Jennie

Thanks cmt.

Jennie

TravelerGina

Flying from Amsterdam to Detroit, I was seated next to two of seventeen young guys from Spain who were going to Las Vegas for an international pool tournament. The group was seated in various parts of the plane, but managed to carry on conversations with each other by yelling back and forth. I had the aisle seat, and the guy with the window seat told me he was going to sleep for the 8 hour flight. The kid sitting between us decided to put on his earphones and listen to music; however, when the movie started, he hung the earphones around his neck (at full volume)and proceeded to carry on his yelling to some of his friends about four rows back. He didn't speak English, so I did my best to convey to him that I'd like him to lower the volume on his headphones so I could hear the movie. He put them back on his ears, but a few minutes later, took them back off and started yelling to the guys again. Even the people in front of me were irritated and, although one of them mentioned it to the flight attendant, she did nothing except give him dirty looks. Needless to say, I was ready to rip those %*&$# headphones off his neck and stomp on them!

sheila

The most irritating I ever had was the overnight flight we took from London to Athens with a link on to Lesvos. We left London at 11pm and got into Athens at 1am (ie 4 hours later) and a whole heap of yachties were on board, clearly haeding for a race or something and catching up on all the winter's news when they hadn't seen each other.

It clearly never occurred to them that some of us weren't goin to bed when we got to Athens and needed to sleep. I could have killed them. being British I said nothing

My husband tells a funny story about coming home from Dubai, seated next to a curry smuggler. That is the only explanation he can think of for the way the guy smelled

MizzEve

Why Fully Reclining Your Seat in Coach is Rude

Because there is precious little leg room as it is on planes. When the seat is fully reclined it takes up even more leg room from the person behind the reclined seat.

In some aircraft, the trays are attached to the rear's of the seats. A fully reclined seat makes it more difficult for tall and larger people to use the tray.

The flight is always more physically uncomfortable when the person in front of me fully reclines their seat. It pushes at my knees, makes getting at anything stowed underneath the seat very difficult, and pushes the tray a little too close to my body.

Of course everyone has the "right" to recline their seats, but why do it if it may bother the passenger behind you? Does reclining the seat really make a flight more enjoyable? Or, is it done just because it can be done?

I've reclined my seat on flights where there is not a passenger behind me and I haven't really noticed much of a difference in comfort.

Btw, I can paint my finger & toe nails on a plane if I want to, but should I if it will bother others? I can board a plane and talk nonstop about anything and nothing to anyone that will or will not listen if I want to, but should I? I can bring my own food: chitlins, blood sausage, fried fish, and assorted smelly cheeses, if I want to, but will my co-passengers be okay with that? I can take as long as I want in the toilet irregardless of the line of passengers that are waiting. Probably not going by the posts above.

syrinx

I think reclining your seat all the way down is rude. Just because the seat can recline all the way down, it doesn't mean that you have to do it. For example, you can easily cough without covering your mouth, but its rude not to. The seat space in coach is small enough already. I think we should have consideration for the people behind us. I would not want the person infront of me to recline his/her seat all the way down and I would not want to do it to the person behind me.

What irritate me the most is people who don't put their seats back up during meal time.

There's my 2 cents.

maitaitom

"What irritates me the most is people who don't put their seats back up during meal time."

Tell me about it. Sometimes I can't tell if it's grated parmesan cheese or dandruff on my bland pasta.

WillTravel

Southwest has a policy of requiring too-fat people to buy two seats, and then refunding the second seat if the flight is not full. I doubt this is considered discriminatory.

But if the fat passenger fits within the armrests, I think any discomfort of the adjoining passenger is unfortunate, but not remediable. Anyone can purchase a B/C or F/C seat or charter a jet if they want to avoid that. If the complaining passenger were seated next to a two year old, he or she might not have space complaints, but might have other complaints!

cfc

The thing that jumps out at me is how many of the posts have to do with the mismatch between the seats and passengers' sizes and activities. I understand completely the economic "justifications" for reduced pitch, reduced width, reduced legroom. But just as there's a limit to how much I would pay for special amenities, there's also a limit to what I'll put up with in the name of economy. The logical extension of all the "economy measures" in coach would be to encase us each in full-body horizontal pods and stack us up like pizza boxes. I won't travel like that even if it only costs $1.39.

It is amazing that the simple idea of an adjustable head/neck rest like the one used on the Amtrak Acela (slides up and down the seat back) can't be used instead of the curved seat back that seems only to fit people of a specific length of spine. The rest of us either have our heads pushed forward onto our chests (if we're short-waisted) or our upper chests pushed forward so heads fall backward (if we're long-waisted).

