How comfortable are you while flying? No, not your perspective: your stance. Do you press the recline button as soon as the seatbelt signs flash and enjoy every increment of your new wide angle, or do you become more wary of what’s behind you and remain stoic even as the seat in front dips down onto your lap?
To lie down or not to lie down is one of air travel’s great debates, roaring like the massive Rolls-Royce engines of the Airbus A380. According to a new report from Kayak on air travel etiquette, we remain a divided nation: nine in 10 Britons (92 per cent) say it’s okay to lie down, but 47 per cent say you should ask permission from the person behind you First.
While 16 percent of respondents in the study said it was always OK to press the armrest button, a chillingly similar 19 percent said it was only acceptable on a long-haul flight. It’s not just a matter of comfort, it’s also a moral dilemma: One in 10 people said they expect the person in front to take the lead, the report said. If they lie down, implied permission is granted.
What nonsense. In an effort to settle this issue once and for all, we asked two frequent flyers on both sides of the debate to make their case. Who do you agree with? Let us know in the comments below. Fasten your seat belts: This could be bumpy.
“What kind of masochist wouldn’t use a lever that’s there specifically to alleviate their discomfort?”
Annabel Fenwick Elliott says
There is something very strange about this discussion. Unlike most “divisive” issues that have pros and cons on both sides, I can’t understand for a second why this is even an argument.
Seats on airplanes (and indeed in cars and various other forms of transportation) are designed to recline because it is much, much more comfortable for people to sit reclined for long periods of time than to sit upright. This fact is indisputable. The button is there for a reason and it’s there for you to use. After all, what kind of absolute masochist wouldn’t use a lever that’s there specifically to reduce their discomfort?
But even more surprising, why would a man who is not content to strike such a pose for hours – defiant like a martyr burned at the stake – expect all his companions to choose the same fate?
The only scenario I can imagine where I would be vaguely uncomfortable with someone in front of me reclining their seat would be if mine didn’t recline either. Even then, it would probably be because my button was broken, which wouldn’t be the person in front’s fault nor would they know anything about it.
Moreover, if such misfortune were to happen to me on a long-haul flight, I would never in a million years stand up, tap this person on the shoulder, and demand that they not use the button either; Thus, human suffering is doubled. Fortunately, we rarely need to delve into this level of philosophy, given that reclining seats can be fully reclined so that a domino effect can occur as soon as the seatbelt signs go out and everyone can claim their own few inches of recovery. Why – if this is you – don’t you want to bend over?
The only reason I can see for banning adjustable seats is the reason that drives some budget airlines to do just that: stinginess. Ryanair, for example, removed this function (along with other frills like seat-back pockets) in 2004 because it made chairs lighter and therefore reduced fuel costs. And that doesn’t exactly make for a comfortable flight, does it?
I have written extensively about this “debate” in the past and I am still no closer to understanding the other side. So if anyone has a logically sound argument for why I should avoid pressing that button on my next long flight, I’d love to hear it. Write, leave a comment. I wait with bated breath.
“People who recline their seats on planes are psychopaths and should be banned from flying.”
Jack Back says
Among the golden rules, treat others the way you want to be treated yourself is one of the easiest rules to live by. If you’re going on a date, don’t eat a cheese and onion sandwich for lunch. If you work in a small office, don’t reheat fish pie in the communal microwave. If you are going on vacation, do not recline your seat on the plane.
You may think: “I paid for this seat, why shouldn’t I do what I want?” What do you care if the person behind you has less legroom?
Planes are uncomfortable. For most people, flying is the worst part of going on holiday; The misery of being stuck in a metal box at 36,000 ft is the price we reluctantly pay for the joy of travelling. Is three inches of reclining comfort too much to ask?
I believe so. We live in a society and that means sometimes you have to deal with minor inconveniences for the sake of the people around you. And let’s not pretend that keeping your seat upright is anything more than a thing. Small discomfort. You do this seven hours a day at work, you can also achieve it on a short-haul flight.
Most likely, as soon as you land and leave the airport, you will settle into a comfortable hotel room where you can laze around and relax as you wish. While doing this, you will not need to lose yourself to anyone else.
Let me remind you of a basic fact of life that some entitled air passengers seem to forget: You are not more important than the people around you. You do not have the God-given right to seek comfort at their expense.
The benefit of reclining your seat is obviously very small. It won’t make the seat less hard, it won’t improve the taste of your plane meal, it won’t make the feet of the guy next to you smelly when he inexplicably takes off his shoes. less.
What it will do is give the person behind you even less room, making it harder for them to watch a movie or eat, and give their holiday a bad start.
Some minor inconveniences are the price of getting cheap plane tickets and being able to travel. If you don’t like it, pay for an upgrade to first class, or better yet, rent a private jet where you can literally do whatever you want. If these are impossible and you really can’t handle sitting upright for a few hours, maybe you’re not fit to travel. Might I suggest you instead stay at home on your couch and whine about your misanthropy on social media?