I wonder if this could get you arrested.
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It cracked me up when the person infront of me glared at in my direction after they could not put their seat back. The reason was that my height meant my knee’s were right up against the back of their seat, where was the back supposed to go. 😛
Any discomfort they were experiencing because they could not put their seat back was nothing compared to mine in that particular flight.
Same thing happens to me, especially when I go home to the USA for a family visit. Those trans atlantic flights are tough enough, yet invariably I’ve got some ignorant sod improving his comfort by reducing mine. It’s those funkin airlines, they packem as tight as they can, and if you don’t fit the seat in length or girth, you can always pay for first class. Travelling sucks anyways, and what with global warming I can make up a convincing excuse for not going home.
I’m not sure whether this would work if the two people in front of you synchronize their efforts. Too short to have any issues with people putting their seats back… the worst thing on a transatlantic flight is winding up in the middle seat between 2 fat people.
I might try that, but it wont work if the pair beside each other in front of you both put their chars back together. 🙁
I have a feeling you might get questioned if authorities caught you with one of those plastic ties – definitely if they found a few on you – because they can be used as handcuffs and therefore could make you look like a terrorist!
People putting their seats back doesn’t bother me; and I’m tall. What bugs me is inconsiderate a-holes behind me who pull on my seat in order to stand and get out of their seat.
I recently had one of those flights where my knees were jammed against the seat in front – I couldn’t even fold down my table fully (due to my beer, er, wine gut). Fortunately the person in front didn’t want to recline his seat, which would have made the flight even more intolerable.
I mentioned this to my travel agent the other day when booking a flight to Brussels next week. “Easy answer,” she said. “Call me 2 days before and I’ll get you your boarding cards for seats in the first row.”
Maybe anybody who complains about the person in front of them, trying to enjoy the flight by utilizing the reclining seats that they paid to use, could just recline their own and regain any perceived lost space. I think that is how it is supposed to work. God forbid, these fatsos could also try to lose a couple of pounds.
8,
at 6’2″, it’s not my gut, but my knees.
http://www.seatguru.com/charts/domestic_economy.php
My own “pitch” is 28 inches–nothing to do with fat, its all bone. Range is 29″ to 36″. I think some seats take up that pitch space and leaning back yourself doesn’t change direct pressure on knees.
What I hate is the ass wipes that slam the seat back without warning. I always warn the person behind me when adjusting the seat back.
I understand there isn’t much you can do about height. I am only 6′ 1″ and yes, airplane seats suck, but I just stick my feat under the guy in front of me where they are supposed to go and generally don’t have any problems. Are we supposed to believe these people who are complaining don’t recline their own seats?
They just complain about the person in front of them and sit up on a long flight?
#11: I’m 6’3″ and fly one or more times per month for work. The setups on planes vary from Southwest where I’m comfortable in any seat to one US Airways flight where I luckily was in an aisle seat because I had to swing my legs out into the aisle. My knees were jammed into the seat back with the seat ahead not reclined. Often, the seat height and my leg length are such that I can’t get my legs under the seat in front.
Depending on the seats, I might recline slightly, but since the seats are contoured for people under 6′, it’s often more uncomfortable reclined. United is the one airline that has headrests that extend up for taller people. On other airlines, it isn’t unusual for my shoulders to be where a person’s head is supposed to be. Very uncomfortable.
Travel hell on all fronts is one of the reasons I hope to move to a different job at my company and stop traveling.
#12: You’re smoking something, right? And short. In this day and age where some airlines are charging for water you honestly think they care about comfort? Give me a fucking break. It’s all about the money.
Let’s see now, interference with the function of part of an aircraft in flight. Sounds like a 5 year stint in federal prison to me and that’s what it should be.
Too f$cking bad if you don’t want someone putting their seat back. It’s called flying and they paid for their ticket same as you.
If people are wanting to sleep then fair enough – what boils my p*** is people who just put them back because they can!
There would be no problem if the airlines would stop treating us like cattle and cramming as main seats in as they can. The 25% loss in passengers isn’t completely due to airfares. I can afford the tickets but won’t travel with the stupid security garbage and the terrible treatment the airlines provide.
You don’t need to be this elaborate. Just take a nice thick book like a novel or something. Put your tray down, then slid the book in the seat pocket in front of you. But not all the way in, leave some of it slightly out. You will then find the person can’t put their seat back as your book in wedged between the tray and the seat.
