Do you have the right to recline your plane seat?

[MissStepcut]

I curl up in the window seat and try to sleep the flight away. As such, I don't recline much. When I do, I just exercise common courtesy, which I also expect of my fellow passengers.

MissStepCut,
You never know. This thread may show up as a hypo on a tort final!

Luckily for me I already passed torts, but I would not put this particular hypo past my prof. He loves airplane-related hypos

 

[tuffyluvr]

I was flying from NYC to LAX in August and the woman in front of me was an off-duty flight attendant, sitting in the emergency exit row in uniform. She reclined her seat and went to sleep. I was traveing with my small dog, and had to stow him under the seat in his travel carrier. I couldn't stretch my legs out and put my feet under the seat and her seat was literally resting on my knees (I'm 5'10" and all legs).

I was uncomfortable but didn't think too much of it, until she had the nerve to turn around angrily--her face right in mine--and hiss "do you have a problem?!?!?!" I was completely shocked. I hadn't make a single complaint about my discomfort and was totally baffled. I stammered, "uhhhhh, no..." She loudly replied "You have been jamming your knees into my back for the last two hours!!" I was completely mortified--everyone was staring!! Luckily the guy next to me stepped in to defend me. He told her that my dog was under the seat and he thought I had been a very good sport about the situation and she should turn around and MYOB! she turned around all huffy-puffy and proceeded to whisper to the other flight attendants (presumably about me) for the rest of the flight!

I couldn't believe how rude she was--especially being in uniform. I'm sure it was annoying for her, but it wasn't exactly pleasant for me, and I had to pay an extra $150 (for my dog) for such an experience!! I had never thought about seat etiquette before that situation--I just always figured that flying is uncomfortable in general and we all just have to deal with it!!

Anyways, sorry for the novel. Just thinking about the situation makes me so angry!!!

 

[missy]

I was flying from NYC to LAX in August and the woman in front of me was an off-duty flight attendant, sitting in the emergency exit row in uniform. She reclined her seat and went to sleep. I was traveing with my small dog, and had to stow him under the seat in his travel carrier. I couldn't stretch my legs out and put my feet under the seat and her seat was literally resting on my knees (I'm 5'10" and all legs).

I was uncomfortable but didn't think too much of it, until she had the nerve to turn around angrily--her face right in mine--and hiss "do you have a problem?!?!?!" I was completely shocked. I hadn't make a single complaint about my discomfort and was totally baffled. I stammered, "uhhhhh, no..." She loudly replied "You have been jamming your knees into my back for the last two hours!!" I was completely mortified--everyone was staring!! Luckily the guy next to me stepped in to defend me. He told her that my dog was under the seat and he thought I had been a very good sport about the situation and she should turn around and MYOB! she turned around all huffy-puffy and proceeded to whisper to the other flight attendants (presumably about me) for the rest of the flight!

I couldn't believe how rude she was--especially being in uniform. I'm sure it was annoying for her, but it wasn't exactly pleasant for me, and I had to pay an extra $150 (for my dog) for such an experience!! I had never thought about seat etiquette before that situation--I just always figured that flying is uncomfortable in general and we all just have to deal with it!!

Anyways, sorry for the novel. Just thinking about the situation makes me so angry!!!

That was really unprofessional of that off duty flight attendant. I would have complained to the airline in a letter after the fact since I guess you felt there was nothing you could do at the time. There was no reason for her to behave so rudely.

To answer the original question- yes, one does have the "right" to recline but personally I take each specific circumstance into account before I would recline and I rarely do recline for that reason. I have no desire to cause discomfort to any fellow traveler just as I wish not to experience discomfort as well. If I am going to be on a long flight I try to fly business or first class and truthfully these days, because of the unpleasantness in general of air travel, I fly much less often.

I am surprised at the general lack of concern for fellow human beings in all different types of situations- not just air travel. Maybe every generation has felt like this but I feel people are less civilized these days than in the past. Good manners, civility and just regular old kindness seem to be sorely missing in many real life situations.

