starstruck

After a complaint, I received a letter from Emirates Air stating that economy passengers are in fact not allowed to recline in their seats during any meal service. This is to allow the person behind you more room to eat.

If you are sleeping, you will be woken up and told to sit upright.

This policy is also in effect on the 14 hour overnight flights from NY to Dubai.

I think it is an outrageous policy. Can you imagine being woken up 3 times in the middle of the night because they are serving snacks or meals? Imagine taking a sleeping pill to sleep during the 14 hour flight only to be woken up THREE times so the person behind you has a bit more room to eat. Outrageous is the only word that comes to mind.

We need another carrier to fly the US to Dubai non-stop. Emirates Air's policy are gestapo-like.

jasher

Hello,

This is ridiculous -- I will not be flying Emirates anytime soon now that I've heard this. I've sent them an email to this effect, and would urge others to do the same.

Cheers,
Julian

sandi

When was the last time that any air carrier served three meals in coach? It's usually lunch or dinner an hour once you're airborne; then about one hour before landing - breakfast or snack.

With so little space in steerage, I have no issue with this. I'm sure many of us have found ourselves trying to eat when the pax in front had their seat reclined... not very comfortable, even less so if you're trying to get into the aisle.

If you are fortunate enough to sleep on these long haul flights, you should get up every few hours to stretch your legs, take a walk around the plane. And in an upright position it's a whole lot easier to do leg exercises when upright. You don't want to be deplaning with DVT.

jasher

Emirates customer service contact details are as follows:

Customer Affairs Department
P.O. Box 686
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Telephone : 011 971 4 2033611
Facsimile : 011 971 4 2955162

I suggest we flood the fax machine to demonstrate that we will not accept this policy.

Cheers,
Julian

jasher

Hi Sandi,

I usually get meals or snacks three or so times per flight.

Personally, I haven't found it to be a problem when the person in front of me is sleeping and I want to eat -- I can always recline my seat a bit to get some more space. Most economy seats don't recline far enough to be a serious problem in this regard anyhow.

I don't think it's fair to prioritise the needs of those who want to eat over those who want to sleep -- both groups have paid for the same class of service. If you want to sleep you have to accept not being able to lay down properly, as well as the noise and disturbance of being on a cramped airplane; if you want to eat you have to accept the cramped conditions and mediocre food.

Cheers,
Julian

sandi

For each person who wishes to sleep straight through for 14-hrs, there are as many or more passengers who want to be able to eat their meal (if you can call them that).

I also take a pill to sleep on these flights and also like to eat the meals put in front of me. So don't have a problem when the pax in front slightly reclines their seat, but for those whose seat lands right in my lap... I'm not a happy camper.

What's the big deal if for 2-3/hrs (if you have more than 2-meals) out of a 14+ hr flight you have to sit upright, this policy seems to accommodate everyone. In steerage, it's equal discomfort for some/all at one time or another.

I'm sure Emirates didn't pick this idea out of the blue, but likely from complains received.

That's why we have choices as to which carrier to use when flying. My choice is to take off and land... simple enough, the rest is incidental.

kimburu

Sandi makes a reasonable point. There is the issue of taste and the problem of keeping everyone happy. however, most airlines leave it to the passengers to sort this kind of thing out. They do things like serving meals immediately after take off and just before landing. I think dictating that everyone must be woken for meals when other airlines don't do it is asking for trouble and putting undue stress on their staff. Passengers will be taking even more swings (verbal usually, thankfully) at staff now, rather than at each other. Poor staff, but somehow I hope they will use their intelligence ....

But in practice..... I'm afraid my wife got POKED awake at mealtime on our Emirates flight... and this was 45 minutes before we actually saw any food. They also tried to wake her at another mealtime but I grabbed the flight attendant's arm and forbade her - her seat was only back very, very slightly and it was 2 a.m. What is this? The flight attendant even asked me "How do you know she doesn't want to be woken?" I thought it was a cultural thing - I know there are different on-board flight cultures in different regions - or just that she was a cow... but perhaps it was just interpretation of policy.

On another note, maybe this policy is why they serve no food or drinks between take off and 2 hours prior to landing on the late night Bangkok-Dubai flight. If they stopped serving food except just before landing the problem would be solved.

Having said all that, maybe this is just a slimy customer service response and we shouldn't take it too seriously - but I do like a good bitch about Emirates

Grcxx3

I have to say....when I'm on a long flight - especially in the middle of the night - I want to at least TRY to sleep. And I especially want my children to sleep as much and as long as possible!

Assuming there is a meal soon after take-off, and assuming that the meal is actually served within an hour or so of takeoff....then I could see keeping everyone up for that. But I waited (with hungry children) for over 2-1/2 hours on Singapore Air for the beginning meal to be served!

Then there is the timing of the "wake-up." If I had been kimburu's wife - I would have been furious to have been woken so long before food was actually served.

There are lots of little annoying rules on flights (EgyptAir doesn't want you covered with the blanket during takeoff and landing) and I still haven't figured out why the window shades need to be up at those times......but I can live with those. This eat vs. sleep thing.....that bothers me.

I have never flown Emirates (altho my husband has and wasn't impressed), and I don't feel any great need to start now.

No1Ma

Good deal! A small inconvenience I would say.

matnikstym

I'm all for this! I like to eat as most of you know and would hate to miss a meal! Wake me up! Put the seat up and feed me, then go back to sleep and you can recline! The thing I don't like is making you keep the shades closed so people can sleep! On SAA they kept the shades down all the way from the fuel stop to about an hour out of JNB. They give you eye shades, so use those while I look out the window! I wanted to see Africa! BA didn't have that rule though so we did see a lot, even from 35,000 feet, it's AFRICA down there!!

