Seat recline during meals
 

<i>"dutyfree on Nov 14, 12 at 11:01am
As a flight attendant, I ALWAYS ask people to put their seats up for the meal services. Those valuable inches can really make a difference in the blood flow of your legs in economy!"</i>

The above is what I always believed should happen if a passenger does not return to upright position during meal service. But on a recent AirBerlin flight, the woman ahead of me remained fully reclined and the attendant said nothing.

When she passed me my tray, I asked her to have the person in my lap straighten their seat. She said "you should ask her yourself." I shook my head in disagreement - it's not my job (is it?) to instruct passengers, who may be sleeping or non-English speaking.

I wonder if this responsibility varies by airline or by attendant?
(If airlines now are self-policing I'd like to supervise size of carry on bags!)

It's the courteous thing to do, but no passenger is required to put their seats in an upright position, except during takeoff and landing, of course. If you wanted the person ahead of you to do so, you should have asked. I can't see where that's the flight attendant's responsibility.

I agree with Jeff. It is not the responsibility of anybody to tell wake the person up and tell them to put the seat forward.

Especially if this was an overnight flight from North America to Europe and this was the dinner service, I would not want to be woken up.

I know dutyfree flies international routes a lot, so I'd be curious to hear her take on waking someone up during a meal service.

FAs don't wake people up during meal services.If they are asleep, they are left alone and miss the meal service.
What you get out of the FAs varies by airline and by attendant in my experience. You can fly out and back on same airline, get a great crew on the way out and not so good one on the way back (or vv).

Be a man a claim your space.

*and

It is not the responsibility of the airline or the cabin attendent to tell a sleeping passenger to put their seat back up (unless it is take-off or landing).

If you want to try to do so, that's up to you (and how strongly you feel about it).

Not sure why some have turned the reclining passenger into a sleeping passenger -
she wasn't, although I couldn't tell from my position behind her.

The flight was daytime, from Germany to US.

Sorry for that mistake. BUT it doesn't change my reply if she is awake or asleep. You can ask the person yourself, to please sit up while you eat, but it's yours to do, not the airline or the flight attendant's responsibility.

I have certainly asked an FA to ask the passenger in front to raise his seat during meal service, and I have never had one refuse. Much less likely to result in a confrontation than if I do it myself.

The confrontation aspect is precisely why you ask the FA to do it although FAs are not fond of confrontation themselves. It is the same when I find someone sitting in my seat, I get the FA to sort it out rather than confront the person myself.

<i>The flight was daytime, from Germany to US.</i>

So? I always try to sleep on planes.

If you get a flight attendant to ask on your behalf, remember that the passenger is still under no obligation to put the seat upright. There is no FAA rule about doing so except for takeoff and landing.

And I see now this was my misconception. (But I swear I've heard pre-flight announcements about "seats upright before takeoff, landing, meals...")

So thanks responders, you have educated me.

<swear I've heard pre-flight announcements about "seats upright before takeoff, landing, meals...">

I'll have to pay more attention next time :-)

Definitely they talk about takeoff & landing, I'm not sure meal service was ever mentioned??

"Much less likely to result in a confrontation than if I do it myself."

I agree with this point. Sometimes FAs will help out with this and sometimes not.

I've heard in-flight announcements suggesting that as a courtesy to the passenger behind you, you put your seat upright during meal service. There's no obligation for anybody to do it.

I always do.

That sounds right Jeff (a suggestion). Like when they ask people to put the window shades down during a day-time flight for a movie.

I think it is an obligation for the FA to mediate these things. They have authority and know what requests are reasonable.

<FAs don't wake people up during meal services.>

Singapore Air does. They seem truly perplexed if you don't want to eat. They also require all passengers to raise their seats during meal service, even if the passenger is fast asleep. They'll walk around and make sure everyone is in compliance. I've never seen anyone refuse.

I think asking a passenger to put their seats up during a meal service depends on the F/A and the airline. I actually DO try to wake up folks for dinner on my international flights as they get really honked when they wake up an hour later and find out that they missed dinner.
In my 40 years of flying, I try to always remember how I would like to be treated as a passenger especially when seated in the cramped coach section.

Meant to say "Thanks" to dutyfree for adding opinion; I often wish more professionals in the travel field would post here.