 

[Autumnovember]

I will never recline on a short flight, but I definitely will recline a bit on longer flights. I always make sure that I'm not touching the person behind me and that they do not have food or a drink but you bet I will recline, especially to sleep.
I try to avoid flying whenever possible. I have CKD so I'm pretty uncomfortable anyway, let alone sitting in such a rigid position for a long period of time. So yes, I do think I'm allowed to recline. And if someone ever intentionally throws up on me for doing so, I will Kick. Their. a$$.

WHERE did I say I would intentionally vomit on you? I barf. I cannot **please watch your language** control it, no matter how much I would like to. It will go places I cannot control either, being that it's mostly liquid. What I believe I said was, and you can back and look for yourself, "I WILL NOT FEEL AS BAD" when it hits you, if you are being an **please watch your language**on the flight.

Of course I do not behave this way on flights all the time.**please watch your language** I get my *** through security quickly, I come prepared, I get the *** out of everyone's way and generally keep to myself. But I will be damned if I paid top dollar for a seat I cannot move in, get out of to use the restroom, or in any way am prohibited for doing anything on because some *** in front of me decides his beauty sleep or his reading time needs to have him fully reclined for however long the flight is. I fly and have flown on many airlines and the only one that has seats that don't go all the way back into our laps that I have been on in the last 5 years is Southwest. Those barely recline, so I do tend to fly them whenever possible, simply because I know that the person in front of me that decides they need to lay as far back as the seat will allow for the entire flight won't be coming that far back. I have flown business and first class whenever possible or feasable so that I am NOT a burden to someone else. But telling me I have to suck it up and get help because other people don't think beyond themselves is crap. Millions of people are claustrophobic. **please watch your language. last warning**

Ame, I truly enjoy reading your posts and I didn't really take it personally but I just thought you went over the top over such a stupid issue. I suppose its not stupid to you but I think we all can agree that the kind of anger your expressed should be used on topics that actually matter.

Everyone's opinion on what really matters varies. This board, IMO, is not one of those places where discussing what "really matters" is something I am interested in. Unless it would relate to the diamond and luxury trades. It's also impossible to read into someone's tone of voice through words on a screen for the most part. I don't want to get involved in discussions about the things that "really matter" on here, because this is intended to be a board about luxury goods and related. There are other places for where I like to have that kind of discussion, and that's generally in person where tone of voice is more readily interpreted.

As for the subject:
I have to pay for my seat like everyone else, my opinion on what happens in my tiny 18inch by 18inch space is just as important as anyone else's. I think it's funny that people tell me I am rude for not wanting that space encroached upon and that I just should let it go, for whatever reason. No one's money is any more important than mine, as mine is no more important to theirs, I never said I was more important. The difference is that I actually DO have the common courtesy to NOT recline into someone else's space which they paid for and I expect others to behave the same way, which is WHY I consider reclining more than about 2" to be extremely rude.

I think it's HILARIOUS how bent out of shape discussions like this leave people.

But Ame, it was you who was so bent out of shape over reclining chairs in airplanes.........so that was kind of hilarious too.

 

[sillyberry]

So your desire to work is more important than someone else's desire to sleep? Why?

Perhaps that guy who reclined his seat and is napping at 10:00 AM had to get up at 2 in the morning to drive 100 miles to the closest airport. Perhaps he's on the last leg of a series of flights that began the previous day. Perhaps he was up all night taking care of a sick child and this is his only chance to sleep before an interview for a new job. Who knows? In any case, I'm not sure why one individual's expectation that everyone else should be awake (and productive!) at the same time s/he is should trump someone else's desire to snooze.

