Good manners these days include putting your seat back to the upright position for meals, but apart from that, we’re pretty much set in that tilt for the duration of the flight, right?
Well, apparently this caused outrage in the US with one business traveller posting a rant on LinkedIn decrying the blasted recliner, calling it an “abomination” and wanting it gone from flights.
He laments the fact that, should you speak up to the offending recliner in front, he will resent you for being coerced to forfeit his comfort for yours. Besides, he might say “no.”
To add to fuel to the argument, flight-search website, Skyscanner posted results saying that 9 in 10 air passengers would prefer to see the reclining seat banned. It appears that of all the aggravations that arise mid-flight, the most common cause of anger was the moment the seat in front touched onto your knees (even as a 5ft-nothing girl, I too get annoyed – but that’s maybe because I have an anger management problem – a story for another time).
Skyscanner reports that the majority of passengers polled would rather never recline their seats than have their leg and table space compromised and that most international cabin crew members had witnessed a dispute over reclining seats between passengers.
One of the most incredible findings of the Skyscanner report suggested that individuals had either a “selfish ego” or an “altruistic soul.” Of the selfish egos, it was reported that 70% would still recline their seats if a pregnant woman was behind him, and 80% would still recline if in front of an elderly or frail individual.
However, another poll suggested that the issue was not quite so clear, with nearly half (49.61%) of the more than 2,000 respondents said they would put a stop to reclining seats on all flights, others suggested the ban should be based on flight lengths, while 15% of those polled dismissed the call for a ban outright.
This article has been adapted and appeared on Corporate Traveller.