Comment by mrandish
3 days ago
> then again by the airplane seat itself when the person in front of me reclines their seat.
This reminds me of the time I had my laptop open on the tilt-down tray and the very large man in the seat in front just repositioned his girth (not even reclining the seat) but it flexed the seat back enough that my laptop screen was momentarily caught between the tray below and recessed lip above and was almost crushed.
That happened to me when I had an ipad in a standing case and the seat in front cranked back - trapping then pinging the tablet across me and by neighbour's lap.
Though the ipad itself wasn't damaged, a couple of glasses didn't make it, and required the steward to try to brush up whatever fragments of glass they could.
I feel that airlines are a microcosm of "Do you care about who you actions might affect?" - similar to the "Do you return the cart to the corral" test at supermarkets - are you willing to put even the smallest bit of effort to significantly improve other people's experiences?
Airlines shouldn't have reclining seats, it's bad design. Blaming people for the bad design is stupid. I never recline and still blame it on the design. Stupid people exist, you should design for that.
Sorry for an empty response but this, 100% this. As a person who is WELL over 6' tall, the very idea that the person in front of me might recline is enough to give me significant anxiety throughout a flight. I once saw a design for seats where the base slides forward if you want to recline - the idea being, if you're going to recline you're going to do so into your own space, not the person behind you. I'd be a big advocate of that change in seat design...
34 replies →
Flights from sfo to Frankfurt bolt upright sound unpleasant…
Not to mention that when my wife was pregnant she could barely manage her back pain -with- the recline, never mind without.
The recline button is there for your use. You are welcome to avail of it yourself.
22 replies →
in reality there should be a legal minimum leg room that's based on the distance of the flight
the recline feature should be baked in to this as well
2 replies →
I think reclining is appropriate at night only. If it were up to me, they would be locked upright during the day.
1 reply →
It wouldn't surprise me if Ryanair had reclining seats that reclined only if you paid for it.
14 replies →
This is one thing I like about Ryanair; they don't.
I think that they should just make reclining mandatory
> do you care about who your actions might affect
This one surprises me every time I fly. When I have the aisle seat I can be up and out in 10 seconds. It seems to make like everyone else will plop down , place down 3 different liquids on the tray and then take a nap. When I ask to use the bathroom I end up feeling like a nuisance
> When I ask to use the bathroom I end up feeling like a nuisance
It's your right to ask to use the bathroom whenever you need. And others have the right to use that little tray for their stuff when they want. (while allowed by the airline, of course)
6 replies →
Selecting the aisle seat is consenting to be asked to get up, so don't feel bad for asking.
That said, 10 seconds is not a realistic expectation. Ask before it's an emergency.
I actually quite liek yanair's no frills no recline design. For some reason it feels less clusterphobic to me. it just feels more spacious and roomy, despite the absence of space.
And if you are the airline the answer is a resounding "no"
The airline is not a human being. It is an imaginary construct.
3 replies →
Gorilla glass vs gorilla
(I get the joke) Not even gorillas even, the seats on most US carriers are too small and narrow for a lot of adult men even if they're in good shape. I had to sit shoulder to shoulder with one poor guy an entire flight to New Zealand because both of our shoulder widths are wider than the seats and I wanted to make sure my girlfriend had room enough to sleep. We were both good sports about it and were joking about needing a smoke afterwards, but it was not fun unless he wanted to lean halfway out into the aisle. I'm taller than average but not a giant.
I flew Scoot airlines recently and my 13” MacBook Air was too big to have on my lap even though the seat in front was not reclined.
There's also something about those seats where you get back pain when you try to sleep with your own seat reclined.
1 reply →
Lost an Apple iBook screen this way. Guy in front slammed his chair back while I was working on a presentation and the screen got caught at the perfect angle to flex it and it died.
Didn't blame him, lesson learned, and I move my own seat back very slowly now.
Scary.. Did the airline comp you for that?
Of course not!
I swear this happens to me almost every time I fly.
now you know to check who's sitting in front of you. rookie mistake
Opened a laptop on my last flight and this was my immediate and persistent fear
Even when travelling for work I could never bring myself to get a laptop out on an aircraft. I only do it on the train occasionally if I've got something I'm deep into and a table to myself.