Beware the Knee Defender

[pete_auau 1,163]

Why shouldn't the person in the seat behind act as a true gentleman?

because the person isn't reclining  the seat so to be  a true gentleman you should ask before you recline your seat first.

[vc10man 732]

Why shouldn't the person in the seat behind act as a true gentleman?

 

Last year i flew on a long-haul overnight flight from Vancouver to London. After supper the cabin crew dimmed the lights for us to rest. Two elderly women behind me decided to chat in loud voices and then compained because I wanted to recline to seat, like about 90% of the other passengers. When they began shaking my seat,I called called a member of the cabin in order to stop them and get some sleep.  Would you have been a "gentleman" and put up with their behaviour?

 

Incidentally in Europe, where I do most of my flying, EasyJjet's seat don't recline so there is no problem.

 

 

I've flown easyJet UK-Netherlands and Ryanair UK-Italy and in both instances, no recline option but that is okay for short flights.

 

Pity your Vancouver-London flight was ruined by two inconsiderate old dears. And you ask a very valid point at the end. Bravo.

[mgh 89]

So, you don't mind when the person ahead of you reclines his/her seat fully, right?

 

No I don't. seats are intended to recline and that's a fact of air travel. I don't start whining.

 

 

 

because the person isn't reclining the seat so to be a true gentleman you should ask before you recline your seat first.

 

As i said, seats are intended to recline.  I decide if i want to recline or not. similarly, The passenger behind can decide if he wants recline or not. We both have the rights.

[pete_auau 1,163]

The passenger behind can decide if he wants recline or not

 

Than that person  should ask before he reclines ,  than the person behind him should ask get my point, its only  manners  that you ask might save you hassle.

[Christopher Low 5,359]

Personally, I don't think that you should be allowed to recline economy seats unless the seat directly behind you is empty. I would be extremely annoyed if the person in front reclined their seat into my personal space. There simply is not enough room in economy class.

[psolk 3,044]

Hopefully you won't be in the seat ahead of me.

Why?  What would you do?  I am a frequent business traveler with a double fused spine and a replaced hip.  If I do not recline my seat I would be unable to move by the time I arrive at my destination.  Most of the time my company has paid the highest fare possible for my flight and I try to upgrade myself to accommodate but if I can't, who are you tell me not to recline my seat?   The people who cause the biggest issues fly the least.  Those of us why fly frequently become pretty oblivious to what is going on around us and just want to get from A to B.   

 

NOW, if you want to ask me politely, I would probably move up if you had work to do and asked me to slide up for a while so you can work but to just prevent me from reclining my seat.  Not going to happen.  No one has that right other than the F/A's.  If it happened to me I would call the F/A over and inquire why my seat is broken...  Trust me, my flight would end up diverted too if the F/A did not resolve the issue to my liking.  I am not sitting there for 5 hours without the ability to incorporate some movement into my spine because some selfish scumbag has taken it upon themselves to change the rules to their liking.  You don't want someone reclining in front of you then pay for a first class ticket like the rest of us!!!!

No I don't. seats are intended to recline and that's a fact of air travel. I don't start whining.

 

 

 

 

As i said, seats are intended to recline.  I decide if i want to recline or not. similarly, The passenger behind can decide if he wants recline or not. We both have the rights.

 

Couldn't agree more...   TBH, the fact that one person feels they have the right to single-handedly determine the rights of another person above and beyond the stated rules shows how self-righteous society has become.  

[vc10man 732]

 

 

Most of the time my company has paid the highest fare possible for my flight and I try to upgrade myself to accommodate but if I can't, who are you tell me not to recline my seat? The people who cause the biggest issues fly the least. Those of us why fly frequently become pretty oblivious to what is going on around us and just want to get from A to B.



NOW, if you want to ask me politely, I would probably move up if you had work to do and asked me to slide up for a while so you can work but to just prevent me from reclining my seat. Not going to happen. No one has that right other than the F/A's. If it happened to me I would call the F/A over and inquire why my seat is broken... Trust me, my flight would end up diverted too if the F/A did not resolve the issue to my liking. I am not sitting there for 5 hours without the ability to incorporate some movement into my spine because some selfish scumbag has taken it upon themselves to change the rules to their liking. You don't want someone reclining in front of you then pay for a first class ticket like the rest of us!!!!

