Posted on 09/07/2014 9:00:02 AM PDT by Kaslin
Good morning. This is your captain. We'll be cruising today at an altitude of 30,000 feet, and we expect to arrive at our destination on time. Then we'll spend 45 minutes on the tarmac waiting for a gate to open up, because apparently, the airport folks had no idea we were coming.
Our flight crew will be coming through the cabin shortly to offer you a choice of lukewarm beverages along with a tiny chemical-infused snack that wouldn't sustain a gerbil through a cold night. You're welcome to take a nap, if you can sleep through me coming on the intercom to inform you of things you couldn't care less about.
And if there's anything we can do to make your flight more pleasant, please let us know so we can figure out if there's a way to charge you for it.
But I want to make a special announcement today. My last flight got diverted because a couple of knuckleheads started screaming and throwing things at each other. Turns out one of them wanted to recline a seat and the other took offense. I really hate detours. So let me tell you how it's going to be.
You all bought a ticket for a seat that reclines, which means if you want to recline, you're entitled to do it. I'm not saying you should. Just because you're free to spend the entire flight sobbing to your seatmates about your breakup or berating them with your opinion of Barack Obama doesn't mean it's a considerate thing to do. Just because you are allowed to scratch and belch en route doesn't mean your mother would approve.
But if we wanted to prevent our passengers from reclining, we would install seats that don't recline. So if the person in front of you leans back, you have several options. You can politely ask if he or she would mind not reclining, or at least not reclining quite so far. You can buy him or her a drink as an incentive.
You can pull out a twenty-dollar bill and pay an old-fashioned cash bribe. Heck, I don't care if you offer sexual favors, as long as they don't happen on board. If nothing else works, you can weep and beg.
What you can't do is use a "Knee Defender" to block the seat from reclining. You can't push against the seat until the other person returns the seat to its upright position. You can't scream and swear and throw things. If you do, we'll land at the nearest airport and let the cops put you in a seat you'll find even less comfy.
If our policy offends you, let me make some suggestions. Next time, buy a seat that has extra legroom. Or upgrade to first class. Or patronize one of the airlines whose seats don't budge.
Or just forget flying. I hear Amtrak cars have more room than airline cabins. You could get in your car and drive. You could stay home.
But if being stuck with a reclining seat in your face bothers you so much, let me bring out the world's smallest violin to play a microscopic sad song. Your ancestors probably came across the ocean in steerage, crammed into dim spaces with smelly strangers for weeks at a time, fighting off rats and scurvy.
Or they may have come in slave ships against their will, where they had a truly excellent chance of dying. They may have crossed the continent in a bone-jarring covered wagon eating buffalo jerky three meals a day.
_And you? You have to endure modestly cramped quarters for a few hours to be transported vast distances they would have needed weeks or months to cover. Boo friggin' hoo.
Face it, people: You've made it clear you want a low price more than you want comfort, so this airline has provided it, often losing money in the process. That's why we have to charge for bags and meals that used to cost you nothing. Factor in inflation, and you pay a whole lot less than passengers did back in 1979.
If you were willing to pony up for more space, my employer would be happy to install a La-Z-Boy for every traveler. But you're cheap. You squeeze every nickel till Thomas Jefferson screams. And then you wonder why we pack you in so tight.
So be grateful for the bargain fare. And notice: It's not spelled F-A-I-R.
I’m 6’2 as well, I pay for better seats or barring that, I always ask for emergency exit seating. There is always leg room there because of the extra space needed to get people out the emergency exit in case of emergency. I’m going to see how many times I can use the word emergency. It’s always worked for me, just don’t show up last second and expect to get that seat, because other tall folks are vying for the same emergency exit seating. Some for the leg room, some because they like to be in the emergency exit seats in case of emergency, so they can be the first out if there was an emergency.
I work in the industry. I found that my company’s Airbuses have pretty decent space between rows. Surprisingly, some of the nextgen CRJ-900s (90 seat commuter jets) have a decent amount, too. Just my opinion..
I can’t agree with your statements. I can see how it would upset a person, but can’t agree.
Everyone has the same space, if one reclines and you recline, it’s still the same space. Those fold down trays work at any angle, I’ve never had a problem with that. Then again I mostly fly Westjet, or Air Canada or Cathay Pacific.
The definition of “decent” is determined about how large/tall you are.
Just FYI the seat tracks (fittings that the cabin seats attach to) have holes drilled and tapped every inch from nose to tail of the cabin. The airlines decide where (and how many) seats are installed in their aircraft. They can easily reconfigure for more (or less) space between seats. By moving the seats one inch closer together, they can gain one or two rows of revenue-generating seats in each aircraft. Or they could take out a few rows, move the seats further apart and ease the seat-reclining headache. Obviously the market has made the airlines' decision for them.
