Sitting in a tin can with less and less room with each new type of plane means that personal space is a precious commodity. Reclining seats “behind the curtain” of first and business class add a whole new level of encroaching on others.
After hundreds of hours of observation over the years, we’ve been able to categorize not only the various types of flyers who recline their seats, but also those behind them.
TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO RECLINE
The ones who feel too guilty to recline
If they think their reclining will be an inconvenience for the person behind them, they just won’t recline. It seems to be a little codependent on the surface, but more often than not, they’re just trying to be nice.
Apologizers
Before they recline, Apologizers may strike up a conversation with the person behind them and apologize for reclining. Maybe their back hurts. Maybe they need to recline in order to sleep. Whatever the case, they mean well.
Minimizers
Minimizers try their best. They may recline, for example, while sleeping, but as soon as they’re awake, they pop back up into a non-reclined position. Like Apologizers, they’re doing the best they can and it’s kind of hard to fault them.
Sneaks
These people sslloowwllyy recline, hoping that the person behind them won’t notice (but of course they do).
When confronted about reclining, Sneaks may play dumb (“Oh, was it reclined? I hadn’t noticed”), after which they may return their seat to an upright position (and then they’ll start sneaking all over again, or they might just leave it where it is).
Rambos
Rambos are the ones who recline the second they’re allowed (and sometimes before – until the flight attendant catches them reclining too early) and stay there for the duration of the flight. If you say something to them, Rambos may snarl something about it being a free country, it’s their right to recline, or “Don’t you know who I am?” (OMG I’ll never forget THAT story, LOL!).
Yeah, Rambos are self-centered A-holes.
THOSE WHO BECOME, IF YOU WILL, “RECLINEES”
If those who recline are “recliners,” then those who are being reclined upon must be “reclinees,” right?
The ones who grin and bear it
Not a plane reference but the same gist. From Braffination/Reddit: ““Heading home on the Q train yesterday when this young black guy nods off on the shoulder of a Jewish man. The man doesn’t move a muscle, just lets him stay there. After a minute, I asked the man if he wanted me to wake the kid up, but he shook his head and responded, ‘He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We’ve all been there, right?’”
These people who have someone reclining into their space are sort of like the Guilty recliners above – at first glance they might seem too meek to say anything but dig a little deeper and you may find a kindhearted person who truly doesn’t mind.
Complainers
Complainers gonna complain. It could be to their seatmate (whether they know him/her or not), it could be under their breath, or they may go the aggressive route and they might say something to the recliner him/herself.
Tattletales
Tattletales tell the flight attendant. Unfortunately, that rarely turns out well for the tattletale. Case in point.
Oh, yeah?
People with the “Oh, Yeah?” persona are the ones looking for revenge. “You’re gonna put that seat practically in my lap? Well fine, I’m going to kick your seat. Or pull on it when I get up to go to the restroom every 30 minutes. Or do something else that I hope ticks you off because you dared to encroach on my personal space.” “Oh yeah?” people are the ones with the tendency towards passive-aggressiveness.
There are some people you hope are not paired together. Having a Too Guilty To Recline or a Grin And Bear It will be fine with just about anyone. Sneaks, Complainers and Tattletales all run their own risks, depending on who they’re sitting in front of or behind. But if you have a Rambo sitting in front of an Oh, Yeah? Well, that could eventually come to fisticuffs and make it into local headlines. And then we’ll write a post about it 😉
As for me, as a recliner, I either don’t recline, or I’ll be a minimalist. As a reclinee, I’ll generally grin and bear it.
OK, time to fess up – what kind of recliner and/or reclinee are you?
*** Feature photo (cropped): TravelingOtter/flickr
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11 comments
As someone who’s 6’5″, broad shouldered, and closer to 300 than I’d like (feel free to blame the last on me), I don’t recline. It’s mostly out of empathy, since normally my knees are already hitting the seat in front of me anyway and I wouldn’t wish that on someone else. Unfortunately, the people in front of me don’t normally feel the same, which frequently leads to some aching knees for a couple of days after a long haul flight. It’s also tough for the person in front of me because my knees have nowhere to go but into their back, so nobody wins.
You and I would make a good picture together (I’m 4’6”) LOL!
I never recline – I’m 6’5″ and understand what it does to the person behind me. I grin and bear it as the reclinee. Also, post flight I’ll usually thank the person in front of me if they haven’t reclined.
Holy moley, TWO people who are 6’5”, commenting in a row!
I loved your reply 🙂
I’m only a Rambo in first and minimalist in coach. Regardless of class, I see the space behind me as my space and I’ll use it if I want to. In First, you have more legroom and your not depend on the tray table coming down from the seat back in front of you. Call me what ever you want to call me, but I don’t care what the attorney sitting behind me thinks. Pretty much everyone in first makes more money than me, lives more comfortably than me, so reclining is my way of leveling the playing field.
This is why i pay for Exit seats, nobody in front of me and no I never recline as feel too guilty anyway.
Depends. A simple dat flight I do not recline. If sleep yes but I do check behind me. Just be polite. And new seats less and less recline anyway. That said most of the time i can recline to full flat anyway.
This post seems to be written from the assumption that reclining your seat is something that is socially a faux pas which I dont think many/most people agree with. The airline literally pays for and installs seats that recline and each passenger on the plane has paid for that space behind them. Of course the seats are cramped and it is uncomfortable but that is not the fault of the recliner and everyone is equal in the sense that the person in front of them would/will recline too.
It makes no sense that we would assume there is some norm that we don’t recline when that is very clearly what the button on the seat is for and what we paid for.
I recline on transatlantic, never on domestic
I’m 6’3″ and in the last few years stopped reclining on domestic or Caribbean flights, whether castle or 2st class the space is so small it’s not worth it. I still recline transatlantic flights, except during meal service.
I fly over 200k miles a year and both recline and have people recline into me. Never had an issue except in the USA where for some reason people think they everyone should conform to their expectations. Its also the only place where ppl who recline dont raise their seats for meals (however few there are left).
Dont like reclining then just fly ultra low cost airlines that dont have recline. Flying an airline that has a reclining feature? Yes it, dont use it, just dont hassle others about what they are doing.