E.g., wouldn't you love to have someone weigh in who said "I happen to be executive CEO of a large airline..."

I'm surprised by the FA's response. I've always had FA ask all passengers to put seats in upright position for meal service. How on earth do you eat if they aren't? Not like there's a lot of space!!! I think the FA should have asked!

I have my doubts that FAs really had "authority" to tell (not ask) anyone to put their seats in an upright position.
While I'd agree that it should be common courtesy to do so.
I just wonder that people who are so vocal about their right to eat in a comfortable way are also so timid and need a nanny to address the person sitting in front of them.

It's not so much needing a nanny, but some people would react badly at a passenger asking them to put their seat upright, whereas they would comply with a flight attendant's request.

I was flying a few weeks ago STL-LAX, and lucky us, got our upgrades so there was a meal service in the front of the plane. Guy in front of me, guess he finished quickly, and wham, reclined his seat. My tray almost went flying into my lap. I would like to think he just wasn't thinking, but it was inconsiderate.

You would be surprised how many fine folks don't want to put their seats up!

<<<Much less likely to result in a confrontation than if I do it myself.>>>

Really?? I've asked people to get out of my seat and to put their seats upright during meals and have never had confrontational responses. Asking the FA to get involved just makes it seem like a big deal or that you didn't expect them to respond politely. It seems like a "you couldn't just ask me??" sort of thing.

A simple "excuse me, would you mind sitting your seat up a bit during dinner?" has always worked well. I've generally gotten a response along the lines of "oh sorry, I didn't think about that" and then they straightened up most/all of the way for the meal. I always make a point of saying "thank you!" when they do that. Charades generally work fairly well too. The FA has enough to do without being asked to act like a kindergarten teacher too. If the passenger tells me no then fine. I might eat rather loudly in their ear depending on their response, but that's just me being childish. ;)

If someone is sleeping I'm not going to wake them up to ask them to sit up, falling/staying asleep on a plane is hard enough for many people.


Same for when someone was in my seat. I start with asking them to move politely and if that didn't work then I'd get the FA involved but it's always worked so far. Generally it's just someone who is very new to flying and they weren't trying to be annoying they just don't understand how the seats work. Their seat is the aisle seat but they took the window because they looked at the little picture above the seats wrong, they thought someone else would prefer the aisle seat or they simply ended up one row front or back of where they should be. Just showing them my boarding pass and a simple "I'm sorry but you're in my seat, can I help you find the seat on your boarding pass?" has always worked easily so far.

I don't understand how you tell if the recliner ahead of you is sleeping or not.

<i>I don't understand how you tell if the recliner ahead of you is sleeping or not.</i>

Dig your knee into the back of their seat.

With the size of seats today, I cannot see the person in front of me, much less get into a position where I can speak clearly to them.

Much easier to ask the FA to request it as they are handing me my meal tray. I've never had either the FA or the passenger refuse.

Nothing "nanny" about it.

PS, I will turn around and ask a passenger to stop shaking my seat without bothering the FA. On my last flight, the man behind me was playing cards. He would shuffle them on the tray table (complete with three resounding thumps) then slap each card down throughout his games of Solitaire. After about 30 minutes of this I asked him if he could stop as it was upsetting my stomach. Surprisingly, he did.

I guess I'm going to be rude on our overnight flight to Chile. I want to sleep the entire time. I don't want their awful dinner at 10:30 at night.

I'm going to take a sleeping pill, recline, and go to sleep. I'll be quite unhappy if someone wakes me up. They'll just have to eat their dinner with their tray a little close. It's doable. In the morning, for breakfast, I will wake up and I will put my seat up.

^^"In the morning, for breakfast, I will wake up and I will put my seat up."
<b>AND</b> promise not to complain when the person in front of you reclines into your coffee.

<<On my last flight, the man behind me was playing cards. He would shuffle them on the tray table (complete with three resounding thumps) then slap each card down throughout his games of Solitaire. After about 30 minutes of this I asked him if he could stop as it was upsetting my stomach. Surprisingly, he did.>>

I HATE the card shuffling!!

Interesting blurb on "bad travel behavior" -- didn't see the seat recline issue yet --

http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2...ef=travel&_r=0