I don’t know what airlines you fly, but I have never been asked to make my seat upright before cabin service. Nor, in my experience, does a reclined seat prevent the person behind from using his tray table.
True, I’m 5’ 7”..
About 5 years ago I drove the round rip from Knoxville, TN to Davis, CA, which is near Sacramento, and back. The travel cost for me only was about $2,400, including 10 days of dog care. Then I checked out the cost of round trip first class air fare. It turned out to be about $2,000, which only included only 2 days of dog care. I go there every Christmas and now I go first class. I “economize” by putting every expense I can over my United Airlines credit card. Throw in the fact that I’m on the TSA PreCheck list, and it’s not so bad.
I figure there’s nothing wrong with the guy in front of me reclining his seat too far back, that a few moments of rolling in the aisle, screaming and clutching my kneecap probably won’t solve.
When I’ve ridden the Greyhound overnight from time to time, I’ve never had anyone complain about putting their seatback partway up again when I asked, because reclining it had inadvertently driven it into my knees. This suggests to me that flying is a better way to surround oneself with discourteous, entitled jerkasses than surface travel.
Wow - there certainly are a great many Freepers who have ‘reclining seats’ on the brain.
Who knew.
What about the reclining seat in front of me that someone ELSE paid for. They can do what they want as well.
Belligerent? Really.
And so did the person in front of me that reclines. And so did the big person sitting next to me that needs the extra elbow or waistline room. If I’m reading or God forbid, eating a meal, the seat if up. But if I need to catch some zzz’s on a coast to coast flight, I’m reclining. If the airlines make a non-reclining seat, fine. But if 3” of recline is a feature, I’m using it.
Lets see what airlines have i flown, United ,American, Delta Jetblue, Qantas, Singapore Air, Eva Air, China South, Air Tahiti ect...
I flew to 13 locals around the world on business in the PAC rim, China, Australia Tokyo Tahiti,Singapore, Indonesia.. also flew to So America and the Caribbean , along multiple cities in the United States....
that’s all just in the last year ..
And im flying again Tuesday from LA to DC...and yes the stewardess ask you to please put your seat up during cabin services so the person behind you can use thier tray table
Exactly right. That Seat Guru site is a godsend. It also shows the overhead areas. I always traveled with one small overhead bag, even if going for 5 days. And I’d go for the window seat. A little extra room on the side and the 3” of recline allows me to catch a few zzz’s on a coast to coast flight. Didn’t always work when I had to fly on a day’s notice but the old Frequent flyer miles added up and eventually started getting decent upgrades. I made a promise to myself that if I did go anywhere on vacation, I would book 1st class.
I fly very, very often and also have never heard this request.
Seat pitch from 34 to 28 degrees
http://doamm.com/2013/12/23/hate-flying-over-6-feet-tall-youre-going-to-hate-it-more/
Big guy with no room
http://www.travelbook.de/imgs/2/3/0/0/8/9/Teaser_artikelkopfgalerie_876x584-6327a6fd26786671.jpg
Plenty of room here. A bit messy
http://www.hurricanehunters.com/images/gallery_winter/gallery5.jpg
It’s mainly the people who don’t fly much who feel the need to recline. Anybody who has to fly a lot recognizes that reclining is a real invasion of space and can cause pain to the passenger behind. Frequent flyers are considerate and don’t do it.
What an absolutely disgusting attitude, most probably from someone who doesn't have the slightest consideration for other people. Do you flush toilets after you use them?
A few decades ago, airlines got the bright idea of cross-subsidizing economy-class seats; by greatly increasing the price of first, and business-class seats. In inflation-adjusted terms, first class tickets more than doubled in price, while economy fares dropped significantly.
That suits me just fine, because I’m not particularly tall, and I can still fit into an airline seat (barely). However, it does make it difficult for tall passengers. An upgraded ticket can easily cost you four times as much — way more than most people can afford, and probably way more than the extra space is worth for most people. If you could just opt for a seat with (say) 20% more space, for only 20% more money, that would probably satisfy most people.
BTW, Canadian airlines now put a surcharge (about $20 or so) on tickets for the seats by the emergency exits. Those seats have more leg room, and the surcharge isn’t unreasonable. The surcharge ensures that those seats are only occupied by people who value the extra leg room. The surcharge is a tiny fraction of what it would cost to upgrade to Business or First class.
I’m 6’ 5-1/2”, and it is even worse for me. I always pay for more room whenever possible. In a recent thread on this, a Freeper suggested that tall people should be charged double like overweight people.
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