DIPPERDAVE

I flew Emirates for the first and last time last November (Dubai-J'burg). It was awful: many people ended up clearing their own meal trays because they got fed up waiting; cabin staff spent almost the entire flight chatting and took no notice even although I pressed the call button and waited 20 minutes; very cramped seats (and I'm only 5'6" cabin staff who couldn't less. Never again.....

Africa

Regarding having to sit upright when meals are being served - I have experienced the same policy with Kenya Airways and British Airways, when in economy class. This is nothing new and has been their policy for many years now.

Being tall, I would not be happy if the person in front of me had their seat reclined while I was trying to eat. As people have mentioned - it is only soon after take-off and soon before landing that this has an effect on your sleep.

Maurice_M

Hi Starstruck,


You leave me dumbstruck.


Think about it this way, there are some very inconsiderate people NOT YOU OF COURSE who recline their seat fully as soon as the fasten seat belt sign has been extinguished, and still complain about having to put it upright when they land some 12 hours later. In the meantime with the back of the seat forced against my knees they move around the whole night ensuring that I cannot get any sleep at all.
Meals are usually served not long after takeoff and about 1-2 hours before landing. I have never been on a twelve hour flight when they serve meals 3 times during the night.
Usually the Emirates cabin crew request the person in front to straighten their seat as they give me my tray, and after I have requested they do so.

I can well imagine that the very same discussion (but even more intense) was released when the first airline announced they were going have non smoking flights! Big shouts of “Yes, let’s boycott them and threaten never to fly with them ever again etc. etc.” Now everyone accepts this as standard practise.
If every other airline adopted this policy (and I am sure that in time that they will) then you would have no room for complaint.

Emirates is one of the best airlines around, and YES you do have a choice in fact you have 3 choices, book Business Class or First Class, or find an alternative airline, However you must bear in mind that if the alternative airline adopts this policy as well you might as well have stayed with Emirates.

Let’s face it someone has to be first, at one time a non-smoking flight was an incentive for me to fly with certain airline, the straightening of seatbacks at mealtimes policy is also an incentive for me fly with an airline as well.

Thanks to Julian for posting the Emirates contact details as they will be receiving a big thumbs up from me for this very sensible policy.


Maurice

kimburu

Maurice
Look at the posts above - the original one is a bit hysterical, but there are some other things to take into account on both sides of the argument. Equating wishing to sleep with wishing to smoke is logic well beyond the grasp of ordinary human intelligence.

Maurice_M

Hi Kimburu,

I am merely making a comparison based on a policy. At one time the no smoking flight was a policy, nowadays it is a legal requirement.
As Emirates have adopted this policy I say good to them. Please do not forget this request will only ever become valid when they are serving meals with the lights on, with the noise etc. etc. If anyone can really sleep through that I am sure that act of putting their seat into a vertical position is not going to bother them at all.

All airlines have stickers for use by the passengers which state that they do not wish to be disturbed for meals. Put one of those on your eye mask and the problem is solved!

Sorry if anyone disagrees but I would much rather have my meal in comfort than be squashed into my seat by the person in front who is not hungry, or even worse does not give a damn for his or her fellow passengers comfort.


Maurice

Pago

Many carriers want the shades up during take-off and landing so if there is a problem (outside the aircraft)the cabin crew can spot it.

Grcxx3

Equating this policy with no smoking is silly. The smoking issued concerned people's health...this is strictly convenience.

As for sleeping during when meals are served - with lights on and racket - YES - my children have slept through numerous meals. So has my husband.

But I'm a little confused...I thought the policy requiring seats to be upright was for the convenience of the person behind you. Putting a sign on your eyemask indicating you don't want to be woken for meals will not fix the situation. Based on this policy, even if you don't want to eat, you will be woken and asked to raise your seat so the person behind you can sleep.

cybor

How about just charging me an extra $50. and removing a few seats. The extra inches would solve this and other dilemmas without inconveniencing the sleepers or the eaters. Good PR - no? Less man power to enforce this lame plan as well.

Paying customers should not be put in a defensive position - literally and figuratively. Not good for security to have mini wars while up in the air for hours.

The window shade dilemma is an easy solve as well, when open, wear a baseball cap and pull down or throw your pashima over your head - I'm not being facitious - I do this.

Airlines can do their part compromising while taking my $ and I will do mine - or go elsewhere.
Peace;
Sherry

africnow

Just want to add my 2 cents.
Being sqashed by the inconsiderate person in fornt of me lowering his/her seat to its fullest possible extent is bad enough when I want to get up - but to have to eat that way is awful! The tray slips, the food gets spilled and the drinks end up in my lap.

I say all the more power to those airlines - and they are many - that require all seats to be upright when food is served.

Smoking - one of my per peeves LOL. I am a smoker and it took me a long time to come to terms with that rule.

Window shades - I hate having them closed, but again, I have come to terms with it. It may not be my choice, but it doesn't inconvenience me the way a lowered seat in front of me does.

Kavey

Absolutely agree with you Africanow!

Julian, to be fair, the fact that you have no problems even when the seat infront of you is reclined is not indicative as you're a petite person.

I'm larger in width and my husband is over a foot taller. For us having the seat infront reclined during meal service makes it very difficult INDEED!

It's a difficult issue all round because those who want to recline feel entitled to do so and those who want to be able to actually use the drop down table on which to eat feel entitled to do so.

What we really need to do is campaign for more legroom between seats in economy class and the only way to do that is with our wallets.

I now take legroom (and seat width too if I can find out about it) very much into account when choosing airlines and will put my money where my mouth is and pay a little more for more space.

The problem is that most people SAY they want more space but will then choose the airline with least space for a measly $10 difference in ticket price!!! And so there is no change!