Thursday, July 3, 2014

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Reclining Airline Passengers

I recently flew on an airplane.

Luckily I didn't experience any rude passengers during that flight.

But I have in the past.

One of my pet peeves?

When the person in front of you reclines their seat all the way back so their head is practically in your lap.

I feel like they should buy me a drink, at least, before they do this.

And WHY do they do this? Don't they realize that it makes it difficult to move? A little recline, I get. But the WHOLE recline?!

I never recline my seat. I suppose I'm too polite.

I always seem to be behind someone who feels the need to recline their seat and I'm like:



I feel like I should be on a first name basis with someone who is in my lap. 

I still shift around like usual if someone reclines on me. This means they probably feel the bumps as I move to reach for reading material and my drink, which is now basically one inch from my crotch since my tray is down. I might even go, "Well, this is rude," a couple of times. Because it IS. 

So please. If you feel the urge to recline, don't do it all the way. I get that you probably paid an obscene amount for your ticket and you feel like this entitles you to recline as much as you'd like. But don't punish the person behind you. 

Because the person behind you will probably be me. 


28 comments:

  1. Okay, I have to admit....when I was pregnant, I WAS this person! Luckily, the flight attendant let the person behind me have one of the other empty seat so I could recline! She also gave me an extra cookie- BEST ATTENDANT EVER!!!!
    -Marley
    http://www.afandlove.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have the exact same pet peeve and it ALWAYS happens to me! Seriously, who thinks its ok to put their chair back just after the food has been brought out or just after?! And then the tv is slammed into your face. Gahhhhh

    www.bohemianmuses.blogspot.com



    ReplyDelete
  3. I have never had this happen to me, but if I did I would be tempted to use there head as a coaster to set my drink on!

    ReplyDelete
  4. all of the planes that i've been on the seats don't recline that much (thank god). but one of the worst things are bratty freaking kids and the parents who just ignore them and everyone else has to suffer. i have legit told a kid to "stop kicking my damn seat" and gave him a really scary look because he was annoying me and his mom didn't do shit about it. i was ready to cuss her out if she even said one thing to me but she smacked him and told him to stop.


    -kathy
    Vodka and Soda

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never recline either. I think I wouldn't want someone to lay in my lap so I'm not going to lay in someone else's. The space on there is already tight enough...why in the world make it tighter?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This really is so, so irritating. I only fly once a year but even that is too often to have a stranger's head in your lap.

    While we're on the subject of irritating airplane passengers, how about the men who sit next to you and then have to spread their knees as wide as possible, invading your leg space. Why? Why is this necessary? Is their crotch swollen? It's rude and disgusting to have to keep edging away from a stranger's knee that keeps pressing into your own. Ick!

    Thanks for providing a forum for this vent.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hardly ever recline my seat either. I know how annoying it is to have someone's head on me, so I wouldn't do it to someone else! flying is annoying in general!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had this problem as well during my honeymoon trip. I had the same thoughts "is it that I'm just too respectful?". I ended up bumping them with my knee and they go the picture though. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Been there before. Know the feeling all too well.

    But I've dealt with a lot worse. People can be so rude in the oddest ways.

    Sometimes, it's a relief if that's ALL they do is recline.

    =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Totally sucks, I cant stand when people do that. I definitely get passive aggressive from time to time...oops

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mostly when I fly it's long-haul flights and there seems to be a sort of unspoken agreement about when "night" is when you're flying across the world--nearly everyone reclines their seat and they turn off most of the lights in the cabin, so in those cases it makes sense to recline your seat. But on a daytime flight that's a little weird...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well luckily I don't fly often, and I have never experienced Mr. Reclines A Lot. I always get... Mr. Overflows into my Seat. The seats are already small, and I want all of my property. He sure didn't help to pay my ticket...

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've never been on a plane but omg that would drive me insane and I would go off LOL

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ellen Degeneres wrote about this in one of her books and was joking about how she wanted to give the person a teeth cleaning, like she was their dentist. I still laugh about that. I was on a bus a few weeks ago and the person in front of me reclined just enough that I couldn't use my laptop. DRRRR....

    Found a video of Ellen talking about flying on planes. Not sure if she mentions the above thing here:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3KvWVU-WgU

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't mind when people recline, the seats on my flights never seem to go back that far.

    I'm much more annoyed by people who are loud or pushy or kicking/hitting seats with no regard for others around them.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I flew 4 times in my life and on three flights I had someone's head wind up in my lap - one of those times I was also 6 months pregnant. The only time this didn't happen was when my husband was sitting in the row in front because they couldn't find 4 seats for all of us in the same row.

    However, what was worse, when we were flying to Croatia, a couple approached me and asked if I wouldn't mind my kid sitting one seat away from me so he and his girlfriend can sit together. I told them no way this is happening. He then proceeded to complain to his girlfriend how I am a stuck up bit** - IN CROATIAN! You should have seen the look on his face when I cussed him out in the same language! Priceless.

    ReplyDelete
  17. That is very rude. I think people in general have lost the polite bones.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That is very rude. I think people in general have lost the polite bones.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I just let my kids sit behind them and pretend not to notice when they kick the seats!! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  20. NO, the world revolves around them so completely. On my last flight home I was SO ANNOYED this guy reclined ALL THE WAY, as far as it would go and it was not pleasant. So I shoved my packpack under his seat, the highest point which would push on his butt (first irritant for him I hope) and then I planted my knee in the back of his seat and just pushed until I got comfortable (irritant number 2) and I stayed there while I read my book. It was quite comfy.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm the same way - I never recline because I think it is rude for the people behind. And, I usually end up in the middle between 2 people who both want me to put the arm rest up so they can spill over into my seat - I don't because I figure I paid for my tiny space and intend to use it!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Since I've been flying with my daughter as infant in arms (on my lap) a lot recently this really annoys me too. My flight to and from Florida is short, and I try SO hard not to be "that parent"... But if someone feels the need to recline alllll the way, I don't stop my daughter if she starts kicking their seat :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love so much when there's no one behind me so I can recline it like the best of them!
    Otherwise, no go.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The urge to kick in this situation is INTENSE!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I am totally with you about the lap reclining passengers. But, the one that really bugs me on the plane, is the parent who seems oblivious to what their kid is doing in that sit in front of me. They recline back and stare at me....all I want to do is enjoy the flight in peace in quiet. Because my kids are home. This is my time. :) most parents seem to have a plan but, there is always one that doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Couldn't agree more! I would be tempted to 'accidentally' bump the seat a few hundred times until they stopped!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm like you...this bugs me too. I never recline my seat unless there is no one behind me because I hate when people recline theirs when I'm in back of them! It does feel intrusive!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Like you, I don't recline on planes. I feel people in front of me who do recline are in my personal space...can't stand it!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the comment!

Share This

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...