I wouldn't say I desire to do work (I would say my desire is to read trashy fiction and eat gummy bears), but if I'm flying during standard office hours, I think it is reasonable to assume that one should be physically able to do work within the small amount of space allotted by the airline. My laptop screen will not open at a functional angle if the person in front of me reclines all the way. Even if I abandon hope of using my laptop it is still difficult to use the tray for writing with the seat reclined. That means that during the flight, I can't work and thus can't bill. Which means I will then have to make up those hours when I get home -- outside of business hours. I'm not sure why one individual's expectation that the airplane is designed for snoozing trumps my desire to get work done during work hours.

This is really one of those things where *I* think the greatest good comes from no one reclining. To me, the marginal comfort gained by reclining does not outweigh the inconvenience of reclining on the person behind me. Flying these days is generally unpleasant unless you're fortunate enough to either fly upgraded or have a carrier with nicer planes. Again, as the card I posted earlier demonstrates, I believe if we all mutually agreed not to recline outside of standard sleeping hours, the flight would be more comfortable for everyone.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I was flying from NYC to LAX in August and the woman in front of me was an off-duty flight attendant, sitting in the emergency exit row in uniform. She reclined her seat and went to sleep. I was traveing with my small dog, and had to stow him under the seat in his travel carrier. I couldn't stretch my legs out and put my feet under the seat and her seat was literally resting on my knees (I'm 5'10" and all legs).

I was uncomfortable but didn't think too much of it, until she had the nerve to turn around angrily--her face right in mine--and hiss "do you have a problem?!?!?!" I was completely shocked. I hadn't make a single complaint about my discomfort and was totally baffled. I stammered, "uhhhhh, no..." She loudly replied "You have been jamming your knees into my back for the last two hours!!" I was completely mortified--everyone was staring!! Luckily the guy next to me stepped in to defend me. He told her that my dog was under the seat and he thought I had been a very good sport about the situation and she should turn around and MYOB! she turned around all huffy-puffy and proceeded to whisper to the other flight attendants (presumably about me) for the rest of the flight!

I couldn't believe how rude she was--especially being in uniform. I'm sure it was annoying for her, but it wasn't exactly pleasant for me, and I had to pay an extra $150 (for my dog) for such an experience!! I had never thought about seat etiquette before that situation--I just always figured that flying is uncomfortable in general and we all just have to deal with it!!

Anyways, sorry for the novel. Just thinking about the situation makes me so angry!!!

That was really unprofessional of that off duty flight attendant. I would have complained to the airline in a letter after the fact since I guess you felt there was nothing you could do at the time. There was no reason for her to behave so rudely.

To answer the original question- yes, one does have the "right" to recline but personally I take each specific circumstance into account before I would recline and I rarely do recline for that reason. I have no desire to cause discomfort to any fellow traveler just as I wish not to experience discomfort as well. If I am going to be on a long flight I try to fly business or first class and truthfully these days, because of the unpleasantness in general of air travel, I fly much less often.

I am surprised at the general lack of concern for fellow human beings in all different types of situations- not just air travel. Maybe every generation has felt like this but I feel people are less civilized these days than in the past. Good manners, civility and just regular old kindness seem to be sorely missing in many real life situations.

I actually did complain about it to American Airlines. They apparently didn't care because I didn't even get an apology!!!

And my stance on the situation is the same as yours: it really don't find it much more comfortable to recline a few inches. I usually just pull the headrest things out to keep my head from rolling around when I sleep. Flying is terribly uncomfortable and we do usually buy our tickets based upon price--i guess we all get what we pay for. When I have flown first or business class it has been wonderful, but for me I would rather be uncomfortable on the flight spend the money I save by flying economy on more fun stuff!!!

 

[ladypirate]

My husband is 6'7". He barely fits into airplane seats as it is and while he always attempts to get an exit row, often times they are unavailable. He takes an aisle seat and makes do the best he can. That said, in a normal seat his legs literally go all the way to the seat in front of him and if the person in front of him reclined, he wouldn't fit at all. He usually just says something to the person in front of him and it's not an issue but if the person in front of him was being a jerk about it I don't know what we'd do. Reclining his seat wouldn't help because it is literally an issue of how long his femurs are. When there is an option for an economy plus upgrade or whatnot on long flights he takes it but sometimes there isn't. I understand that people want to be able to recline their seats, but sometimes common courtesy has to play into it.

