security...would a round of backgammon suffice? :blush:

[itsrobert]

7. The newer planes, the recline seats are not much of a problem

In the larger ones that is. They are well designed. However, I would call for the banning of those little "angels" who kick the back of the seat the whole trip.

[FarCenter]

26. And ban the students that talk, yell, and run around all night

[reflection]

8. Don't sit behind Kevin Smith. n/t

:hide:

[Captain Hilts]

14. I heard that one on Mike and Mike yesterday morning!

[reflection]

19. Really?

I promise I'm not a plagiarist (or a good speller, I probably misspelled that word.) :)

[Captain Hilts]

21. Can't plagerise - I can't spell it either - facts!

[Robb]

18. ...Or in front of Mitt Romney. nt

[AndyA]

9. I can remember sitting on a Southwest flight once, in a seat that didn't recline

because it was by an emergency exit or something to that effect. The flight was PACKED. Sardines in a can weren't any tighter than that flight. Shortly after take off, the girl in front of me reclined her seat. Since mine didn't recline, I felt totally cramped. I could barely move.

So, I leaned forward and asked her to move her seat forward because I couldn't recline mine. Either she or her husband/boyfriend responded no. So, I told her she either moved it forward or I would likely throw up on her.

She moved her seat to the upright position.

People have so little consideration for others these days. I can guarantee if the seating positions had been reversed, I wouldn't have hesitated to move my seat upright.

[Phoonzang]

10. I never personally recline my seat because I think it's rude...

But that's just me...

[prole_for_peace]

39. I recline just a tiny bit. Maybe about 2 inches.

Just enough so my head won't flop down if I fall asleep.

I feel like I am rude it I take it back all the way

[wtmusic]

47. Doncha love it

when the seatbelt light goes off and the passenger in front of you throws their seat into full reverse, your knees be damned?

Last time when I groaned she even turned around and gave me an annoyed look.

[uppityperson]

64. What airline were you flying that has seats that recline that far?

The ones I've flown have seats that only recline a little bit. I've never had my knees damned and never been able to look around at the person behind me without having to look up over the seat.

Please, what airline as I'd like to start flying them instead?

[enlightenment]

40. I recline the barest minimum -

compared to an upright seat back, maybe one inch. And that only on trans-oceanic flights. It's intolerable to sit for 9 hours bolt upright.

I once had a woman in front of me on a crowded Virgin Air flight from Las Vegas to Gatwick who put her seat all the way down and then sort of crawled up the seat until her head was almost hanging over the top, so she could curl up in the seat and sleep. Her hair was hanging in my lap. Literally. I couldn't move my legs at all. I asked her to put her seat up a little. She said no. I called the flight attendant. She arrived, looked at the situation and nodded. Walked on by. I was in despair. Then the fasten safety belt light came on. About 30 seconds later, the attendant came back. Of course the women in front of me hadn't moved. The attendant took her by the shoulder, made her sit up, and then lectured her about not having her belt fastened. Made her put her seat back up all the way and suggested she could be in trouble if she caught her doing that again. As she made her way back down the aisle, she nodded at me again. Rather brilliantly done, actually.

[endless october]

11. require less seats per plane by law.

there are too many seats packed in there. it causes a whole host of problems.

20 or 30 years ago, a reclining seat wasn't a problem.

[NightWatcher]

15. who would pass this law? a congresscritter who can be paid off by Big Air (flying lobby)?

[endless october]

28. it's a good idea that doesn't benefit a corporation

so no member of congress will vote for it.

[Hekate]

70. Definitely should be part of the Passengers' Bill of Rights!Airlines used to boast about leg-room...

... until they eliminated it and added several rows of seats to enhance profitability.

Hekate

[WilliamPitt]

13. No

I used to fly a lot, long-distance trips mostly, and if the seats didn't go back, I would have killed someone. I got stuck on a flight from Seattle to Boston in a seat that did not recline, and I wasn't right in the head or body for days afterward.

