Posted on 11/29/2006 5:30:40 AM PST by shrinkermd
With airlines squeezing more seats onto planes and flights more crowded than ever, some nasty battles are brewing, pitting passengers who recline their seats against the squished travelers sitting behind them...
Most U.S. airlines still allow seats to tip as far back as four or five inches....But now Southwest Airlines is doing something to reduce the threat of bruised knees and spilled drinks. The carrier is reducing the maximum recline in many of its seats so that customers can use laptop computers, for example, when the person in front of them wants to lean back.
...The airline decided to standardize recline at three inches, adjusting seats as planes go in for major maintenance work. s.
While Southwest offers 32 inches of space for each seat row on its Boeing 737s, many competitors have seats with less room -- 31-inch rows for the most part, with some as tight as 30 inches. Yet most other airlines also allow at least four inches of recline in seats...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Did the people assisting you out of the plane then hold you down and jump up and down on you like you're a typical UPS package?
My first flight to Europe was with a coworker who was in the multimillion mile club. He got to booking and the airline upgraded both of us to business class. Pretty comfy for a 10 hour flight. I wondered why people complained about long flights. Then the next flight I was back in steerage again and I knew why people hated long flights.
...and we should have a prohibition on guys wearing tank tops and shorts on planes
Are you crazy? Tank tops perhaps, but shorts??? Have you been on a plane before in the middle of summer. It is a sweatbox in there and not to mention do you really want people to wear MORE clothes when they don't shower.
A lot of Americans will choose a poorer-quality airline in exchange for a cheaper price and then complain about the quality. We are simple like that.
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I can put up with some things for short trips, but for a really long flight, I want to be comfortable and get better service, so yes, I'd pay extra for the convenience. I have noticed that for many of our airlines, there isn't a lot of difference between first class and coach, particularly when it comes to the seats. Maybe a little more room in first class, but not much more. Our airlines used to provide the service British Airways and others still do. Not anymore. The price is higher, but the service and quality are a lot worse.
Ick! You just reminded me how appalled I am by the cruise ad that shows the ugly Americans invading Europe! Italy's probably thinking, "No thanks, why don't you cheap a$$es stay in the Caribbean? And no, you CAN'T pinch David."
It's now routine at my daughters high school for kids to show up for class in pj's and flip flops.
Amen!
I'm 6'7" and do the exact same thing. I'd go for reclining to be banned on domestic flights, but would settle for folks just asking permission first.
I don't either. The woman really got miffed that she couldn't recline. Go figure.
Went there but din't fly. I stood at the top of the mountain looking at the runway and thought the same thing.
It's true that the air starts in the front of the plane and there's not much airflow if you get stuck in the back - quite miserable. I do like a layer of separation though between me and the hairy guy's legs (being a hairy guy myself).
I take a 1hr 30 minute flight on average twice a week and on such a short flight, I see no reason to recline. Lack of space also makes it exceptionally rude to anyone behind.
If the person in front of me does recline, I generally ask them not to.
No-one has ever yet refused to put their seat upright.
Since when is getting up and walking around frowned upon?
I'm amazed at the people that fly wearing flip-flops for shoes. Their feet would be cut to pieces if there was an emergency and we had to evacuate the plane.
It would be foolish for someone to recline in front of me. I have Restless Leg Syndrome. They would be miserable.
I haven't flown since we had kids. And we have no intention of doing it again. I refuse to pay that much money to be treated so poorly.
I flew for about six years on business. That UPS flight was the most comfortable, the attendants were the friedliest and the food was the best I ever experienced outside of first class (when United used to offer $30 upgrades to first class for its MileagePlus members).
My wife was quite nervous about being on a UPS plane.
Here is a pic of the plane waiting at the terminal:
How would the flip-flop wearers' feet be cut up? When evacuating the plane via the slide, you are supposed to take youre shoes off, aren't you?
No. It's about numbers. How many people can they stuff into a plane, bus, theatre, etc. Not saying Americans aren't fat but it's not a priority in our society.
Imagine a couple of hundred people scrambling to get off a plane with all the metal brackets, bolts, buckles, other people's shoes, debris on the floor during an emergency.
A pox on recliner seats in coach! You want to recline --- then go "recliner class".
We will be flying in a few weeks and I'm practicing a loud, whispered 'sh*t' for the moment the seater in front of me decides to push back. If it doesn't go up, then maybe I will act like one of those little kids who like to sit behind me and kick the seat back.
You're going to love it. If you're a wine drinker, there are a number of nice wineries to visit on near Queenstown and up in Marlborough. If you like beer, Steinlager is good, but all "real southern men" drink Spiegtht. Bay of Islands north of Aukland is beautiful. It's a great place; tropical jungle in the north, and penquins in the south. And no tipping.
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