It is also completely reasonable to think about offering a wider seat - perhaps for a premium price - to anyone with a need, not just "elite" groups as with United's "Economy Plus." Heck, why not put one 1-and-1/2 -sized seat at the back of the plane where the fuselage usually tapers anyway -- close to restroom and heavy people would have easier access, be last to disembark, etc. etc. etc.

Consider how many irritants have more to do with what the airlines allow, ignore, inflict on us, than what other people actually do. I too find people with BO OR too much cologne especially offensive. But the whole business of being annoyed over the seat-back up or down and tray-table up or down is not the "fault" of the passengers but the airlines. Of course we should "all try to get along" and I have no time for the pigs here who say they have a right to choose to cause others discomfort. But if we snipe at each other instead of turning the spotlight where it belongs, it only makes things more inhospitable.

(I will now step down off the soapbox -- toss a quarter in the box if you wish.)

Sue_xx_yy

Capo

What would I do if I ran an airline? Probably run it bankrupt....Free seats for all Fodorites! Etc. etc. : - )

The distribution of body weight seems to be what counts. (A petite pregnant woman, dispite her increase in girth, can still fit into a regular seat.) So not all obese people would need to be accommodated.

Installing five per cent of the economy section as 'oversize' seats, which would be sold at the same price, exclusively to people who prequalified as having a certain body dimension, might be the answer. But asking passengers to fix the problem as Maitaitom was obliged to do is to create a dangerous situation, as I said earlier.

ThinGorjus

Blimey, Sheila, those blokes were lucky that you are British. I can only image the dose you would have given them if you were a Scotswoman.

'Tis a scoob lassie y'er.

sheila

"scoob"?

(I actually thought about what you say.. but what can I say? It loses artistic integrity if one says Scottish instead of British in that context.)

Calamari

I've never met a Scottish person I did not like. What great people. They aren't quick to pick up the check but WOW are they fun!

Figaro

On a recent flight, the young woman in the seat in front of me reclined her seat all the way back and then "flung" her 3 foot length hair over the seat, so that it cascaded onto my lap. Are people really this stupid?

Lil

I seem to be lucky on flights, only having two stories to relate.

The first involved a group of 20 yr olds being the last to board our plane with carry on chinese food. By accident, while putting a piece of luggage in the overhead, one dropped the small white carton containing garlic chicken and it splattered everywhere. Some ended up on sleeve of the man in front of me. No appology was given and they thought it was terribly funny. Boy, that was one stinky flight!

In Taiwain after take off I felt something poking at my arm. I looked down to find a rooster under the arm of the woman sitting next to me,if I wasn't still buckeled up I would have jumped right out of my seat. I thought the whole thing terribly funny and asked to be moved to another seat. All through the flight I kept looking back at this women and she would wave at me. This was 1981, but I still wonder, how did she ever get this bird on board?

sliver

If the airlines put in larger seats there would be fewer of them. They would have to eharge more money per ticket. Would the general public pay extra? No, they would complain because they want the $100 ticket but a First Class seat. There is no winning here....

maitaitom

"one dropped the small white carton containing garlic chicken..."

"I looked down to find a rooster under the arm of the woman sitting next to me.."

Lil, those were definitely a couple of fowl experiences.

capo

Sliver, I happen to share your feelings. I think the price of a ticket is the most important consideration for the vast majority of people and if an airline were to increase seat size, pitch, etc. and charge more, across the board, for seats, people would still prefer a lower-cost competitor with more cramped seats.

Airlines actually already do offer larger seats with more room; it's just that they're in first class and very expensive.

kismetchimera

Lil, i could not help but giggle at your story....to have a rooster as a travelling companion is not something that happens every day or at every flight...I guess the owner wanted to make chicken chop chop for dinner..

ThinGorjus

Sheila's post reminds me of an anecdote involving Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mum. Years ago she visited South Africa. While attending a ceremony in her honor, a Boer rushed up to her and roared, "The English have absolutely ruined this country!" The Queen Mum conspiratorially replied, "Oh, my good man, we Scots feel the same as you do."

CharlieB

Many years ago while waiting to board an Icelandic flight with our 3 young children (7,5,3&1) a bedraggled elderly lady strolled into the departure lounge. She had no carry on luggage, only paper bags - a real bag lady! I looked at my wife and said "I hope she doesn't sit next to us". Of course she sat right in our midst! She turned out to be absolutely delightful. She kept the kids entertained, and assisted us in every way possible. We spent 3 days in Iceland where she had a room right next to ours and we spent many a tour and dinner together before we parted ways. We kept up correspondence for several years until she passed on. We were very proud one Christmas when we sent her a picture of our family on the Great Wall- only to be deflated when we received a picture of her on the Wall. She had beat us to China by 2 months! I often wonder what she thought in that departure lounge watching a young family trying to cope with 4 rambunctious kids. Did she say to herself "I hope I don't have to sit next to them"!