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I'm well over six foot, and normally I insist on the emergency exit seat (I haven't flown in well over ten years though - f*** the TSA, the crummy airlines and all that) but usually I don't even have to request it - the ticket agent takes one look at me and says "I'm going to put you in the emergency exit seat."

Well, one trip, I wasn't able to get any such seat. I got stuck in a mid-row coach seat, and as soon as we took off, some 20-something kid in the seat in front of me reclined his seat - or tried to, as it turned out, because his seat went back maybe an inch before it made contact with my knees. Well, this dumbass was convinced that the reason his seat wouldn't recline further was because it was stuck somehow, so he begins to THROW HIS BODY AGAINST HIS SEAT in an effort to get it to go back further. I didn't know whether to laugh or snap his neck. After a few of his tries, I said, "Hey!' and he looked over at me all shocked. I said "It's not stuck. That's as far back as that seat is going. OK?" And he just sat down and that was that.

As for me, I never recline my seat, I suppose because I understand precisely how annoying it is to have that seat come into your space, but also because the shallow angle of recline doesn't make it worth the imposition on the poor bastard behind you. But I also tend to live by the Gold Rule, so...

As for me, I never recline my seat, I suppose because I understand precisely how annoying it is to have that seat come into your space, but also because the shallow angle of recline doesn't make it worth the imposition on the poor bastard behind you.

Exactly, same here - the tiny amount of recline I get by pushing back my seat isn't worth the annoyance I cause the person behind me. I know how big an imposition it is when the doofus in front of me just has to push his/her seat back - I never do it to the person behind me.

Airlines should remove the recline button. They should also widen seats and improve leg room - I know ticket prices will increase, but is it going to take major violence in some air-rage incident or someone having a heart attack due to the over-crowding before airlines realize what they're doing is unhealthy and dangerous?