The airlines should stop ramming so many seats into a confined space.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. That would only induce the airlines to cram in a few more rows.

Otherwise I think it's a better idea than letting passengers duke it out over the paltry space in coach with its ever diminishing pitch. I think there should be seat number codes on the arm rests too so that the middle seat passengers can claim at least one arm rest without having to jockey for it.

I also think that your carry-on bags must either fit under the seat or in an assigned slot in the overhead bin since these days the majority of passengers are schlepping bags on board to avoid the checked baggage fees. No more early boarders snagging the bins in the rows at the front of coach.

[LuckyLib]

41. I'd like to see the airlines charge folks to carry stuff on the airplane -- checking bags would be

free. This new policy of bag charge has folks bringing all of their bags onboard and deplaning takes forever. What a stupid policy! But, then, it allows them to reduce the number of baggage handlers --- $$$$$$$$$.

[Gormy Cuss]

57. The bigger reason for the checked bag fees is that it's exempt from the 15% federal excise tax.

I agree with you -- with everyone trying to stow their bags in the cabin it takes much longer to get off the plane.

[Hekate]

72. Adding more rows is how we got to this fix in the first place, Gormy. >sigh

[Gormy Cuss]

109. I know. I remember when the coach seats aligned with the windows.

After the first round of cramming in more rows, the airlines rebuilt the seat backs to make them thinner so that they could throw in even more rows. If they didn't need to leave room for the seats to recline they could probably cram in a few more rows.

As it is, typically seat pitch in coach is between 28-31 inches --Boeing's recommended pitch is 32 inches.

[alittlelark]

22. I fully agree w/you.

I have long legs - when the person in front of me reclines I am not able to cross my legs, and I often have the seat touching my knees. The table is virtually unusable.

I do not recline my seat unless there is no one behind me (rare these days).

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

23. I got 3 seats in the back of the plane once. Laid over all three and slept.

Cheaper than 1st class if you book well ahead of time.

[petronius]

24. Completely agree! Although my knees pretty much do that already - once I'm

wedged in there it's not possible for the seat in front of me to recline...

(And I don't recline myself unless the seat behind is empty.)

[belpejic]

27. My knees touch the seat in front of me before it reclines.

Once the person in front of me tries to recline they can't, because I can't shrink my legs. If they try it causes me physical pain. Though usually people are nice if I explain the situation. Maybe I shouldn't be allowed to fly b/c I'm too tall?

BTW, I never recline unless I know there's no-one sitting behind me. It's a matter of principle. I don't think seats should have the ability to recline.

[wtmusic]

33. Economy Plus

The most expensive inch-and-a-half you'll ever pay for. And the best value.

[Javaman]

29. Meh, don't fly. Take the train. nt

[HughBeaumont]

30. YES. And on Coach Park-n-Ride busses.

They get the knee if they try to recline.

They want to recline, they can GO ELSEWHERE. DAMN I hate that shit. They don't even fucking look, they don't even fucking ASK. You WILL not recline as long as I'm sitting behind you, goddamn it. The last thing I want to see after nine hours in cube-prison is someone's balding, dandruffy head right up in my business. And it's NEVER women that do this, it's always dudes who look like they live in dorms, golf courses or sports bars.

Some fuck tried that on the plane on one of my DC trips. He got the block.

[yodoobo]

81. why would I ask?

its my seat.

[HughBeaumont]

85. It's my goddamned space you're encroaching!

I got NO room as it is, and it makes it worse. If someone's behind you, you DON'T recline. RUDE as fuck, especially the ones who keep trying to do it if your knees say "what part of 'YOU AREN'T RECLINING' do you not GET???"

[yodoobo]

88. Actually its my space

But you are welcome to use it when I'm not reclining.

Seriously, why all the handwringing?

Its not that big of a deal.

[Faryn Balyncd]

91. 2+

[HughBeaumont]

107. Personal Space, Touch Issues, GERM issues, especially during cold season in Cleveland.

[norvech]

111. Any way we slice it

a flight from CA to NY (or to London or Johannesburg, etc) is going to be uncomfortable. We all just have to deal.

