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Reclining Seats on Planes.

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westv

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Where available on Economy flights, a way to increase comfort on long journeys or an anti social invasion of somebody else's space?
 
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Bletchleyite

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Pointless on short-haul. Useful on long-haul, though it does require everyone to play the game and to recline for sleeping/night time and not to recline for meals.
 

Ash Bridge

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I thought most (Easyjet, Ryanair, Flybe etc.) had fixed on the modern stuff these days?
 

nlogax

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If I want any real reclining room on a long-haul flight I'm happy to pay for the appropriate class either outright or via an upgrade. I feel properly twitchy about fully reclining in economy and tend not to go more than a couple of inches back. Pays to be considerate when you know how it feels to have the tv screen approaching your nose and the seat tray poking you in the chest.
 

Bletchleyite

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If I want any real reclining room on a long-haul flight I'm happy to pay for the appropriate class either outright or via an upgrade. I feel properly twitchy about fully reclining in economy and tend not to go more than a couple of inches back. Pays to be considerate when you know how it feels to have the tv screen approaching your nose and the seat tray poking you in the chest.

Really, when the lights go out everyone should fully recline (but before that nobody should). Nobody then gets reduced space, it's just a different shape. Perhaps it should be more regimented than it is - a "day mode" (blinds open, seats up) and a "night mode" (blinds closed, seats back)? You could possibly designate areas of larger cabins for "permanent night mode" and "permanent day mode" for those people who want to sleep the whole flight / can't sleep on a flight.
 

nlogax

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Really, when the lights go out everyone should fully recline (but before that nobody should). Nobody then gets reduced space, it's just a different shape. Perhaps it should be more regimented than it is - a "day mode" (blinds open, seats up) and a "night mode" (blinds closed, seats back)? You could possibly designate areas of larger cabins for "permanent night mode" and "permanent day mode" for those people who want to sleep the whole flight / can't sleep on a flight.

In an ideal world yes, that should be a thing. JAL have recently started indicating where babies and toddlers are sat on their seatmaps for given flights so there's potentially scope to aim for 'sleep friendly' flights where you could also go for fully reclined cabins. In reality though it'll always be difficult to balance out those needs when your customers have a mishmash of differently-accustomed body clocks via every timezone that exists.
 

cactustwirly

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TUI have reclining seats on some short haul flights.

I think their 737s are fitted with the old reclining seats.

Personally I prefer the non reclining thin seats, as they give you more legroom
 

EssexGonzo

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Shouldn't be allowed in economy. Full stop. Daytime or night. Hurts my knees when the plank in front decides to recline. Virtually never any courtesy such as "watch your laptop/drink" or "call your ortho surgeon I'm about to crush your knees". It's not an irritant for me, it's genuinely painful.
 

packermac

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Shouldn't be allowed in economy. Full stop. Daytime or night. Hurts my knees when the plank in front decides to recline. Virtually never any courtesy such as "watch your laptop/drink" or "call your ortho surgeon I'm about to crush your knees". It's not an irritant for me, it's genuinely painful.
The very purpose of Premium Economy cabins to give people more legroom.
When I started at BOAC in 1970 longhaul economy was 8 abreast at 34 inch pitch when I retired airlines were generally 10 abreast at 30 (or even 29) inch pitch. Used to have about 5 degrees recline as well, although now about 3 degrees I believe if the recline mechanism is not leaking. Of course fares were government controlled and very high.
Spent much of my working life buying aircraft seats and the front end comfort increased even more than the back decreased.
So I guess it is down to what the public want, when I started flying was for the well off (and staff!)
 

westv

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It would be far better it seats could recline in the same way they do on LNER first class.
 

JonathanH

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Shouldn't be allowed in economy. Full stop. Daytime or night. Hurts my knees when the plank in front decides to recline. Virtually never any courtesy such as "watch your laptop/drink" or "call your ortho surgeon I'm about to crush your knees". It's not an irritant for me, it's genuinely painful.

Are you suggesting that economy passengers should not be entitled to sleep on night flights? Some level of recline Is needed to relax for sleep.
 