As for me, I don't really care if someone reclines as long as I'm not trying to use the tray to eat or something. I usually just read on planes anyhow, so I don't really notice my surroundings.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'll just get a cocktail and carry on. The flight will be over soon enough and i will never see you again. No reason to be a jerk and start a war.

Yep!!! Cheers!

 

[phoenixgirl]

I think it's bad form to recline your seat for a daytime flight. If it's a long daytime flight, then I think it's OK, but I would wait until after meals are served so the person behind you doesn't have to dodge the top of your seat to get to the food on their tray. But on an overnight flight, of course; I expect everyone will be reclining. I do bat an eye when I see somebody recline his or her seat immediately upon take-off.

Do you have a right to recline it? Well, yes, I don't think anyone can argue that you are prohibited from reclining just because a person is seated behind you. It's not either person's fault that the leg and head room is so atrocious in economy seating. But I think a polite person will show consideration for the comfort of the person behind him or her.

 

[Pandora II]

Since you can, I suppose you do have the right - but I wish the seats didn't.

I'm 5ft 10", but all my length is in my legs. If the person in front reclines then I am forced to sit in a fixed position with the seat jammed against my knees which is pretty painful if they decide to do the lean forward, flop back thing on a regular basis.

I agree they have the right to recline, but I also have the right to be comfortable and if my moving position and thus bumping their seat is irritating then that is their problem, but having a seat jammed against you for hours on end isn't exactly fun.

The only time I have actually asked someone not to was when I was flying with my 22 month-old daughter who was travelling as a lap passenger - the person in front slammed their seat back and the tray table went straight into her and so she then started to cry having been hurt. Since it was a night flight this then woke up a load of other people. With my height and her sitting on my knee there really wasn't enough room for them to recline.

Even though she now has her own seat, she spends a fair amount of time on a flight on my knees and if you have your seat reclined and the person behind has a toddler who likes to change position on a regular basis then you will probably prefer not to have your seat reclined.

I also feel for people who want to work - airlines provide powersockets etc to enable you to use laptops etc, so I expect to have the right to do so and if that means I will press back against the seat in front so that I have enough space on my knees for my laptop then I will. I won't kick or anything like that, but I will preserve my space by bracing my legs.

FWIW, I never recline my seat on airlines unless the seat behind is empty.

 

[LJL]

I think that if the question is specifically do you have the right in a legal sort of sense, then of course I think people have to say yes. I never recline but of course I have the right. I also have the right to drunkenly blather obscenities in front of small children but I try not to

I think I also abide by the "do unto others" idea. I don't want people to recline on me, so I don't recline. Even if you recline in front of me, I won't do it to the person behind me. Like I said before, I have bigger fish to fry on airplanes...

And for the record ame, you can throw up on me on the plane. I would just feel bad for you because you clearly couldn't help it. I think its unreasonable to say that if she has a 15% chance of vomming on any given flight, that she should take a train/boat/etc. I'd take that 15% chance every time. How long does a boat take to get across the Atlantic? I dont want to think about it but I'm sure its much longer than a plane. Same with a train.

 

[monarch64]

I think that if the question is specifically do you have the right in a legal sort of sense, then of course I think people have to say yes. I never recline but of course I have the right. I also have the right to drunkenly blather obscenities in front of small children but I try not to

I think I also abide by the "do unto others" idea. I don't want people to recline on me, so I don't recline. Even if you recline in front of me, I won't do it to the person behind me. Like I said before, I have bigger fish to fry on airplanes...