Works a charm
I find this procedure to limit others as borderline antisocial. If it is not that, then it is passive-aggressive and a hallmark of a true asshole.
If you are a tall or a fat person, and find the seats in coach too small for your comfort, then pay more for business or 1st class.
If you can not afford that, and if the person in front of you happens to recline, and it affects you adversely, why not introduce yourself and explain that you need more space? Gee whiz, what is wrong with talking to another person?
On my last flight, I reclined my seat. Within ten seconds, the man behind me starting kicking my seat like a child. After about thirty seconds of this, I got up and stood next to him, and introduced myself. I politely asked to stop kicking the seat. He then said he needed more room. I said why didn’t you just ask instead of kicking my seat like an unruly child? This brought lots of stares from the other passengers and he was very embarrassed. I am a short woman, and did not need the room, so I offered to move the seat upright.
He thanked me, and offered to buy me a glass of wine as an apology.
Talk to others folks. Sometimes it works better than being antisocial.
In the airlines they have a Vice President in charge of customer annoynance who is rated on how uncomfortable you are as their customer. For every inch they push the seats together front to back and side to side, this prick gets a merit increase.
Clearly they know how to solve the problem; it’s called first class where they have 50% more legroom and 50% fewer seats side by side. This makes 2.25 times the floorspace. But they don’t pay 2.25 times the fare! So the poor slobs in steerage subsidize first class.
#21 – have you ever asked how much that 1st-class ticket costs? They do indeed pay 2.25 times the fare. Usually much more.
I did inquire once on an overseas flight. When I booked the ticket I could either pay $800 (return) for steerage, or $3,500 for 1st-class.
But 1st-class passengers are either rich enough that they don’t care about the price, or they’re upper-management or executives on business. Or, they’re government officials or politicians, who don’t care because the public pays,.
For the tall people, ever heard of the bulkhead seats? My uncle is tall and when he travels, he requests a seat there.
If I am traveling, which I frequently have this year, I want to be able to recline my seat. Those who don’t like it, how are you going to like those standing seats that Airbus once proposed. The human body isn’t meant to sit cramped like that for hours and so I have to recline, then sit up and repeat.
Whatever happened to being polite and just asking? Have we become so afraid of human contact that we must resort to sabotage.
#23 – Yes.
Everyone knows that it is the airlines that are to blame. They cram the seats in together to the minimum specified by the FAA. As for anyone who would actually do what is suggested in the video I have two statements.
1. There are very few items on the airplane itself that can cut that strap when it is in flight. The terminal maintenance crew at the next destination will not enjoy having to come aboard to cut that strap put in place by some a-hole.
2. Stay tuned to see the next video installment by fi5e titled “How I Deserved the Beatdown I Got At 30,000 Feet By Some Motherfu#% For Doing This Because I’m A Fu*&in Puss”. I am sure that this new video will be posted before his arraignment in federal court and then used by the FAA in part of their new “How Not To Instigate Air Rage” program.
#5—Perhaps a shoelace would work just as well.
But, ah, if people start using shoelaces like that, then the airlines will ban shoelaces, and then we’ll all have to board planes in sandals or plastic foot baggies.
You want to keep people from sitting on a chair? Grab a permanent marker pen and draw a huge penis on the seat. No one will sit on that chait at all.
Legroom, schmeg-room. Wait until you have to pay an additional fee if you want your seat to recline, or if you want a window with a shade. Or if you want or your air vent to work, or the plane to depart on-time (Insert credit card here to purchase!).
You know, I should work for an airline. I’d nickel and dime you mofo’s to death!
Yes, heaven forbid someone should be allowed to recline their seats the massive 2″ alloted by the airlines.
That said, I do always check to make sure some schlub hasn’t wedged his laptop screen into the seat back. I don’t want to be responsible for cracking someone’s laptop! (Unless they try to pull this lame ass twist tie stunt… then they deserve it).
I wish the seats were designed to slide forward as they recline so the person who loses leg room is the one reclining. That would solve the problem altogether. I detest the attitude of those who say, “I paid for the seat so I am going to inconvenience you and recline” Sometimes I just put on my headphones, wedge my knee against the seatback and tap my foot to the beat. I’m white so this is often poorly timed thus even more annoying. Once the seat goes back up I stop.
#22: More knee room with a bulkhead, less leg room. In some planes, it’s worse than being in a regular seat. And besides, a bulkhead seat would now be in the area you have to pay more for. Assuming you can even change your seat. That’s the latest trick I ran across. You have to pay to change seats at all.