Cat Fight over Reclining Seat

December 11, 2011

in Seat Stories

This isn’t really a flight from hell per se, but led to an amusing incident.

It stated when my wife and I recently returned from a trip to Europe on a US Airways flight from Rome – Charlotte, NC. It was a crowded flight, with few or no free seats. We get there, find a younger lady in my wife’s window seat. I like the aisle for easy restroom access, my wife likes the window seat for comfort and viewing. So we’re pretty good flying companions.

Anyway, this woman is tall, but not super tall. Maybe 6 feet. She was slightly irritated with having to move, my wife could tell. Me: clueless. But I did catch the next part. She says to my wife: “Hon, I’m REALLY tall so could you let me know if you’re gonna put your seat back?” Sez me little wifey: “Sure, no problem!” So after half an hour or so after we get settled, my wife turns around and says “I’m going to go ahead and put my seat back just to let you know.” The woman says “WHATEVER!…grumble grumble” all pissed-off like.

So my wife just decides right there that it’s ON, and she’s gonna spend the maximum time with her seat back as far as it will go. Not only that, she’s not going to tell this woman shit, just does it – forcefully – whenever she feels like it. The tall woman and her seat partner, an older woman, give us the fish-eye the whole time, make rude comments, “accidentally” bump our seats etc. They had the FA ask me to raise my seat back during meal times. OK no problem… but why is it only a problem with MY seat back and everybody else on the plane puts their chairs where they want? Even when we steal a kiss, those biznatches found it necessary to comment. But mostly I am clueless; my wife picks up on all this hostility.

Finally we land, and this woman is still going on and on about how the seats go back too far, and how can people be allowed to put them back so far, etc. etc. Wrong thing to say… finally my wife has had enough. She says “You know, if you’re not comfortable you can go first class. For 10 hours I’ve heard you complain and I’ve heard enough from you.” The tall one weakly replies something about people being inconsiderate. My wifey then says “Oh yeah, you’re real considerate bumping our seats and talking behind us like you did. I paid for my seat just like you! Don’t complain to me, complain to the airline!” Me and the rest of the folks are being entertained by the scene; I say nothing except to point out that I’m over 6 feet tall and I don’t expect special treatment from those in front of me. So it continued to escalate with my wife doing most of the talking and not-quite-yelling until the woman starts laughing nervously and my wife calling her a crazy bitch as we started to exit the aircraft.

Part of this might have been racial hostility or stereotyping; my wifey is Chinese and mostly pretty quiet, in public anyway! Maybe the woman thought she could punk her and my wife wouldn’t defend herself. How wrong she was! It was interesting that none of the FAs arrived on the scene to try to defuse the situation. Maybe they were just busy, or maybe like the rest of the passengers they were enjoying the cat fight! Just one more reason I love my little wifey! She’s a tough little bitch!

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

westside November 29, 1999 at 7:00 pm

ii like the fact that she stood up for her self 🙂

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Amanda July 21, 2012 at 8:21 pm

Amen

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Ron December 14, 2011 at 9:30 am

Gotta tell you–I would never think of calling my wife a b, tough or otherwise. It just would never occur to me.

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David A December 15, 2011 at 4:18 pm

My wife's nickname in college was 'bitch', and I'm very proud of & love her muchly. Some men just love the b-women. 🙂

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airline employee January 7, 2012 at 1:27 am

That would make you (and those other men who love b-women) do nothing, say nothing wimps who let their wives or girlfriends do all the aggressive talking and bossy behavior. Very unflattering to you and her. Oh well, if you like to be walked all over and used….

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Amanda July 21, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Are you sure muchly is a word? Just wondering

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mariana-q December 23, 2011 at 2:52 pm

Was it a nighttime flight? Was your wife trying to sleep? If not, why would she put her seat back at all? If she a midget like you say she is, again, why would she need to put the seat back?

People who recline their seats on daytime flights are sociopaths. If you recline your seat and infringe my (already limited) space, don't blame me if I need to shift around every 2-3 minutes to get comfortable, and if in doing so I accidentally bump your seat… hard. It's my right! I paid for my seat! Blah blah blah!

What a pair of wankers. My sympathy is with the tall woman.

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Elaine Ignots March 17, 2012 at 9:05 am

So I guess cuz I like to take naps during the day, especially on planes when I can’t stay awake, I’m a sociopath mariana-q? What the F?? It doesn’t matter if you’re short, it’s still more comfortable putting your seat back. What a wanker you are!

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@LROD319 November 8, 2012 at 2:26 pm

Amen! So what if it's a daytime flight?! What about the people who've come half way around the world and have been either in the air or sitting in an airport with no sleep for almost a day. FU buttmunch. I'm short and my seat is going back if I decide to sleep.

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Leigh December 26, 2011 at 6:36 pm

Marianna, you types are funny and pathetic. It’s your right to kick seat backs, etc, cuz you paid for the seat. We’ll so did the people in front of you, or the couple in this case, so it’s their right to use the seat, inclusing recline if they so wish. And the use of the word “sociopath” is so exaggerated that you look like a self-centered and immature person.

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mariana-q December 27, 2011 at 6:05 pm

Were you dropped on your head as an infant? Read some more of the comments around here. "It's my right" and "I paid for my seat" are the most common justifications self-indulgent egoists use for their pathologically antisocial behaviour (like reclining seats on short daytime flights, failing to control unruly children, hogging armrests, etc). I was simply borrowing their discourse to make a point. If it's THEIR right to make me uncomfortable by shoving their seat back into my space, it's MY right to make them uncomfortable by kicking it. Repeatedly.

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Hemi December 27, 2011 at 4:26 pm

Calling your wife a "tough little bitch" is insulting, not endearing. It's hard to believe in this day and age that your wife and another woman could have a screaming match on an airplane and the FA's would totally ignore it.

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Peter January 23, 2012 at 7:05 am

I think I never reclined a seat in my life. I am way over 6 feet and if someone does that to me I politely explain the situation and ask them nicely if they can refrain from doing it as it is really no room. Never experienced any problem with this. This is of course dependent on the room available, if there is room I will not comment, but usually they cant get the seat back because I am in the way with my long legs.

I usually pick airlines where I can order an emergency exit seat to avoid this issue. But I must say that in this story I hear TWO parties of assholes. Both the tall woman and you and your wife. Why did you need to antagonize them (tall lady) if you did not need the reclining? Why did they not confront you in a grown up way, but instead muttered under their breath.

Act as you are adults FFS and stop behaving like the little asshole kids you are portraying yourself as.

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Judy Gwynn-Williams July 29, 2012 at 5:56 pm

and you are wondering why people don't get along? fighting not just locally, but within/between Countries, ie wars. Maybe scientists could find a way to cool down hotheads!

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Hack August 28, 2012 at 4:46 pm

The OP is obviously a dickhead. But, that’s no surprise.

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Dr. Sex Potato February 11, 2013 at 12:34 am

You're all terrible.

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