And for the record ame, you can throw up on me on the plane. I would just feel bad for you because you clearly couldn't help it. I think its unreasonable to say that if she has a 15% chance of vomming on any given flight, that she should take a train/boat/etc. I'd take that 15% chance every time. How long does a boat take to get across the Atlantic? I dont want to think about it but I'm sure its much longer than a plane. Same with a train.

Me, too!!! I spend the majority of my time during flights wondering if the person next to me is a terrorist, or an Air Marshall, or if we're going to crash. I think a lot about what I will do when/if faced with a crash or emergency landing. I am checking out where I am in relation to the exits and who is in between me and the exit if I don't happen to be seated in an exit row. Basically I'm worried about my safety more than my kneecaps. I figure ONE of us has to be paranoid about these things, I mean clearly no one else is worried about anything besides how rude and awful their flight mates are going to be.

 

[Kaleigh]

You do, but if you are hurting the person who is sitting behind you... That stinks. My husband is tall with long legs, so he always tries to get the emergency row, etc.. Or flies first class.

Since 9/11, I can count on one hand how many times I have flown commercially.

Yes we fly on private planes, but that's because it makes sense to do for where we go....

I do love that, because no security, I know everyone on the flight, and the pilots...

And no one says, you can't have this lotion, it's not meeting the 3 oz rule...

As a rule I don't recline, I think it squashes the space of the flier behind me...

But I see people recline before the flight even takes off, as if to say...

Watch out...I am ruling my space...

Isn't that so sad?? Flying has come to that.

I want no part of it..

 

[mrs jam]

I don't enjoy having the person in front of me recline, but if they show common courtesy and ask me, I always say it's ok. The people who are polite enough to ask are considerate enough to not recline their seats all the way. I never recline. It's more comfortable to me to sit up straight and cram a pillow behind me for lumbar support. If I want to sleep, I usually just curl my legs up in my seat and turn sideways. I'm tall, but I've never been too uncomfortable during a flight.

Some of the responses on this thread are surprising to me. It seems common courtesy is not so common.

 

[ame]

And for the record ame, you can throw up on me on the plane. I would just feel bad for you because you clearly couldn't help it. I think its unreasonable to say that if she has a 15% chance of vomming on any given flight, that she should take a train/boat/etc. I'd take that 15% chance every time. How long does a boat take to get across the Atlantic? I dont want to think about it but I'm sure its much longer than a plane. Same with a train.

I truly do NOT want to barf on a plane, or ever. It's not really controllable. I never aim at anyone. I can't always prevent...splatters. The husband is my only target should I have to aim anyone, he is legally bound to be barfed on by me.

And for the record, flying vs. driving vs. train--no change in opinion. And no lesser chance of yarfing either, unfortunately. Unless I myself am driving. Then Im generally safe from the yarfing situation.

What would solve all of my travelling issues in one fell swoop is teleportation.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I recline, I don't feel bad about it, but I also never recline to the point where I'm shoving people down behind me (and as others have asked, is it even possible for my seat to do that??).

I'm a fairly unhappy flier as I prefer not to be spending hours jammed into a small space with people I don't care about and who are probably breathing cold germs or whatnot into our shared enclosed space, but I'm a little shocked by the amount of anger and passive aggressiveness in this thread. Yowza.

 

[MissStepcut]

I recline, I don't feel bad about it, but I also never recline to the point where I'm shoving people down behind me (and as others have asked, is it even possible for my seat to do that??).

I'm a fairly unhappy flier as I prefer not to be spending hours jammed into a small space with people I don't care about and who are probably breathing cold germs or whatnot into our shared enclosed space, but I'm a little shocked by the amount of anger and passive aggressiveness in this thread. Yowza.

I assure you that it's possible.

 

[iheartscience]

And for the record ame, you can throw up on me on the plane. I would just feel bad for you because you clearly couldn't help it. I think its unreasonable to say that if she has a 15% chance of vomming on any given flight, that she should take a train/boat/etc. I'd take that 15% chance every time. How long does a boat take to get across the Atlantic? I dont want to think about it but I'm sure its much longer than a plane. Same with a train.