[DrDan]

31. to thanks . . .I prefer to keep the recline - however little it currently is

[WatchWhatISay]

34. You may not even know that they sold the space under your seat

When I fly with my dog airlines are usually adamant that she remain in her carrier under the seat in front of me. Continental charges me $250 on a round trip flight to use that part of your space, and they don't give you any credit back for it.

I have flown on flights where we got the tickets for $200 each, yet still had to pay the $250 for my dogs space under the seat. They would not let me buy her a regular ticket. Only once have I gotten lucky enough to be on a flight where the attendant let me keep her in my lap.

[Hekate]

73. My gods, those @#$%&!

:wow:

[LWolf]

84. What if I want to put my purse under the seat?

It's a big purse. I like to put it under the seat because it's in the way when I want to hold a book to read.

If I can't put it under my seat because your dog is there, do I have to pay $250 to put it under the seat in front of me?

It's been 5.5 years since I flew anywhere.

[Oregone]

35. Why do you presume your rented space is a tight cube?

I don't see any lines that state this. Perhaps that shape is considered to be a cube skewed diagonally backwards along the line formed by a reclined chair.

You are making quite an assumption to justify your outrage.

[Faryn Balyncd]

92. 2+

[trof]

36. Answers to some of your comments:

I'm 6'3".
I'd much rather sit 'bolt upright' ( and 'possibly' even be able to cross my legs) during a flight of ANY duration than have your seat resting against my knees.

How is my seat space all of a sudden part of your seat space if you decide to recline? We both paid the same amount for our tickets. If you want more space, then buy two tickets and reserve the seat behind you.
Or how about if I just drop my carry on under-seat luggage in your lap so I have more legroom?
;-)

I, too, don't recline my seat unless there's no one behind me.
That's just common courtesy.
Too bad we've pretty much lost that concept.

"Fewer seats"
Oh, get real. The airlines will fight tooth and nail against anything that negatively affects their bottom line.
Always have, always will.
Passenger comfort and safety be damned.
And don't even think about congress weighing in.
At least not on the passengers' behalf.

[uppityperson]

66. Answers to some of your comments.

"How is my seat space all of a sudden part of your seat space if you decide to recline?"
You, like I, paid for a seat that reclines. You can recline yours as I can recline mine. That is part of what we both paid for.

"We both paid the same amount for our tickets." Highly unlikely as ticket prices fluctuate hourly as well as by where you bought the ticket. Don't forget frequent flyer tickets. They paid less for that ticket than the person next to them who bought theirs through a wholesaler 1 month ago who probably paid less than the next person who bought theirs last week.

[xultar]

37. I agree. As a weekly flier I view people who recline as idiots. The seat goes back what 4 inches?

that doesn't do shit. So why make it more difficult for the person behind you to move a leg for nothing?

[yodoobo]

83. If its such a small amount,

Then its not really problem either.

[kiranon]

38. Time to start coughing and spitting up a bit - works for me. n/t

[LeftyMom]

43. Have you ever tried to sleep in a non-reclining window seat?

[Skittles]

97. I do it all the time

[LeftyMom]

99. You're a braver woman than I, then.

I got stuck in one on a red eye from SFO to ATL. And the plane was out of blankets and pillows, so I had to ball my sweatshirt up, use it as a kind of makeshift pillow so I'd have somewhere to rest my head, but then I was freezing. Luckily I managed to catch a short nap at ATL while waiting for my connecting flight, because I couldn't sleep like that for very long at a stretch.

Then on my connecting flight I got stuck next to a man with terrible gas. And when I landed the airline had mangled my suitcase beyond repair. I really have terrible luck with air travel. *sigh*

[NYC_SKP]

44. Better idea: Replace seats with bunks, let me lay down and sleep through the pain.

I want USB power and Jet Blue style TV programming in every berth.

