The camaraderie of economy? How I stopped worrying and learned to love the Y

[Pierre_a]

It's OK, when I stab Recliners in the eye with the plastic spork, it's entirely planned.

I'm sure we've all imagined this but unless you're writing this from a remand center somewhere you don't though do you! We just sit passively tormented by our inner rage imagining a painful medieval vengeance to be wrought on the unwitting recliner. Instead satisfying ourselves with a good tug on the back of their seat when we stand for the toilet.

 

[Denali]

I'm sure we've all imagined this but unless you're writing this from a remand center somewhere you don't though do you! We just sit passively tormented by our inner rage imagining a painful medieval vengeance to be wrought on the unwitting recliner. Instead satisfying ourselves with a good tug on the back of their seat when we stand for the toilet.

SYD-LAX in VA PE and I very strongly told the person in front of me who slammed her seat in full recline during meal service to put her seat back in the upright position NOW.

She moved herself to the bulk head, where 6yrs later I still recall her in her zebra onsie, legs planked high on the wall (before camera phones were a thing).

 

[Forg]

We just sit passively tormented by our inner rage imagining a painful medieval vengeance to be wrought on the unwitting recliner. Instead satisfying ourselves with a good tug on the back of their seat when we stand for the toilet.

I did this by accident on a 717 trip back from Hobart (again before AFF told me that the armrest might be able to be folded down), it wasn't easy to get out without touching the seat in front. Turned out the Recliner was a woman with a nasty little angry bogan for a husband who gave me a big serve in front of the whole 'plane for daring to disturb his darling bint! Man, that was embarrassing, and what was worse is that he was very angry & very red & very unattractive & frankly quite tragically hilarious & I don't think my embarrassed but uncontrollable smirk made the situation any better ...

 

[Pushka]

I did this by accident on a 717 trip back from Hobart (again before AFF told me that the armrest might be able to be folded down), it wasn't easy to get out without touching the seat in front. Turned out the Recliner was a woman with a nasty little angry bogan for a husband who gave me a big serve in front of the whole 'plane for daring to disturb his darling bint! Man, that was embarrassing, and what was worse is that he was very angry & very red & very unattractive & frankly quite tragically hilarious & I don't think my embarrassed but uncontrollable smirk made the situation any better ...

The crowd would have sided with you though and not angry man. No one likes angry on a plane.

 

[SOPOOR]

I'm sure we've all imagined this but unless you're writing this from a remand center somewhere you don't though do you! We just sit passively tormented by our inner rage imagining a painful medieval vengeance to be wrought on the unwitting recliner. Instead satisfying ourselves with a good tug on the back of their seat when we stand for the toilet.

Maybe its my nature, but there is nothing that makes aggravated to a point where i get violent or think about punching someone, maybe except a kid who would recline up and back over and over for fun.

I got quite annoyed when one flight forgot to serve me my prepaid meal, and when i asked for it that had nothing left.

Feel sorry for the parenrs with screaming babies who try their best to calm them

 

[Forg]

Maybe its my nature, but there is nothing that makes aggravated to a point where i get violent or think about punching someone, maybe except a kid who would recline up and back over and over for fun.

It's fun to discuss it, but frankly only a psychopath (or a very angry funny little lobster-man) would actually want to do it if the possibility of it really happening were there!

I mean we all talk about blending children & feeding the resulting smoothie to the pigs, but we mostly wouldn't do it.

 

[Pierre_a]

It's fun to discuss it, but frankly only a psychopath (or a very angry funny little lobster-man) would actually want to do it if the possibility of it really happening were there!

I mean we all talk about blending children & feeding the resulting smoothie to the pigs, but we mostly wouldn't do it.

Indeed! I have to admit that my internal 'furyometer' tends not to enter the red zone whilst flying. Speak to me about bus or train travel and its a different story. Its things that provide an audible imposition that really bother me, playing music on a phone in public etc. Whilst living in London when I had to suffer these things regularly I had a mental bus on which I boarded such miscreants. In my mind I saw the bus driving over the edge of Beachy Head (big cliff in UK) with everyone who had triggered my rage that day falling to an inevitable doom dashed against the rocks below.

I seem to have mellowed since then.

 

[JohnK]

Speak to me about bus or train travel and its a different story. Its things that provide an audible imposition that really bother me, playing music on a phone in public etc.

That also happens on planes.

Had a young lass on the train recently. I could hear her music through her cheap leaking headphones. Awful music that did not interest me in the slightest.

I don't agree in the rush of trying to zone themselves out they inconcenience others.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

^ Reclining in Y to match the Recliner in front of you doesn’t work if you’re normal & can’t sleep half-sitting-up & with your knees wedged into the badk of the seat in fromt of you ...

Yep, I never recline a seat in Y as it hurts my back to sit in such a position for anything more than a few minutes.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Had a young lass on the train recently. I could hear her music through her cheap leaking headphones. Awful music that did not interest me in the slightest.