I truly do NOT want to barf on a plane, or ever. It's not really controllable. I never aim at anyone. I can't always prevent...splatters. The husband is my only target should I have to aim anyone, he is legally bound to be barfed on by me.

And for the record, flying vs. driving vs. train--no change in opinion. And no lesser chance of yarfing either, unfortunately. Unless I myself am driving. Then Im generally safe from the yarfing situation.

What would solve all of my travelling issues in one fell swoop is teleportation.

Ever try Dramamine?

 

[Nomsdeplume]

http://media.westword.com/5673372.0.pdf

 

[iheartscience]

http://media.westword.com/5673372.0.pdf

Ha-what a psycho! I'd also like to highlight that the affidavit states that the seat reclined no more than 3 1/2 inches. Not exactly in someone's lap.

 

[swimmer]

I'm also firmly in the; the seat reclines so I do, but I ask first camp.
For those suggesting aggressive passive aggressive tactics, that can backfire. My husband had reclined his seat on a red-eye from Ireland to Boston and the man behind him began to shake his seat, DH ignored him and the fellow got up and berated DH. A flight attendant removed the other guy to sit on a jump seat for the next 5 hours. We resumed our flight in the reclined position and the angry man had the most uncomfortable flight of his life as a result of his nasty behavior. He should have just reclined.

Also, I fly with a toddler, SORRY! If I could keep him from moving around I would, but that just is not possible, he even kicks in his sleep and I'm not killing my baby for your comfort. A person can deal with it or she can buy 1st class or a private plane and avoid all the hassles. At some point all of us will be traveling with a baby, an elderly person, or a loved one who just can't behave properly but has to go across the country. At that point they will regret their former passive aggressive actions.

 

[ame]

And for the record ame, you can throw up on me on the plane. I would just feel bad for you because you clearly couldn't help it. I think its unreasonable to say that if she has a 15% chance of vomming on any given flight, that she should take a train/boat/etc. I'd take that 15% chance every time. How long does a boat take to get across the Atlantic? I dont want to think about it but I'm sure its much longer than a plane. Same with a train.

I truly do NOT want to barf on a plane, or ever. It's not really controllable. I never aim at anyone. I can't always prevent...splatters. The husband is my only target should I have to aim anyone, he is legally bound to be barfed on by me.

And for the record, flying vs. driving vs. train--no change in opinion. And no lesser chance of yarfing either, unfortunately. Unless I myself am driving. Then Im generally safe from the yarfing situation.

What would solve all of my travelling issues in one fell swoop is teleportation.

Ever try Dramamine?

Yea, I used to when I was younger and the family flew. My mom would give it to she and my sister. It didn't usually help me a whole lot but it helped my sister. I only took it on one long flight though as an adult with some Valium for the flight to Hawaii and the flight back. That was more for the being trapped over water for that long. It doesn't seem to affect the barfing/queasiness I get, and depending how wrecked I already am, makes me slightly drowsy. My brain does not let me sleep while travelling. Especially not in a car.

 

[MissStepcut]

Ame, dramamine is one of my favorite OTC sleep aids. I don't know how people could use it if they plan to stay awake.

 

[ame]

Ame, dramamine is one of my favorite OTC sleep aids. I don't know how people could use it if they plan to stay awake.

If I "need" to be awake (need being really unlikely in this case) I can fight it. It's both good and bad unfortunately. But the irrational fear of dying in my sleep because i choked on barf, thats another way I can fight it

 

[Maria D]

I think the one thing we can all agree on is that air travel basically sucks! I am short, haven't had a toddler in my lap in years and have no flight anxieties (although being a driver or passenger traveling on a highway terrifies me more and more each year) and even I hate plane travel -- because it seems like while I fly infrequently, there are always unexplained delays, missed connections, etc.

