My row mate and I had the easy camaraderie that comes when you realize that boarding has closed and the third person in your row of three will not be joining you. I unbuckled my seat belt and slid into the window seat that I would have picked had I been able to check in earlier. We smiled at each other as we looked forward to a little extra room and two whole armrests each on our 10 hour flight.
We chatted as we prepared for take off. I learned that he was originally from Northwestern England, close to Wales. He had just finished a California vacation with his family of four. His wife and two teenage kids were seated in the row behind us. They had traveled up and down the state and inland to Yosemite National Park. I was glad to hear that they had thoroughly enjoyed their time in my home state.
I explained that I was stopping in London on my way to Berlin, a last minute trip sparked by acquiring enough frequent flyer miles for a free flight. We continued to talk about travel and life as our plane taxied.
We took off during a gorgeous sunset and I looked down at the misty coast of California taking in the blessedness of it all — where I was going, where I’ve been, where I live.
Then came the announcement that we had reached cruising altitude and a ding signaled that the seat belt sign was being turned off. A few people got up and many more decided to sit back, relax, and enjoy the quality selection of free movies. I could see the airplane seats start recline in domino effect form.
When it reached our row, I joined in. As usual, I was not thrilled with the seat in front of me going down, but like many others, I understand and partake in it because I am not willing to sit upright for 10 hours with my head unnaturally pushed forward by the airplane seat.
To say that my row mate was unhappy when the person in front of him started to recline his seat all the way back would be an understatement.
“I can’t see my telly!” he shouted as he pushed and pounded on the seat in front of him. My row mate was very tall, and I could see that the seat was pressed up against his already cramped knees. I could also imagine that because of his height, optimal viewing of the dinky little TV screens could be harder to achieve with the seat in front of him reclined. But still, his air rage was surprising to see. And the person in front of him was not having it.
I got a little nervous as I recalled an story my mom had shared with me just a couple months before. It was about a flight that had to return to the airport that it departed from because of an overheated argument about seat reclining. One of our family friends happened to be on that flight.
When I read the article, it was the first time I’d ever even given any thought to whether or not you should recline your seat. And I noticed that in the article and some of the comments, the sympathy seemed to lie with the man who was upset with the person in front of him for reclining his seat. Did I miss the you’re-not-supposed-to-recline-airplane-seats memo? After all, what is the purpose of having seats that recline a certain amount if it’s a faux pax to recline them the full amount?
I get it that some people are tall and probably shouldn’t have to pay extra for legroom. But at the the same time, why should the person in front of them feel like they are restricted? What if the person who wants to recline has a back problem or another health issue that would make it even more uncomfortable than it already is to sit upright throughout the flight?
Luckily, on my flight, my row mate and the man in front of him grudgingly reached compromise and no physical fight broke out. My row mate’s initial pleasant demeanor was eventually restored and throughout the flight, he helped me interpret the Welsh accent of our flight attendant.
There were no more arguments for the rest of the flight to London, but the incident at the beginning stayed on my mind. I’ve brought up this story with frequent fliers both short and tall and have gotten very mixed feedback. This includes some shorter travelers who feel that it’s rude to recline your seat all the way and some taller fliers who feel that fellow tall people need to deal with it or pay extra for a seat with more legroom.
What are your thoughts?