Well stated, a cogent argument ++++1

[Christopher Low 5,359]

 

Couldn't agree more...   TBH, the fact that one person feels they have the right to single-handedly determine the rights of another person above and beyond the stated rules shows how self-righteous society has become.

 

It works both ways. The person seated behind you has the right to a comfortable amount of space. There is very little room as it is. I have never had someone recline their seat in front of me (probably because I have only ever had a grand total of eleven flights in my entire life), but I tested the theory on a 767 flight from San Francisco to Dallas (it was half empty). The result? I would not be impressed one little bit if the person in front of me reclined their seat.

 

However, I am not saying that I wouldn't accept it. If the person in front of me had a medical condition that required them to lay back for certain periods of time, then I would suffer the lack of comfort for their benefit. What I don't like is this "I have paid for the seat, and I will do what the hell I like" attitude that some people seem to have. You may well have paid for your seat, but so has the person behind you.

[psolk 3,044]

It works both ways. The person seated behind you has the right to a comfortable amount of space. There is very little room as it is. I have never had someone recline their seat in front of me (probably because I have only ever had a grand total of eleven flights in my entire life), but I tested the theory on a 767 flight from San Francisco to Dallas (it was half empty). The result? I would not be impressed one little bit if the person in front of me reclined their seat.

 

However, I am not saying that I wouldn't accept it. If the person in front of me had a medical condition that required them to lay back for certain periods of time, then I would suffer the lack of comfort for their benefit. What I don't like is this "I have paid for the seat, and I will do what the hell I like" attitude that some people seem to have. You may well have paid for your seat, but so has the person behind you.

 

Like I said, 11 total flights in your life.  I don't mean that as an insult at all but you are speaking to someone with well over a million actual flown miles and who did 152 segments their busiest year flying almost daily.  With all due respect, if the person in front of you reclined their seat I could care less about how impressed you are.  You have the right to recline your seat to maintain adequate personal space as does the person behind you.  You also have the right to choose not to.  You do not have the right to determine what the person in front of you does with their seat period end of story.  

There is a reason that seats recline and a reason F/A's ask you to return your seat backs to their normal upright position during takeoff and landing.  The F/A's make the call of what a passenger can do with their seat back and when, not another passenger EVER.  Yes, you WOULD accept it, the same way other travelers have done for as long as I can remember, the fact people think it is up to THEM to decide is beyond me.  

 

This last comment isn't directed at you Chris but,  I paid $2,000 for my ticket and travel routinely, you paid $200 and are travelling today, don't tell me what I can do with my seat...

[tf51d 284]

I wonder how many who prevent the person in front from reclining, so their legs are more comfortable, themselves recline their seat so their back is comfortable?

[vc10man 732]

Like you, Paul, I have travelled many miles, maybe not quite your quota of millions of miles, nevertheless a majority long-haul 8-10 hour flights interspersed with short-haul European and North American flights, and touch wood, I have never ever encountered a problem with the person in front of me reclining, or me reclining, as there generally seems to be, as someone else has pointed out here, an atmosphere after meals are served, etc, when the cabin lights are dimmed, when collectively most passengers recline their seats and get some shut-eye. So, there aren't the chances of a bad situation developing.

 

And as I pointed out earlier, I generally always turn around and ask, or will only recline partially. At the end of the day I want to arrive at my destination airport with the least stress and hassles. I want to walk off a flight thanking the crew, happy to have flown, and not harbour any ill-feeling.

[january 19]

The obvious answer is to pipe an anaesthetic gas thru' the plane's ventilation ducts.so that every one gets fully rested during flight- then 15 minutes before landing, the FAs give everyone a shot of Narcan to wake 'em up- all fully rested and ready for a good day's work! 

january

[vc10man 732]

Forgive the uninitiated, but what exactly is Narcan? U'mmm?

[january 19]

Forgive the uninitiated, but what exactly is Narcan? U'mmm?

Anaesthetic reverser after surgery.

 

On reflection, a perhaps simpler solution would be to pipe Nitrous Oxide gas through the airplane cabin- and have all aboard laughing their silly heads off for the trip.

(Probably best to have the flight deck airtight from cabin atmosphere!)

january

[ohsirus 241]

You Fly, I Fly. My seat is my business. If for some reason your legs are abnormally longer that will pose restrictions on my seats use then you should buy the seat in front also, the same as when wide people have to buy the seat next to them. If unable to comply, someone will need to be moved. Not trying to seem rude, but there should be an assumption that everyone onboard will recline their seat without the need to ask permission.