Etiquette experts say you should recline your seat on a flight only in these circumstances
Etiquette experts say you should recline your seat on a flight only in these circumstances
- Long-haul flights can be particularly painful when you’re sitting upright
- But… etiquette experts do not recommend reclining your chair all the way
One day you’ll be able to afford to fly first class, you tell yourself, thinking of those smug passengers sitting in their bunks as you push back your seat.
But not that fast. You’re committing the ultimate sin, according to etiquette experts who claim that leaning back from your plane seat is the height of bad manners.
Now that spacious legroom is a thing of the past, economy class is no longer suitable for selfish armchairs, the experts say.
Etiquette enthusiast Diane Gottsman said, “Unless you’re in a seat with extra legroom, or in first class, it would be inconsiderate to recline your seat.”
Leaning your seats back on economy flights can be a bad idea; experts consider it inconsiderate and potentially harmful to the person sitting behind you
Nick Leighton, an etiquette expert and podcast presenter, told the US today: “You should never sit back when a passenger behind you is working on their laptop.
“No one likes their laptop broken in half,” said Leighton.
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Do you recline your seat on an airplane?
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A passenger shared her experience of this happening while on a flight, writes travel writer Tarah Chieffi The points man: ‘I didn’t know this was physically possible.’
Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, another etiquette expert said, “Avoid sitting back when the majority of passengers are enjoying a snack or meal.”
Suddenly reclining your seat when a passenger is eating or drinking can lead to spilled food or drink – or an even worse result if it’s a hot drink.
To avoid disaster, the experts recommended first asking the person if you can, or at least checking what they’re doing.
Consumer advocate and journalist Christopher Elliot said you should never recline your seat if the passenger behind you is tall, injured or disabled.
“I was on crutches after a skiing accident broke my pelvis and used up every inch of personal space,” he said.
He warned that reclining the seat back could cause the vulnerable passenger to be carried off the plane on a stretcher.
Etiquette experts say passengers should never recline their seat when the person behind you is eating or drinking as this could lead to an accident
Elliot said it’s also unacceptable to recline your seat when there are kids behind you because kids could get their fingers caught between the seats and get hurt.
He said there are only a few circumstances where you can recline your seat, such as on a red-eye flight or if you have certain conditions, such as a bad back.
Elliot shared tips on how to deal with someone sitting back in your personal space.
He suggested moving to another seat if one is available, or try to get someone to switch seats with you.
It’s also a good idea to ask the person in front of you to lift their chair, as many are willing to compromise.
If that doesn’t work, he suggested calling a flight attendant for help who might be better off negotiating with them.