On the other hand, there was this one time that I think strengthened my marriage, LOL. My husband, daughter and I were on a plane that had two seats on each side separated by an aisle. We seated ourselves so that I was next to my daughter and my husband was in the aisle seat next to us. A large woman started walking down the aisle carrying a toddler and I could see that the only seat available was the window seat next to my husband. I quickly offered to change seats with him and sure enough, that was her seat. The plane ended up sitting on the tarmac for two hours. Guess how the little boy (the toddler, not my husband) felt about that? DH still thanks me to this day.

For you tall long-legged people, isn't it enough that the rest of the time you, um, are tall and have long-legs? You want everything???
Actually, they make a gadget just for you! $17.95 could change your life. http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html?s

 

[Laila619]

Also, I fly with a toddler, SORRY! If I could keep him from moving around I would, but that just is not possible, he even kicks in his sleep and I'm not killing my baby for your comfort. A person can deal with it or she can buy 1st class or a private plane and avoid all the hassles.

I know kids are rambunctious and don't like to sit still, but I don't think it's okay to let one's child kick others' seats just because kids will be kids.

I have a rowdy almost-toddler so I understand, believe me! But he is not going to kick any seats on a flight that I'm on with him.

 

[Laila619]

For you tall long-legged people, isn't it enough that the rest of the time you, um, are tall and have long-legs? You want everything???
Actually, they make a gadget just for you! $17.95 could change your life. http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html?s

That's cool, Maria!

It helps you defend the space you need when confronted by a faceless, determined seat recliner who doesn't care how long your legs are or about anything else that might be "back there". Haha!

 

[missy]

Also, I fly with a toddler, SORRY! If I could keep him from moving around I would, but that just is not possible, he even kicks in his sleep and I'm not killing my baby for your comfort. A person can deal with it or she can buy 1st class or a private plane and avoid all the hassles.

I know kids are rambunctious and don't like to sit still, but I don't think it's okay to let one's child kick others' seats just because kids will be kids.

I have a rowdy almost-toddler so I understand, believe me! But he is not going to kick any seats on a flight that I'm on with him.

Huge ditto. We were brought up with manners and you can bet we never kicked the back of someone's seat. Or if we did it was just once because we were taught it was not OK. Just as we could go to restaurants when we were little and not scream and have temper tantrums like little brats. If we did that you can bet our parents would have immediately removed us from the restaurant so as not to interfere with other diners. Not sure when it got to be OK to let your kids run wild but it certainly is leading to a new generation of narcissistic selfish young adults. I see the parents in our neighborhood who let their kids do what they want because they do not want to stifle their self growth and creativity. Please. Just leading to more rude adults being bred. IMO.

Love that device Maria. What a super idea.

 

[monarch64]

Er, I really doubt that Swimmer meant that she LETS her little one kick seats just because "kids will be kids."

I've flown quite a bit, and I can't remember ever having dealt with misbehaving children, or even loud ones. I don't even have that much patience or tolerance for other people's kids, but I rarely run into children whose parents are deliberately allowing them to misbehave.

Hmm. Except for that time a toddler hauled off and punched me in the thigh, and then head-butted me while I was standing in line waiting for my bagel. Busy mom, 3 other small kids...I guess she won't be winning Mother of the Year either. So many imperfect parents in the world!

 

[aliceinwonderland]

I am wondering what airline you are all flying that having somebody recline their seat is actually a big deal. I fly Air Canada almost exclusively and honestly the seat barely goes back! It sort of tilts in place and maybe reclines 2 inches max. I am a tall person and my FI is also very tall and I have never felt crowded by the person in front of me...even when stuck in the dreaded middle seat. This begs the question how far back do the seats HONESTLY go on most american airlines provided the seat isn't broken. Does it actually go back as far as posters are implying? I agree if your seat is broken that's not an invitation to lay flat out and abuse what is clearly somebody else's space. I think the notion that there should be 'recline rules' is absurd...really it's that big of a deal?!

Alice