Expat Zone 
Cars and Transport The Right to Recline?
Cars and Transport The Right to Recline?
Saturday, 07 January 2006 18:18
People who recline their seats on flights are a bit like middle lane drivers on the motorway – no one you talk to admits to doing it – but when you are on a flight the person in front of you always does.
The last thing most of us want is to fall out with our fellow passengers, but what can be done? Here are some ways people employ to get the message across.
The first is to try diplomacy.
Politely ask the person in front to please put their seat back up. Sounds easy but be prepared, this is often met with various excuses ranging from the medical – ‘I’ve got a bad back, leg or something else’ (in a whiney voice of course), to a straightforward, but unhelpful 'NO' that's if you get a response at all!
Then there’s the physical methods.
Getting up and down lots of times and grabbing the head rest of the seat in front can be satisfying (especially if you catch a hand full of their hair! whoops!) but go careful - it could be seen as asking for a fight.
Perhaps try coughing or sneezing on the head of the person who reclines into your face at meal time. Not very gentile, but with the paranoia of Bird Flu, SARS etc you may be lucky and see the seat go back up.
Putting an apple, orange or big water bottle in the seat pocket will dig uncomfortably into their back. You may find they now want to talk to you, to ask you to remove it. You can then try negotiation – ‘well if you move your seat to the upright position I’ll have room to put it somewhere else’.
How about inflicting them with a stiff neck? Aim your air vent at the back of their head. Not comfortable for them and again might do the trick.
Prevention rather than cure?
Pull your table down and jam an airline pillow or jumper into the arms supporting the table between the seat back. This should stop the seat going back.
Invented by an American who was fed up with people reclining on him is a device like the ‘Knee Defender’ which does it all for you. It’s a pair of small plastic blocks which fit onto the arms of the table and stops the seat in fron reclining. Its neat and cheap and not liked by airlines - every reason to buy one then!
Enjoy your next flight and we hope you have plenty of leg room! By the way we don't accept any responsibility for air rage incidents resulting from our advice, and if you have any neat ideas for solving this dilemma - please send them in to us here at FethiyeTimes.com.
Happy flying!
Related Articles
Expat Zone Menu
Property Insurance
Private Ads
Fethiye, news, views, holidays, hotels, beach, blue cruise, expat, property, villa, retirement, apartment, Oludeniz, Ovacik, Hisaronu, Dalaman airport, charter flights, cheap flights
Explore
Local Weather
46°
8°
°F | °C
Mostly Cloudy
Humidity: 87%
Wed
45 |
59
7 |
15
Thu
41 |
52
5 |
11
Fri
39 |
55
3 |
12
Sat
45 |
57
7 |
13
Facebook Stuff
Exchange Rate
Dalaman Flight Info
