In the world of air travel, passengers are often divided into two camps: those who recline their seats and those who get annoyed when the person in front leans back.
The tight spaces of economy class on long-haul flights can make for an unpleasant environment, prompting some passengers to recline their seats in search of additional comfort, particularly when trying to sleep. This action, however, can be to the detriment of the person sitting behind, who finds themselves even more cramped.
The debate over whether it’s justifiable to be annoyed by a reclined seat and what measures can be taken has been hotly contested. However, one flight attendant, who spent more than eight years in the skies, took to TikTok to offer her perspective on this contentious issue.
She’s well-versed in resolving conflicts between passengers over the right to recline, confessing that she’s had to “split up grown adults” caught in such disputes. “For some reason, I don’t know why, this is such an issue on flights,” she remarked in her video.
Taking a clear position, she sympathises with those who choose to recline, sharing her response to those who complain: “If the seat function has a seat recline, they are allowed to recline it.”
But she agrees that there is an unspoken rule of ‘common courtesy’ to keep seats upright during meal times to allow other passengers to comfortably use their tray tables. She acknowledges it’s entirely reasonable to ask someone to adjust their seat while eating.
“A lot of people ask me, ‘do you mind asking that person to put their seat up while we eat’, that’s just polite. But at any other time in the flight, that’s not the meal service, recline away,” she added: “I think it’s really unfair, and really unnecessary to ask someone not to recline their seat for a 14 hour flight. Even a seven hour flight, if that seat reclines, you can recline it.”
The online community is divided over the inflight issue. One individual said: “The problem is the plane design! Created to cram as many people in for profit now over passenger comfort. Reclining on some planes now, means you can’t see you screen properly and/or legs crushed!”
In another video, travel vlogger Jessica Jayne offered a blunt take, stating: “You should not be allowed to recline your seat on a plane!”
Demonstrating her limited leg space, Jessica complained: “the legroom was non existent as it was. My knees were literally crushed against the seat.
“And then the person in front reclined their seat and my knees were immediately crushed. And before you all say why don’t you just recline your seat. Well, I’m not gonna be the one to crush the person’s legs behind me.”
Jessica attempted to politelty request that the woman in front to adjust her seat slightly, trying to catch her attention. She added: “I was just gonna ask if she’d mind sitting up a bit, but she just ignored me. I don’t know if she didn’t speak English.”
The TikToker made her stance on the issue of seat reclining quite clear: “I genuinely think the only acceptable time to recline your seat is if you’re doing a long haul flight overnight and you’re actually sleeping, but for shorter flights there’s really no need.”
One thing’s for certain, people aren’t going to agree on the issue any time soon!