Vincent,

 

Whilst I have never experienced anyone doing this to me, I have seen other people with their seats reclined. What that tells me is that the reclined seat is "invading the personal space" of the person behind. There isn't much space in economy to begin with, so I can imagine it to be a very uncomfortable feeling. I know that I am not going to change anyone's mind here, but what puzzles me is why none of you seem to be able to accept that a reclined seat might be annoying for the person sitting behind you.

 

I can state right now that I would never recline my seat if there was a person sitting behind me. I wouldn't even consider it.

 

Christopher

 

I don't see it as someone doing something to me or they are invading my bubble. It is their seat and who am I to say you must sit fully erect for XX hours.  I'm 6'2 and even with a seat fully down I still can sit somewhat comfortable. I assume you don't use the arm rests either as there is never enough room for 2 arms. I will say whenever you fly I want you in front of me.

They do have reclined seating for a reason - they are usually designed not to discomfort the people behind even when fully reclined.

 

Of course some people believe that the seat and the surrounding area is their personal space and requires defending.

 

It isn't, you share the whole space in the plane with other passengers.

 

If sitting in an enclosed space with other people for extended periods of time makes you uncomfortable you shouldn't fly (economy).

 

What do you do on a bus?

 

In a crowded bus you end up with your nose in someone's armpit. Will you require them to let go of their hold so that you are more comfortable?

 

Face it - in most parts of the world people are stacked 10 high.

 

Complaining about reclined seats and "invasion of personal space" is a problem that only saturated people can make.

 

 

Why should I be uncomfortable so the passenger behind be can be comfortable?

 

Try turning that sentence around and see how it sounds.

 

But then why am I not surprised by your attitude Gerry, your posts over the years give me the impression that your default mode is to be as awkward as possible.

Another Person who got their space invaded.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/travel/airline-seat-recline-diversion/index.html

 

In the third serious airline legroom incident in two weeks, an angry passenger caused yet another flight to divert Monday night.

Delta Air Lines Flight 2370 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to West Palm Beach, Florida, was rerouted to Jacksonville, Florida. A passenger became irate about the traveler in front of her trying to recline her seat, a fellow passenger told CNN affiliate WPTV.

"This woman who was sitting next to me knitting actually just tried reclining her seat back," passenger Aaron Klipin said. "The woman behind her started screaming and swearing and then a flight attendant came over and that just exacerbated what was going on and then she demanded that the flight land."

Delta confirmed the diversion.

@sascha

 

Could not have been put better.

 

As for window shades, as someone who likes to take a lot of photographs from the window seat which I have gone to a lot of trouble to book, when the bright sun is streaming in, once we reach cruise altitude, I pull that shade down, but every hour or more, I'll lift it to take a quick peek as to where we are and having a map app on my Android, I can reference my bearing.

 

But like most things in life, as sascha has alluded to, it is a matter of  'give and take' social conduct.

Try turning that sentence around and see how it sounds.

 

But then why am I not surprised by your attitude Gerry, your posts over the years give me the impression that your default mode is to be as awkward as possible.

 

I guess it just has to do something with this sort of mentality, as I've personally encountered some heated issues with them Reminds me a bit of a right wing version of Kim Jong-Il.

When will people realize you don't pay for the seat and 'personal space'... You pay for transport from A to B. And as said before, if you can't deal with fellow human beings in a normal manner, then consider not flying.

If you are tall and the passenger in front of you insists on reclining, there are several options:

 

- Deal with it

- Kindly ask the cabin crew if there might be another seat available

- BUY A TICKET THAT ENSURES EXTRA LEGROOM.... you know how tall you are, the guy/gal who unknowingly selects the seat in front of you during check-in does not.

 

If you need to work, fold up the table and put your laptop on your lap. I've managed to do so with a 17" Alienware behemoth in a cramped Norwegian 737, I don't see a reason why others couldn't make it work. Again, you don't purchase personal space. Anyway, that's just my point of view. You don't have to put up with everything, but if you can not participate in what is actually a social event that we call flying, then you probably shouldn't participate.

The solution is simple- just add some nitrous oxide to the cabin atmosphere system.

 

(Best to avoid this for the flight deck - ATC would be puzzled to hear wild laughter in response to their instructions.)

january

 

Try turning that sentence around and see how it sounds.

 

This is exactly what I am trying to get across here. As for "you don't pay for personal space", what a load of rubbish. You think that increasing your personal space to the detriment of someone else's is not selfish? Really??

