Ask Before Reclining an Airplane Seat
Last week, an American Airlines passenger tweeted a video of a man repeatedly punching the back of her folding seat . The video went viral and sparked controversy again over whether the seat could be reclined while you’re in the air.
While we can all (hopefully) agree that punching the back of the seat of the person in front of you is never appropriate, whether or not you can recline is one of those things that most people have an opinion about, often strong. one.
During an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Delta’s CEO spoke about the matter. Taking it:
“I think customers have the right to lean back. We’ve tested the reduced tilt, but I think it’s best if you’re going to lean on someone first ask if it’s okay. I never say anything myself … If someone knows that there is a tall man behind him and he wants to recline the seat, I think it is polite to make sure everything is in order. I never lean back because I don’t think that since I’m the CEO of an airline I should recline the seat. And I never say anything if someone snuggles up to me. “
This is honestly pretty sensible advice, both for when you’re on an airplane and for life in general: if you’re going to do something that affects someone else, think about how it will affect them ( and maybe ask first) before doing this. …
At a basic level, this means looking back to have an idea of what you are leaning into, and perhaps reconsidering this decision if you notice that you are going to severely disrupt that person’s comfort by leaning back. For example, if the person behind you is 7 feet tall, or has a toddler in their lap and is obviously already having trouble with that middle seat, perhaps don’t make the situation worse.
At the very least, it’s nice to at least let the person behind you know you’re going to lean back (I speak as someone who almost lost the laptop display in the process) and if you’re a good person ask him, No big deal. You have to, of course not, but we are all riding in this can of sardines together, so it also doesn’t hurt to give someone the same attention that you would like to receive if the situation changes.
I am personally an advocate that reclining is almost never appropriate. The extremely small amount of comfort a chair gets from leaning back an inch isn’t worth the amount of limited real estate the person behind it loses in the process.
Yes, I understand you paid for a reclining seat, but the person behind you probably paid the same for the right to have enough space to work on their laptop behind you. For me, such reclining is always unacceptable, except when the flight is due to red eyes and everyone is asleep, or the person in front of me reclines, so that I can no longer fit into my laptop. When this happens, I always assess the situation before leaning back, and sometimes I just explain to the person in front of me that I am working and ask if they would not mind not to lean back, or at least return to halfway there. This is a convo that I have had at least a dozen times, and it has never been hostile.
Worth noting: Delta has actually reduced reclining seats on some of its aircraft, so reclining completely is less of a problem for the person seated in the seat.
In the case of this week’s viral video, it looks like the person behind this woman was in the back of the plane and had no way of leaning back at all. Hitting the back of someone’s seat was the wrong reaction, but I understand why he might be annoyed.
The point is, no one on a plane, not even first class passengers, really has a comfortable personal space. It doesn’t hurt to check before you take on a stranger, even if you technically have the right to do so.