Comments on: Near Fight Over Reclining Seat

By: MF

MF — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:47:17 +0000

I agree – it is utterly selfish to recline your seat.

As a 5 '11 man, I never do, and would happily smack the back of your seat hard if you did this to me.

By: Kad

Kad — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:20:14 +0000

I get tired of people who assume that because they CAN do something they should DO it.

Reclining seats are a perfect example. I'm 5'10" and find some airplanes quite snug when someone decides to recline. Someone with 4 or more inches of leg to stuff into the space between their seat the the one in front seems oddly impossible, and yet it happens every day.

At the same time as I decry the behaviour of the 'Italian' who seems to think the best response is aggressive verbal antics, I am saddened by the blithe attitude of the OP, who seems to think that a reclining seat must be used, no matter the consequences.

Damn, I would have bought the guy a drink and negotiated a settlement (2 hours my way, 2 hours your way?)

It is curious that many people still have this romantic notion of flying (look up some old airline commercials on Youtube) and yet expect to have problems when we cannot get along with our fellow humans in confined spaces. We expect those problems to occur, because we are masters of our own little domain for a few hours, and everyone else should bow down before us.

Yes, machaode and Hugh are tiresome, but still have a point.

When I fly, I offer my seat mates every courtesy, even at the expense of my own comfort.

I take comfort when I steal the taxi from them at our destination……because I am raring to go, while they are cathartic, sleepy even.

By: Joey

Joey — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:05:51 +0000

Hugh, I hate to tell you this but Luther is correct it is BATTERY, I am a lawyer. Its ridciulous I'm 6'3 and ppl in front just don't get it, you have zero room as it is and when some a@# puts their seat back it is literally pushing on my knees. Just because you can put your seat back doesn't mean you should. I agree with Luther the whole argument that b/c your seat reclines back you should be able to is absurd, I have a gun does that mean I get to shoot you?

By: Kad

Kad — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:52:30 +0000

So Andrea, you were assaulted, your seat mate was assaulted, and the FA's helpfully calmed the situation? I'm not you, but if I had been your seat mate, I would have demanded a landing to get the crazy lunatic off the plane, because of 'safety issues'.

As far as madachode…well, chode is an internet word. And it isn't a good one.

By: Luther

Luther — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:08:53 +0000

Hey Hugh….what would you call it them?? If you recline your seat, and it physically is touching the person behind you…what is it? From personal experience, the added coup de grace is the rod they put in the seat back pouch is at just the right height that it will hit your patella tendon…oh no, i used a medical term, I must be pretending to be a doctor now.

By: Max

Max — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:17:09 +0000

Hey, Max.

Unfortunately GOD isn't up for a civilized discussion about reclining seats. Why? Because He has better things to do, that's why. Keeping all the aircraft in the world aloft and delivering passengers and flight crews to their destinations safely is but one of His holy charges.

And the "laws of physics", like the "Theory of Evolution" are just theories or ideas, unproven and unsupported by hard evidence. We may think physics keep planes in the air, but in truth we don't really know because we can't see, touch, taste, or hear physics, now can we? GOD has everything to do with flight, or otherwise we wouldn't commonly refer to the Miracle of Flight as the Miracle of Flight, now would we? Kind of a no-brainer. I'll putting my money on GOD, thank you very much. Good day to you.

GOD bless you,

Captain Art Griego

By: Max

Max — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:35:23 +0000

Hey, Captain Art.

When was the last time you heard of God revoking the laws of physics? I seriously doubt that God (being so all-powerful and benevolent and all) would send a passenger jet into a "high-g tailspin" due to an argument over reclining seats. As far as I'm concerned, God has nothing to do with flight. How about civilized discussion as a way to break up a fight? Or maybe calling the FA on that guy's unruly tuchus?

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:24:37 +0000

Luther…get real. Me reclining my seat does NOT constitute battery. If I reclined, and the person behind me was severely inconvenienced, and asked nicely and respectfully, and didn't have THEIR seat reclined, I would most likely straighten it up some if not all the way. Most people are reasonable beings. I also hate to tell you, but you are no lawyer, so quit playing one. their comfort does not trump my comfort.

By: Luther

Luther — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:54 +0000

Love the standard "They put recline in the seats, its my right to use it" arguement. This is true only to the point that it does not harm someone else. If you recline your seat, and it impacts the passenger behind you – you have committed battery. By definition, Battery is "an unlawful touching". You have used your seat to unlawfully touch the passenger behind you. Your "right to recline" does not trump another passengers right to be free of you battery.

By: Captain Art Griego

Captain Art Griego — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:07:16 +0000

Did you suggest group prayer as a possible way to deflate the situation? Sometimes all we need to do is just take a moment and remember why we're here and be thankful to GOD. We need to remember that He has the power to revoke the Miracle of Flight at any moment, and send the plane into a horrific high-g tailspin, only to end up as a pile of twisted and charred wreckage in some back-water state like Illinois. Group prayer would have been a great way to have gone "big picture" all over those Italians. Consider it next time!

GOD bless you-

Captain Art Griego