Space invasion

Air traveler hassled after reclining seat

I travel regularly for both work and leisure.  I can sleep anywhere and like to use plane time to catch up on my sleep.  Often when I recline my seat back to take a snooze, the person behind me objects with everything from a loud groan to a firm push on my seatback to an outright request that I not recline because he or she doesn’t have enough leg room or tray table room for their laptop.  I often give in, but then am annoyed.  I’m just not sure how to handle this situation with fairness and civility.  Any thoughts?  -- Marcie in Owings Mills, MD

NuKazoo readers shared their experiences:

This scenario has happened to me more than once.  I've learned I'd rather be subjected to a harumph from a person behind me than be uncomfortable.  The seats wouldn't be made to recline if you weren't supposed to recline them.

-- Beth in River Forest, IL

You're kidding yourself if you think reclining is worth a fight.  Those seats go back barely enough to even call it reclining.  Give it up if someone objects.  You'll earn more courtesy points with a sincere "oh, I'm sorry; let me pull up my seat" than you will pressing the reclining button.  Ticking off the person, from what I've seen, has resulted in retaliation such as seatback pushing/kicking, loudness, obnoxious remarks and the like.  You have to consider the source sometimes and rise above.

-- Sondra in Pelham, NY

I once saw quite a catfight over this one time.  The "back" passenger was extremely large and the "front" passenger was extremely loud.  The back passenger argued she couldn't use her laptop if the front seat was reclined.  The front passenger argued that was not her problem.  Ultimately all the surrounding passengers, myself included, were disturbed by the loud arguing and name-calling (I'm not kidding!) and the flight attendant had to sort it out.  C'mon!  Do you want to embarrass yourself trying to prove you're right?!  Not me.

-- Gayle, Williston, FL

There is no right or wrong here.  Like it or not, airplanes are crowded and uncomfortable.  I've changed seats due to unpleasant seat neighbors and feel no guilt about it, but I've come to realize that while it is an improvement, it's almost never a correction.   The plane is still crowded and uncomfortable.  Lower your comfort expectations.

 -- Ed in Carmel, IN 

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