This is what I want.

Should only take a couple weeks to refit all American aircraft, I figure.

[Jamastiene]

105. Actually, that is not a bad idea.

Trains do it...but then again trains are longer. Still, it's a good idea.

[heli]

45. Reclining seats are a must on international flights

Probably a medical necessity. Try sitting straight for 12+ hours on a flight to Asia or Australia.

[Tracer]

48. It could be worse!

http://inventorspot.com/articles/airline_seats_32359

Although, those "bunk bed" style seats don't look that bad.

[RamboLiberal]

49. Mitt Romney agrees with you

(CNN) – Even former presidential candidates are subject to the occasional annoyances of air travel.

A passenger seated in front of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's wife became "physically violent" when the former Republican presidential candidate asked the passenger to move his seat in a more upright position.

The incident occurred Monday when the Romneys were headed from Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles on an Air Canada flight, according to spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.

In a statement to CNN, Fehrnstrom said "Romney did not retaliate, but instead allowed the airline crew to respond to the incident."

Following the uproar, the plane returned to the gate where the passenger was removed by airport police. Romney was not injured.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/?fbid=_8BKtDLzpMu

But threaten him and you get taken off the flight. BTW, I agree as well, the seating space in many planes is absurd and unless the seat behind you is empty or only a small child, you should not recline your seat. And if you absolutely must ask the person behind if it will bother them.

I remember the days when seating was more spacious - but that was back in the days when they still had a smoking section. I think I'd rather put up with the tight seating over the smoking.

[Raineyb]

54. Did they change the definition of physically violent?

Because from what I read there may have been a threat but as no punch was thrown I'd hardly call it physically violent. Verbally abusive? Probably, I can't tell what was said from the article but that's not exactly the dictionary definition of physically violent. Of course they do enjoy changing the definitions of things to cater to the rich and powerful.

[LanternWaste]

50. If the airlines feel justified in charging overweight fliers more...

If the airlines feel justified in charging overweight fliers more, then I see little difference in charging the very tall and/or long-legged more too-- for the precise same reasons apply in either case.

That being said, I've never been in favor of charging more or less for the overweight, the underweight, a little person, or a basketball player...

[taught_me_patience]

51. Actually it's not your space

and if the chair reclines, then it's that passenger's space. I always recline the chair and never have had anybody complain.

[trof]

56. IS TOO!

IT'S MINE!

[David__77]

52. It's not "your space." But the space behind you is yours if you choose to use it.

I don't understand why you don't just recline your seat as well. It's not as if it reclines more than an inch and half. It's much more comfortable that way. The only exception, unfortunately, if the seat just before the emergency exit, which does not recline. You're kinda screwed there, but nonetheless reclining seats is one of the very few savings graces.

[Liberal_in_LA]

55. I hate recliners.

[Jim__]

58. I think the real answer is to force the airlines to provide sufficient space for an adult to sit ...

... comfortably in one of their high-priced (coach) seats.

[Angleae]

60. If you can, get assigned a seat in an emergency exit row.

By regs, there must be a 20" passage (assuming a 3 seat group, 10" for a 2 seat group) between the back of the reclining seat and the front of the seat behind it.

[dysfunctional press]

63. or a bulkhead.

[Angleae]

101. You don't want that first row.

Absolutly no room to stretch out your legs. At least with a seat in front of you, you can put your feet under that seat. Not with a partition/galley/lavatory in front of you.

[dysfunctional press]

108. it depends on the airline/airplane.

i'm 6'2", with a 36" inseam and size 16 feet- and i've had several very comfortable flights in the bulkhead row.

[Blue-Jay]

61. The "recliners" make it difficult to take a piss if you have a window seat.

I can deal with a "recliner" who is in front of me (I'm of average height - 5-10.5 or so...), but I HATE trying to find my way to the pissoir when I'm forced to bother my seat-mates by plopping my ass in their laps because some douche in the previous row wants to be 1-2 degrees more reclined.