507 001

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If the seats were actually comfortable to sit in without being reclined then by all means take the feature away.

As it stands, most are far too upright to be anywhere near ‘comfortable’.
 

Tetchytyke

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I pay for a seat which reclines, therefore I will recline it. I won't recline during meals and if a 6'6 person is behind me I'll not be needlessly difficult about it- I'm not a monster- but apart from that I will recline it.

Don't like people reclining seats? Pay for a seat on a row with no reclining seats in front.
 

kilonewton

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You’re on a long haul flight. You know the person in front is going to recline.
It’s not inconsiderate as it’s what the seats are designed to do.
Stop bitching about it and sleep when you arrive.
If travelling for business, the business should pay for seat further forward, or what’s the point of paying for you to travel if you’re not important enough for a more expensive seat.
 

Mojo

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People who recline their seats on daytime short haul flights are selfish and I have nothing else to say about that.

Reclining to get a few hours sleep overnight is totally legitimate.
 

Bletchleyite

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I pay for a seat which reclines, therefore I will recline it. I won't recline during meals and if a 6'6 person is behind me I'll not be needlessly difficult about it- I'm not a monster- but apart from that I will recline it.

As a taller person, all I ask is that the person in front doesn't throw their seat back, but do it slowly and obviously so I can reposition myself accordingly. After all, it's a feature of their seat they have the right to use.

With overnight flights you really have a section where nobody should recline (mealtimes) and where everybody should (sleep time). It only really works if people work together like that, and if they do you don't get any less space, it just changes shape.

For shorthaul, remove the recliners, they're pointless.
 

ScotsRail

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I'm confused, I've never been on a flight where the cabin crew haven't ensured that all of the seats are upright at mealtimes. I'm shocked that some airlines would actually allow recline during meal service.
 

TheAlbanach_

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I'm confused, I've never been on a flight where the cabin crew haven't ensured that all of the seats are upright at mealtimes. I'm shocked that some airlines would actually allow recline during meal service.
Qatar made everyone on the flights I was on to put their seats upright for meals. That was a few years ago though. But before I recline I always check what's going on behind me, as others have said it isn't always nice for the person behind you.
 

Mojo

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I'm confused, I've never been on a flight where the cabin crew haven't ensured that all of the seats are upright at mealtimes. I'm shocked that some airlines would actually allow recline during meal service.
In contrast I’ve never seen the air hostesses do this, ever!
 

Tetchytyke

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For shorthaul, remove the recliners, they're pointless.

Nearly everyone has now, to be fair. And those that haven't only have a tiny amount of recline, BA is about 1.5 degrees IIRC. It's enough to relax and not be bolt upright, but isn't going to annoy anyone else.
 

Bletchleyite

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Nearly everyone has now, to be fair. And those that haven't only have a tiny amount of recline, BA is about 1.5 degrees IIRC. It's enough to relax and not be bolt upright, but isn't going to annoy anyone else.

FWIW I find those airlines who have removed it have set the seats fixed to a sensible angle (like most train seats), whereas those with recliners have to be reclined not to be uncomfortably bolt-upright.
 

Mountain Man

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Where available on Economy flights, a way to increase comfort on long journeys or an anti social invasion of somebody else's space?
Its an issue that will disappear in a few years.

Seat designs are coming in where the seat back doesn't recline, the price of the space loss is paid by the recliner
 

stut

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People who recline their seats on daytime short haul flights are selfish and I have nothing else to say about that.

Reclining to get a few hours sleep overnight is totally legitimate.

[devil's advocate] What about those connecting from a long-haul? There are plenty flights that have more transit than O&D passengers.
 

edwin_m

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[devil's advocate] What about those connecting from a long-haul? There are plenty flights that have more transit than O&D passengers.
Surely the relevant factor here is the time on the flight in question? If it's an hour or two then you'd be lucky to get any sleep at all whether connecting to/from another flight or not.
 

Mountain Man

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Surely the relevant factor here is the time on the flight in question? If it's an hour or two then you'd be lucky to get any sleep at all whether connecting to/from another flight or not.
An hours nap helps a lot of people.
 
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