 

I think it's best if I leave this thread now, so that the recliners can have a bit of extra breathing space.

Perception of reclining Airline Seat.

 

This is exactly what I am trying to get across here. As for "you don't pay for personal space", what a load of rubbish. You think that increasing your personal space to the detriment of someone else's is not selfish? Really??

 

I think it's best if I leave this thread now, so that the recliners can have a bit of extra breathing space.

How is reclining increasing your personal space? That seat was designed to recline, and it's recline is part of your purchased ticket price. Your personal space already includes the space behind you taken up by the recline. If your seat does not recline, as certain seats at exit rows do not, there are placards to inform you of the exception. The only time that a seat needs to be fully upright is takeoff and landing for crash integrity and exit freedom. By installing the seat defender, you have just restricted somebody else's personal space that they rightfully purchased and own. Not to mention violating FARs by making an illegal mechanical modification to an aircraft that you don't even own.

I've seen this same behavior on buses during my commute into NYC. Someone will barely recline their seat a couple of degrees and the person behind will immediately shove the seat forward with both arms. These seats have lots of legroom and are nowhere near as cramped and there is plenty of space for a laptop or paper or a book to read. Everyone has a different view on what is an invasion of their personal space. Having grown up in NYC, my personal space is generally only invaded when I'm being touched in places that you aren't usually touched in when standing in a crowded subway car.

 

I fly regularly for work and do expect to recline my seat just like everyone else does on the long haul flights I take. I have never ever seen anyone ask if they could lower their seat when the meal service ended and when the lights were dimmed/turned off. I do look back first just to make sure before I start reclining. I've used my laptop or read a book with a fully reclined seat in front of me during these times. It isn't the best, but it is manageable for me.

 

I'm sure there are some seats that are worse than others when it comes to comfort around the knee area. On short flights of about 2 hours with the really small seat pitch I have generally observed that there is much less reclining going on.

 

Now I been on a 6 hour flight recently where this guy next to me had no choice but to spread his legs to either side so his knees were in the gaps between the seats against the table support arms. Neither he nor I could not lower our tray table unless he tucked his legs in during the meal service. I'm not sure how he did it and he was not slouching in his seat either. If someone behind me had a situation like that I would certainly accommodate by not reclining if asked not to. It makes a huge difference in my, and I imagine many others, ability to rest during a flight if I can recline just a couple of degrees. I never fully recline just to avoid being too much of a bother.

 

I think a lot of this also has to do with the environment you are accustomed to. Being treated like a sardine packed into a tin is perfectly normal for me. I know that this is not the norm for millions of others out there.

It's doubtful that a court would uphold that you "own" the space behind your upright seat. You use that space at the pleasure of the airline and upon the authority of the flight crew. 

Try exerting your right to recline when the attendants have ORDERED seats to be placed in an upright position due to turbulence or imminent landing !!!!

There is a good argument that reclining one's seat is a privilege to be exercised solely at the pleasure of the airplane commander and/or his delegate(s)

january

It's doubtful that a court would uphold that you "own" the space behind your upright seat. You use that space at the pleasure of the airline and upon the authority of the flight crew. 

Try exerting your right to recline when the attendants have ORDERED seats to be placed in an upright position due to turbulence or imminent landing !!!!

There is a good argument that reclining one's seat is a privilege to be exercised solely at the pleasure of the airplane commander and/or his delegate(s)

january

 

The difference is the Captain and crew make that determination based off of safety of flight and not someone behind you who feels he should be making the judgement on your comfort level.

It's doubtful that a court would uphold that you "own" the space behind your upright seat. You use that space at the pleasure of the airline and upon the authority of the flight crew.

Try exerting your right to recline when the attendants have ORDERED seats to be placed in an upright position due to turbulence or imminent landing !!!!

There is a good argument that reclining one's seat is a privilege to be exercised solely at the pleasure of the airplane commander and/or his delegate(s)

january

You are absolutely right that anything a passenger uses or does aboard the aircraft is at the pleasure and discretion of the crew. And installing a device to modify the designed operation of any part of an aircraft and disobeying a FA's authoritative orders to remove the device is certainly not very respectful of the crew's pleasure or authority and is good cause for a person's removal from an aircraft.

 

Btw, we don't require seats to be upright for turbulence. Only for takeoff and landing for the reasons I have mentioned. Turbulence however, is a good thing to bring up. Are these devices tested to operate safely under turbulence? Does your right to keeping the person in front of you from reclining also include smacking the person next to you with your oblong plastic device if the bumps send it flying?