[uppityperson]

67. You can squeeze past 2 seatmates without them noticing? Wow! How thin are you?

Every seat mate I've had has bothered me by passing me, or else I've gotten up so they can get by. I don't know how thin or flexible you'd have to be to get from a window seat to the aisle without bothering your seatmates, even with all seats upright.

Maybe you fly a different airline than I have, one that has seats far enough to pass without bother, and with seats that recline more than the few degrees NW/United/Delta/SW/Alaskan/SAS/Lufthansa/Air France/Continental/BA/US Airways/KLM have.

[Blue-Jay]

69. They notice. And it's surely very irritating for them.

[uppityperson]

75. It is a problem that being on aisle or god forbid middle seat has to deal with

letting the window seated person in and out.

[dysfunctional press]

62. "here's the way i see it..."

well- when you own the airline, "the way you see it" might have some value.

as it is- it doesn't.

if you don't want the seats in front you to recline, get seated in an exit or bulkhead row.

[amborin]

65. how about no seats:

http://airlineworld.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/ryanair-passengers-willing-to-stand-for-free/

[Lyric]

68. After reading this thread, here are my conclusions:

1. The following people are hereby banned from airplanes forever:

-Fat people
-Tall people
-Reclining people
-People who bitch about reclining people
-Children
-Frat boys
-Guys with dandruff
-Smelly people
-Loud people
-Obnoxious people

Considering that quite a few of these things are subjective (in essence, that what seems fair to you is obnoxious to someone else), that leaves us with practically nobody who qualifies to fly. Yay for compromise!

Here's an alternative suggestion: worry more about being tolerant and kind, and less about "fairness" and "getting what's yours." It'll make life a lot easier to deal with.

[HughBeaumont]

86. My courtesy is, I pull my seat up and don't recline.

If I have to sit in the aisle seat on the bus, at least 2 inches of personal space will be given, even if it means half of my leg is off the seat.

Wish people could offer ME the same courtesy, especially on the personal space thing. It's like, "never mind ME, isn't sitting ass-to-ass, leg-practically-ON the other person uncomfortable for YOU?"

[Pithlet]

93. I agree.

I often think that life must be miserable for a lot of the people I encounter on the internet. Sometimes I wonder if I'm either an unusually tolerant person or I'm living in an alternate universe. I encounter the occasional annoying or rude person in my daily routine, but for a lot of people life seems to be a gauntlet. They can't even go to restaurants (you'd swear restaurants were full of hundreds of screaming children running around in them at all times, sending waitstaff fleeing for cover tables overturning if you only saw life through the eyes of the internet). I don't get it.

In the case of airplane seats. They're cramped and miserable. I'm a tall woman and my height is in my legs, so it's especially miserable with the seatback thing. They're that way for everyone over five feet tall. And they're that way whether the seat in front is reclined or not. If the person in front of me reclines, then I recline. Problem solved. :shrug:

[Lyric]

94. Not to mention the fact that the person who's reclining might only be doing so

because the person in front of THEM decided to recline.

Empathy and giving the benefit of the doubt--two things that are SORELY lacking in today's society. We need to get rid of this mindset in which we always assume bad motives (like selfishness, greed, or maliciousness) on the part of other people. How would any of us feel if we berated the person in front of us for reclining, only to discover that he/she only did it because someone else squished them first? Why do we think that OUR comfort should always take precedence over someone else's? That's not what I'm teaching my child; he's learning that enduring some minor inconvenience and temporary discomfort for the sake of others is a good and kind thing to do. It shows a merciful heart and a forgiving nature.

The alternative is to learn that "fairness" should always trump mercy, and I'm sorry, but I disagree with that--vehemently. Cold, calculated "fairness" is not always the best outcome. If given a choice between fairness and mercy, I'll choose mercy any day, because I know damned well that someday I'll be in some unfortunate position, and I'll desperately need someone to show mercy (rather than "fairness") to ME.

