Are you a seat recliner ?

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I try not to unless it is like an over night flight and most people are asleep and also have their seats reclined... For day time, I don't want someone doing it back into me so try to not be a hypocrite and do it to others... On a 3 hour flight or so, frankly i think its an unnecessary joke, but i know opinions vary on this forum... Probably wouldn't get into a brawl over it, but would probably find other ways of making my displeasure known...

Maybe a topic not bring up too often... :)
 
Only if my reclining doesn't impact others - i.e. generally only if in a hard shell seat.
 
My preference is to recline slightly. About half way for an average Y seat during a daytime flight. I won't do it though if I think it will inconvenience the person behind. Always upright at meal times and all bets are off on an overnight flight.
 
Rarely, but sometimes my back really starts hurting and just a little bit of recline makes it so much better. I prefer not to recline in general, as it tends to result in back pain anyway - so usually I will just go to the back of the aircraft and stand for however long it takes.
 
On a 3 hour flight or so, frankly i think its an unnecessary joke, but i know opinions vary on this forum... Probably wouldn't get into a brawl over it, but would probably find other ways of making my displeasure known...

You can't judge it based on flight time. You might just be joining the flight after a nice nights sleep but the person in front of you might have been flying in Y for the last 20 hours or may have just come straight off a night shift at work.
 
Never recline on a domestic flight less than 3 hours duration. Anything goes over three hours though I will usually ask person behind if they mind first. Either way Y seating is uncomfortable!
 
I am not a full recline back person.

I only go back a little bit and it makes it a lot more comfortable for me.
 
Flights less than two hours, no.
And if it's more than two hours, but less than five, I do, but I will ask the person behind me if they mind. Haven't had anyone say that they do mind yet. Not sure what I would do if they did.
Anything over 5 hours and I will recline after the meal service and I am sure that the person behind me has had their food tray etc taken away.
If you are tall (or tallish like me), sometimes you have no option when the person in front of you reclines, especially in Y.
 
I rarely recline during a daytime flight. I don't feel the need.
My (seemingly unpopular) view on this, however, is that the space into which a chair reclines does not belong to the person behind, but to the person in front -- i.e. everyone is entitled to recline, though they should exercise consideration and avoid doing so during meals or if the person behind is over 6' tall.

Yes, I'd prefer to keep the space in front of me if I am trying to work, but I don't feel this preference is more important than the preferences of whoever is in front of me. If necessary, I can make up for lost space by reclining my own chair.
 
Upon viewing this thread again it has reminded me of the many times the person in front has reclined their seat as soon as the seatbelt sign is off. At midday. On a 90 minute flight.

Also, I hate it when I get that seat that reclines on its own!!
 
Only yes if longer than 2-3 hours and if meal service finished, and if vacant seat behind me (or if the person behind is OK with it)...
 
I decline to recline when < 3 hours and daytime of any duration. Chap in row 3 DJ Melb-Syd recently reclined as soon as the cabin crew took their seats AND placed his manky feet on the bulkhead. Most people on the east-coast shuttle don't recline, but on those occassions I've had to fly in the 'leisure' hours I've employed the odd-knee or constant fidgeting with the magazine pocket. Or pulling yourself up using the seatback. One must always remember to remove one's iPad from the seat pocket before kneeing it though!
 
To be honest, I don't find it necessary to recline or short flights, and even longer flights unless trying to sleep I really don't find reclining offers any more comfort. I have learnt to cope with recliners, usually by reclining myself to give me extra space, especially if working on laptop. Pet peeves are:
- Those who recline with force and very quickly. Had a few close calls with the laptop when this happens. Most seats can and do move back with very little force, and can be moved back fairly slowly??
- Those who insist on remaining reclined during meal service, but are eating themselves
- The daggers from the people behind you when you recline because the person in front of you has reclined and almost crushed your laptop.

On long haul, I do like the seats that both recline (a little) and move forward (a little) - a good compromise between seats that only recline and seats that only move forward (ie CX shell seats).
 
Bear in mind that some people have back issues or other physical ailments that make it very uncomfortable to sit up straight for more than an hour. You can't know, so don't give people a hard time if they recline.
 
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If you are tall (or tallish like me), sometimes you have no option when the person in front of you reclines, especially in Y.

The one time my reclining has annoyed the person behind me, but I was not going to un-recline. It was LAX-SYD flight, the person at the front reclined, and it had a concertina effect. If I didn't recline I would have pretty much at the person in front of me lying on my lap, and no way of seeing the screen in front.
 
The one time my reclining has annoyed the person behind me, but I was not going to un-recline. It was LAX-SYD flight, the person at the front reclined, and it had a concertina effect. If I didn't recline I would have pretty much at the person in front of me lying on my lap, and no way of seeing the screen in front.

That is a very good point. Pretty much the only time I recline is the same as harvyk. If the person in front parks their seat in your lap, you really have no choice. These days I aim for exit rows or bulkheads if I'm in Y so problem avoided rather than solved.
 
On a long haul flight with my mother to Europe last year and the young gentleman in the exit row in front of her decided to recline fully back (Once when she was eating). My mother the previous year had colon cancer surgery the year before, so she was sore from the scarring from the surgery (She had a few because of the surgeon stuffing up). Well she got quite upset because when the tray was out it would hit her in the spots where her scars were. FA's got involved and it didn't help the WP's next to the guy got involved in. Also because of her mobility issues, when someone reclines back it made it harder for her to get out of her seat and also was quite claustrophobic.

I am a solidly built 6'1' guy and I hardly ever recline as it really doesn't add anything for me in terms of comfort. My back has started playing up recently, but even with reclining it does not help it at all. In terms of sleeping, the recline position does not aid in me sleeping and I actually prefer the upright position (even in long haul).

As harvyk said, once the person in front of you reclines on long haul it has a knock on effect. If my back play up, I go for a walk and stretch. Getting exit rows and bulkhead seats help, but if you have a elderly mother you can't get the exit row because of their age and condition and getting Y+ or J is not an option, when they are on a tight budget.

 
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