Around the Water Cooler panelists answered the following: Should airline passengers have the right to recline their seats even if it causes discomfort for the people seated behind them?
Bill Mifsud: “Yes. If there is a recliner mechanism then you have the right to recline as far as it goes. If this is a problem then the airlines should install a gadget for customers to recline to a point where both parties are happy.”
Richard Herrera: “Yes but I hope people will ask if other passengers don’t mind. If the airlines gave us enough legroom we wouldn’t have this discussion.”
Marty Richman: “No, try to get along with your fellow sardines during your turn in the sardine can. The real culprit is the FAA and their fake evacuation drills who would have you thrown off the flight for putting your lunch sack on the floor, but refuses to require a decent space between seat rows. Personally, I always opt for an outside seat on the wing; it’s windy and noisy, but there is plenty of legroom.”
Nants Foley: “Airplanes are uncomfortable. Reclining a seat won’t change that. Nor will it make the person behind you more uncomfortable…they are already as miserable as they can be. As long as the seats recline, some people will put them back. If you want to be comfortable, buy a first-class ticket. Otherwise be kind, polite and quit whining.”
Jim West: “Airline seats are too close together to allow one passenger to encroach on another’s space. Like your mother always said: ‘sit up straight, it’s good for your posture.’”
Mary Zanger: “No. This issue is about space. Passengers have the right to their own seat and legroom, which is their own space. They do not have the right to impinge on another’s space and legroom by reclining their seat. This same obligation goes for the passenger in front of them. It’s like “cutting in line” or “tail-gating”. Just because we can do something does not mean that we have the right to do it. To violate another’s space causes problems. A more grievous example would be to violate a geographical boundary or space and bomb a country with drones.”
Richard Place: “This appears to be a problem of poor seating design and bad manners. Fly a different airline with better seating.”
Ruth Erickson: “Airline passengers deserve to have seats giving comfort and safety, especially for long-distance flights. When passengers are trapped in non-aisle seats behind recliners, just trying to climb out of their seat for a restroom or leg-stretching necessity can be almost impossible, annoying, frustrating and dangerous for that passenger and for those that they have a great difficulty climbing over to get to the aisle. The FAA should regulate seat safety to change airlines trying to cram more and more passengers into aircraft to earn more income with little concern for their customers!”