Be thankful at least it was just leaking music. The latest trend on Adelaide trains is to just hold your phone vaguely near, or sometimes not even close to, your ears while playing music through said phone's speakers

 

[Forg]

I’ve seen passengers on all sorts of public transport (aircraft included) leaking way worse things than music!

It’s worse when they feel the need to have a ‘phone conversation on speaker rather than in normal handset mode ... meaning they have to turn it up LOUD to hear it over background noise & yell into the mic to be heard over background noise. Why do they do it? What’s wrong with them?
Are they just Recliners, and don’t know better?

 

[muppet]

my dad (mid 60s now) was also in the same boat.
Loved Y because of the chatter/banter with his fellow passenger.

Loathed J the first few times I sent him last couple of years. Said the flight felt longer as he had no one to talk to as "everyone is seated so far away" and it was a waste.

Now he is finally coming around to it (after a 4-5 trips) and enjoying it as he is making up for the on board banter in the J lounges lol

It might have felt longer for him, but I bet it went quicker for his potential seat mates that were spared the inane chatter.

I do understand some people are outgoing and like to chat to their seat mate - but why do all those people also completely lack the ability to detect when someone wants to be left alone.

 

[muppet]

It's not so much worked up but some people are uncomfortable in a recline position. It's torture on my lower back so I do everything possible to secure bulkhead/exit row so that I'm not stuck behind a recliner for 9 hours.

P.S. Those newer coaches with the fixed recline are extremely uncomfortable.

Took the redeye MEL to AKL the other night and immediately reclined on seat belt sign tunring off. The lady behind was hitting my chair clearly displeased. It’s a 3hr flight from midnight to 5am local time - go to sleep FFS.

Of course 1.5 hours in (1am origin / 3am distination) Qantas geniuses served some offal as a meal so i had to be upright.

And i understand JohnK. Both upright and reclined were painful for me - but reclined much less pain on my back. I’m only 33 and my poor job selection in my teens and uni (factory work due to good overtime pay) means i now must spend my time at a standing desk.

 

[Forg]

Took the redeye MEL to AKL the other night and immediately reclined on seat belt sign tunring off. The lady behind was hitting my chair clearly displeased.

She probably wasn’t doing it on purpose; had just hoped to watch some TV or read a book, and was still attempting to do so & you felt the result of the contortions etc ‘cos she was all jammed-up against the seat in front.

 

[daft009]

It might have felt longer for him, but I bet it went quicker for his potential seat mates that were spared the inane chatter.

I do understand some people are outgoing and like to chat to their seat mate - but why do all those people also completely lack the ability to detect when someone wants to be left alone.

I used to tell him the same but what do I know

 

[SOPOOR]

It might have felt longer for him, but I bet it went quicker for his potential seat mates that were spared the inane chatter.

I do understand some people are outgoing and like to chat to their seat mate - but why do all those people also completely lack the ability to detect when someone wants to be left alone.

I can be a very chatty fellow especially sincr i deal face to face with customers and am a great listener

But that moment after youve chat with your seat mate and exchanged pleasantries and brief intros is awkward . Espcially puttinf headphones on

 

[dmgale1960]

I have to agree. It's easy to love J, (actually it's far too easy) but the reality of the cost, when you are using your own $$ makes it hard. A recent trip to coughet for two of us cost $2200 in total in discount economy. Business was an eye watering $10,000 for the two of us. Thanks, but I'd rather have a great hotel (and multiple nights of the hotel), memorable experiences and a coughtail or two at my destination than spend that much on a xx hour flight.

 

[Forg]

^ Yeah coughet isn’t so far; I was fine to Singapore in Y (well in concept beforehand & now a year after it, in reality the return flight was overnight & I was feeling pretty stabby by the time I escaped the A333; yet would still book Y again for there or similar). To the UK, though, Y+ was justifiable to me (and given J with CI on A359’s was ~$8k for the two of us at the time, that was close to a no-brainer).

 

[hm520]

‘phone conversation on speaker rather than in normal handset mode

Queue anyone over the age of 60 on a mobile in public

As for Y travel vs J. I COULD afford J (young, no debt, good income that'll grow in the future), and probably would justify it for myself, but I travel with my girlfriend now and at this stage we're setting ourselves up in life (saving for house etc.) so we can only hope for award redemptions or upgrades, which is less likely given 787s are taking over the skies. It also becomes much harder to justify $5-6k for J vs ~$1100 for Y when the remainder of the holiday could be paid for by the difference in the airfair.

I myself not long ago got home from a Y QF24. While this wasn't a particularly arduous flight, I feel the experience can be determined by the CSM and team - cleaning of toilets etc. While I usually belong to the "shake the cough out of the recliners seat as I stand up" club, I was able to take a deep breath and ask them to move the seatback forward a little, given they are 5' at best and I'm 6'.

 

[daft009]

If it wasn't for Points I'd be in Y too!