A Few Words About Reclining Airline Seats

Reason ^ | Steve Chapman | September 8, 2014

[1rudeboy]

Face it, people: You've made it clear you want a low price more than you want comfort, so this airline has provided it.

Good morning. This is your captain. We'll be cruising today at an altitude of 30,000 feet, and we expect to arrive at our destination on time. Then we'll spend 45 minutes on the tarmac waiting for a gate to open up, because apparently, the airport folks had no idea we were coming.

Our flight crew will be coming through the cabin shortly to offer you a choice of lukewarm beverages along with a tiny chemical-infused snack that wouldn't sustain a gerbil through a cold night. You're welcome to take a nap, if you can sleep through me coming on the intercom to inform you of things you couldn't care less about.

And if there's anything we can do to make your flight more pleasant, please let us know so we can figure out if there's a way to charge you for it.

But I want to make a special announcement today. My last flight got diverted because a couple of knuckleheads started screaming and throwing things at each other. Turns out one of them wanted to recline a seat and the other took offense. I really hate detours. So let me tell you how it's going to be.

You all bought a ticket for a seat that reclines, which means if you want to recline, you're entitled to do it. I'm not saying you should. Just because you're free to spend the entire flight sobbing to your seatmates about your breakup or berating them with your opinion of Barack Obama doesn't mean it's a considerate thing to do. Just because you are allowed to scratch and belch en route doesn't mean your mother would approve.

[cableguymn]

I’d deck the TSA personal that tries to touch my junk and I am not getting in the xray machine. Sooo....

My car is a very comfortable ride.. Less stress to.. but the GPS lady is pushing her luck.

[camle]

“gerbil???.....did someone say gerbil?” - Richard Gere

[drunknsage]

Flew in a 787 last week and it was extremely tight between the seats. So tight. We had to get up to let people out of their seat

[cableguymn]

so your saying if I want to know what a sardine feels like, fly on a 787?

[colorado tanker]

Not a bad rant.

[clintonh8r]

I don’t recline my seat out of consideration for the passenger behind me. I would really appreciate it if the person in front of me would reciprocate.

[Resolute Conservative]

My last flight was in 2004. Haven’t been since, don’t intend to again.

[ZinGirl]

but the GPS lady is pushing her luck

LOL. I don't have one...but have been in enough cars with them. I think it would make me crazy to have her "tell me what to do". I'm so oppositional-defiant.

I joke with my sister about her GPS chick: just wait...pretty soon she'll be saying, "I'm sorry - it appears you have already gone to the liquor store this week. I cannot allow another trip" or "I'm sorry - the scale attached to the driver's seat indicates pulling into Dunkin' Donuts is not a healthy choice. I cannot allow this trip"

;)

[2banana]

Yes - blame the customers.

None of this has anything to do with insane government regulations, out of control unions and higher and higher taxes/fees...

[reefdiver]

I quit flying over two years ago

[Da Coyote]

Remember bus travel of the 60s? (If you’re that old?)

Air travel is now its equivalent.

Welcome to air travel of the 21st century.

Don’t worry, if you’re Muslim, at least you can get by the TSA harassing.

[JayAr36]

If you want to know how it feels like to be treated like a terrorist and herded like a cow then fly anything commercial.

[cuban leaf]

I don’t recline my seat out of consideration for the passenger behind me.

---

I consider the space under my seat to be the space available to the passenger behind me. I consider the space into which the seat in front of me reclines to be the space of the passenger in front of me, whether they recline or not.

And I consider the space into which my seat reclines to be my space, and not the space of the passenger behind me. and on Long flights, I need it a LOT more than he does anyway.

[lacrew]

Ditto.

[cuban leaf]

I have to fly to see my kids in Seattle. It’s a several day drive. But I used to fly a LOT and have yet to go through one of those body scanners. I always get the personal pat down. I like to pepper it with comments like, “Do I look muslim to you?” and “Is this the pat down with a happy ending?”

I have no pride. ;-)

[trisham]

Same here.

[cuban leaf]

I don’t recline my seat out of consideration for the passenger behind me.

---

My wife and I were with a friend and his wife in their car and his GPS lady was talking. When she was done I said I liked her better than mine because she sounded more perky. Oddly, my wife was not amused. :-P

[PUGACHEV]

I once flew on a small American Eagle plane from LA to San Diego in the mid '90s, and the captain had an hilarious pre-flight speech that he gave with an even and professional tone, and one would get him fired these days, but that went like this.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman. We'll get going here in a minute as soon as I finish taking all my medication, and then we'll give it another minute or two to kick in. As you see, we are a bit shorthanded today but your comfort is our first priority. If during the flight there is anything you want, anything at all, just shout it out or waive to me. I've got this bit of string I can tie off the flight controls with, and I'll be right back there to take care of whatever you need."

[cuban leaf]

Remember bus travel of the 60s? (If you’re that old?)

Air travel is now its equivalent.

Welcome to air travel of the 21st century.

---

Yep. Deregulation brought it to the masses. And now that they can’t keep out the riff-raff...

I’ve called them flying busses for a couple of decades. I didn’t mind, because it was so cheap. But the creation of the TSA changed everything.