I am an atheist for all practical purposes, but I still think that the wisest words I've ever heard were these: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

[Pithlet]

95. Agree a thousand times.

Well said.

[piedmont]

98. The only people not on that list are the guys with bombs in their underwear. nt

[LeftyMom]

102. You left off people who leave the overhead light on while you're trying to sleep,

people who snore loudly, people who fire off SBDs repeatedly (I guess you could file them under smelly people, but they're their own special joy to sit next to, IMO) and people who pound away on very loud laptop keyboards while you're trying to sleep. Oh, and people with hamster bladders who take a window seat and then climb over you ten times in the flight to use the lav.

Oh, and probably people who completely ignore everybody, leave their ipods on during takeoff, turn their earbuds up to hear over the engine noise, which probably means their seatmates hear them at least a little, and generally seem horribly annoyed by the whole thing. Which would be my particular set of dysfunctions, I freely admit. Plus I get up and walk to the bathroom a lot. Not because I need the toilet, but because I have a family history of blood clots and getting up and moving is the best way to prevent them.

I think ultimately the issue is that there's just not enough space for that many people, even if all of them are on their best behavior, and the problem is made worse by long waits at the airport, and the absence of real food. Most people are hungry and irritated by the end of it, a fair percentage of people are suffering nicotine withdrawal, and everybody could use a little room to move and some fresh air. The whole process seems almost intentionally engineered to be utterly miserable for all involved.

[havocmom]

74. And ya can't even carry on the makin's for a good shave

when some bozo drops their head in yer lap! Used to be, you could whip out a can of shaving cream and a straight razor... That usually worked to get someone to put their damn chair in the upright position!

Now ya can't even have a water bottle and bar of soap to lather them up. Forget about the razor.

[Flying Dream Blues]

76. Um, I paid for the seat and it reclines. I really need to recline it

a little bit because I'm short and the seat is made for taller people. If I sit without reclining it a bit, the pillow part hits me at the top of the head which makes my head go forward and is really uncomfortable.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

77. Yep. And, replace them with beds.

[JCMach1]

78. Try NOT having one on a 16hr. flight...

double plus ungood.

[yodoobo]

79. LOL!

stealing your space.

funny stuff

[LWolf]

82. Not on long flights where I should expect to get some sleep.

I'd rather they allow more space for each seat. :shrug:

[noamnety]

87. My thoughts

There are so many real issues of injustice. I can't come onto a political forum and make an issue of reclining seats as an example of someone oppressing me or threatening my property rights.

[Initech]

89. I've had several occasions where I've almost had my laptop broken because of recliners.

Pisses me off.

[musette_sf]

90. WANT:

http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html

[Skittles]

96. I agree

for the record, I never recline my seat :D

[Jamastiene]

103. Ah, hell, just replace all the seating with reliners situated in a circle.

Then, everybody will have their own space and can pass the conch shell around and sing Kumbaya. Or better yet, arrange them in a circle facing away from each other. That way nobody has to even look at each other. Problem solved. Never mind the damn cost.

Think of the mental and physical health concerns here. Why are the seats so close to each other anyhow? It just spreads germs and makes people uncomfortable.

I know I wouldn't want to sit that close to total strangers. I don't even like strangers being in the same aisle with me in the grocery store. I'll postpone certain aisles if they have people in them, go to the next aisle to get what I need there, and pass them on the way back to the aisle they are leaving.

Fuck being that damn close to total strangers. I can't stand it. I never know when somebody wants to proselytize to me, touch me, look at me, speak to me, or any other awful human interaction I reserve only for those I know. Gives me the willies.

[TexasObserver]

106. Agreed. And require seats to have ergonomically engineered seats.

Airline seats have very poor lumbar support, exacerbated by the head rest that leans too far forward.

[norvech]

110. Well, it isn't like the seats recline all that far anyway.

Not much in comfort for the sitter, less room for the person behind.

(But not sure if this topic is pressing.)

[AngryAmish]

114. If someone reclines I tell them not to do it

That stops that.