Reclining in Coach

[naz]

I recline and I expect the people in front of me to do so as well, I never had much of a problem with room from people in front of me reclining but maybe that's just because I'm a fairly small person.

This is another reason why I recline. When someone in front of me does, and I (for whatever reason) don't, I don't really find it all that uncomfortable. (For the record, I'm average height - 5'9" or 1.75m.) That said, it gets back to the argument of whose discomfort matters more - you can't objectively say, so I say that mine matters more because I can't accurately feel other people's discomfort.

[naz]

Agreed. I have horrible back issues and am generally in pain from sitting too long but reclining the seat back is not going to help this at all. In fact not being upright will make it worse. I always travel with a small travel pillow and rolling up ones coat or jacket and placing it behind their back can help as well.

There are also different types of back pain. I have lumbar pain as well, but I also have a slouch, so if I'm sitting in an upright chair, the slouch gets worse and it puts pressure on my neck and shoulders. I literally can't sit in an upright position for more than a few minutes comfortably. I recline when I drive and in my office chair(s). Anywhere I need to sit longer than 15 minutes or so (and where I actually have a choice). It's not great for computer stuff of course, but I just can't sit upright no matter what I do.

I have very long legs and a very short upper body. All my height is in my legs. And when I sit on an airplane my knees are typically at a higher height than the average persons and pressed firmly against the back of the seat in front of me. If that seat goes back even an inch, my knees are being crushed. A person could be taller than I am and not have these issues if their legs aren't as long as mine.

I understand this, but many seat backs that recline don't move back at the knee level. In fact, some of the newer seats in some airlines recline so that the lower part slides forward while the upper part angles backward. This is a big step towards the perfect coach airline seat. Of course, it also means that if the guy in front of you doesn't recline in the same way, your knees will hit his seat. This foward-moving chain of events is now the opposite of the earlier problem.

Solution? Everyone reclines, no one reclines, or just fucking give us 4 more inches in the seat pitch already, FFS. Take more money from the First/Business fliers or advertise on the seat backs or something. I'll gladly stare at a GEICO logo hanging in front of me for 6 hrs, if it means I get 4 more inches.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

Solution? Everyone reclines, no one reclines, or just fucking give us 4 more inches in the seat pitch already, FFS. Take more money from the First/Business fliers or advertise on the seat backs or something. I'll gladly stare at a GEICO logo hanging in front of me for 6 hrs, if it means I get 4 more inches.

Four more inches of legroom might constitute living the dream for me,

[Prince of the North]

Beyond the issue of reclining or not, I think once the guy actually brought a device on the plane and used it to physically prevent the person in front of him from reclining, the plane should have immediately descended enough for him to be handed a parachute and then thrown from the plane! No one else is inconvenienced. Everybody's happy! Problem solved! :P

Yes, in this case, I think entitled asshat is a great description for this guy.

[IheartIheartTesla]

First world problems.

There are places on this Earth where people have never even seen a plane.

[Inigima]

I'll gladly stare at a GEICO logo hanging in front of me for 6 hrs, if it means I get 4 more inches.

The funny thing about that sort of program is that they will realize, sooner or later, that they can put the Geico logo there but not give you anything in return, and there's nothing you can do about it.

[RaceBannon42]

Hell yeah I recline. I mean its not like its a barca lounger, they move what 3-4 " I recline my car see a couple of inches too. People in front of me recline and its not like the seatback is suddenly crushing you.

[Frisco]

I don't typically recline, because it doesn't make me much more comfortable, if at all. I also don't care if the person in front of me reclines. Even at 6'3", it doesn't make me any less comfortable.

I think growing up flying on military airplanes from California to Germany makes even flying Delta seem only mildly masochistic.

[Lord of Oop North]

I recline. Fuck it. Anyone who has a problem with it can battle me on the moving sidewalk upon exiting the gate.

2 flyers step on. 1 flyer steps off.

[Reny of Storms End]

I don't recline, and I enjoy making the flight a living hell for anyone that does recline onto me. I'm 6'6 so if I have to fly with the metal frame of your seat ramming into my knees, then you get to deal with me constantly hitting your seat.

[L.T.'s Sexual Healing]

One of the keys is to just look behind you. If it's a huge person or a child (fucking seat kickers) it's not worth it. Otherwise, recline on!

I always wondered if better lumbar support seat on airlines, would reduce the urge for some people to recline, which brings up the question, why do airline seats have horrible lumbar support ?

Here is the answer to your question, from the comedy styles of Ser Lewis Black:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmXvmjSiwuw

[Pebble thats Stubby]

I recline depending on the seat shape. If the seat back is straight then there is normally very little reason for me to recline. I may do s about 1/4 to half way on long flights normally when the person infront has reclined all the way.

however if the seat has a curve so for most adult people I guess there is a bump giving more support to the neck and head this just means I can't sit back in the chair and have my head straight forward as this is forced downward. This type of plane steat is pure hell. Reclining means I can look ahead and do not end up with pain shooting down my neck.

[Littlefingers In The Air]

What's contentious about it? People who recline their seats on planes are clearly terrible people.

I recline and would be rather put out if someone put something in my seat that would prevent reclining.

I'm just saying.

[Larry of the Lawn]

I'd rather put out than not recline my seat.

[Littlefingers In The Air]

Your joke works fine, but it's more important for me to fra...expose Ser Scot as the antichrist. :D

[Larry of the Lawn]

Fun with edits and antichrists :D

[brook]

however if the seat has a curve so for most adult people I guess there is a bump giving more support to the neck and head this just means I can't sit back in the chair and have my head straight forward as this is forced downward. This type of plane steat is pure hell. Reclining means I can look ahead and do not end up with pain shooting down my neck.

I was whinging about this a lot on the flight to/from london. Inbuilt headrests are a great form of torture when you're far enough outside the average height.

[Iskaral Pust]

IP,

How much?

Scot,

The model I bought was just under $25 including all taxes (I think shipping was covered under Prime)

But it's currently out of stock: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J372OM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are lots of similar alternatives available on Amazon in a similar and lower price range.

For this model, I like the manual pump to inflate and deflate, and the straps allow you to keep it in a tight rolled-up ball when off the airplane (I clip it to my laptop bag).

[Pebble thats Stubby]

I was whinging about this a lot on the flight to/from london. Inbuilt headrests are a great form of torture when you're far enough outside the average height.

If I'm going on a long flight I try to take a pillow to pack out the seat under the headrest. Note it needs to be a proper sized pillow and not the tiny one you sometimes get on flights. However I often have limited space in my carryon to make this a viable option.

I have also found that inbuilt headrests are the norm with most planes I end up on.

[Starkess]

I think my feelings on this matter are fairly clear, to quote my own tweet from earlier this week "I'm pretty sure airplane seats only recline to show who the assholes are."

I am 6'4" and most of that in my legs. My knees are already contacting the back of the seat in front of me before it is reclined--yes it's only a couple inches, but my legs don't exactly have 2-3 inches of compression in them! I have literally come off planes with bruises on my knees from the seat in front of me. Of course there isn't much I can do about it. I am far too non-confrontational to ask them to not recline.

Also, I really hate those horrible seats that are supposed to be more comfortable by being ergonomically shaped or something. They curve forward at what I believe is supposed to be shoulder height but hits me somewhere around my shoulder blades/mid-back. Truly awful, I have to sit hunched forward (and I have no choice about how I sit since the seat in front of me is constricting my legs). And even then I won't recline, because I am not a selfish asshole.