What Bothers Most On Airlines
 

I noticed that Fodor ask this question and gave some options. This is one not included but that can be the most irritating. Has anyone out there ever had the person in front of them on the plane suddely let their seat back and the seat hits you in the knees or cause your drink to spill on the tray.

I never know what to do about reclining my seat. On the one hand, if they didn't want you to recline your seat, then why'd they give you the option? You're supposed to recline your seat right? But I HATE it when the person in front of me does it. I feel like I'm in a flying coffin. So I don't do it ... unless the person in front of me does it and then I do, which really isn't fair for the person behind me. <BR><BR>And I hate Bistro bags ...

It's rather disturbing when the guy (or lady) in front of you 'disturbs the peace' and rocks that seat back as if it were a huge boulder that comes flying 'out of the blue' into your personal space!!! That was a funny question. My drink never got spilled, but sometimes I'm working on that dinky tray table and I nearly get bonked in the nose or forhead (depending how diligently I'm engrossed in my work-head further down or what)...by the seat back! AND, I hate the NAME Bistro Bag more than the contents. Rachel

When someone in front of me puts their seat back, I get up a lot of times and grab their headrest to pull me out of my seat. I also put my knees on the back of the seat (believe me, the person can feel it).

Here is a good idea. Take the (rock hard) banana that automatically comes with the Bistro Bag, and bonk the person reclining so far back. After you have knocked them out, you can "return their seat to an upright position". They will never now the difference. It is the best use of the banana as well.<BR><BR>Dick

So you are saying that despite the fact that the seat is reclinable, that we are supposed to keep it up-right throughout the flight? Why not lock those puppies down then?

Ooo, that is my biggest pet peeve. I try as a rule never to let my seat back, unless it's an overnight flight and the person is asleep and I want to sleep too. I usually get a bulkhead seat (thanks to frequent flying) and it just plain seems mean to intrude on the people behind me's space when I have so much in front of me. Yet, I've had seat mates, tiny tiny people, who immediately put the seat back as soon as they can.<BR><BR>Trains in Europe have seats that when you recline the seat the seat bottom slides forward and you get a reclining by losing YOUR knee room and not the person behind you's knee room. Why can't planes be like that.

Im with Grasshopper.<BR>ADD; Bratty children who think its a toy.

We just flew to Hawaii and back. What irritates the hell out of me is when you just get to sleep on an overnight flight and the idiot behind you decides to get out of their seat for one reason or another and grabs the top of your seat to pull him/herself up. We had two empty seats behind us until a woman decides she is going to put her crying 5-6 year old boy behind us so he can lay down across the two seats. The little monster either cried or whined most of the night. The mother kept coming back to her little monster all night to check on him. Each time she did this she would yank on the tops of our seats and start talking to him, not whispering, talking. Oh, what I wanted to say to that rude, inconsiderate witch and her little gremlin of a son. <BR><BR>If you are the blonde lady on flight 6 from ogg to dfw on 10/3, you need to learn some lessons in manners and your son is a snotty little brat. <BR><BR>The last time I flew this flight I had some very obese girl with severe gas problems behind me. She kept getting up all night to use the restroom and again she was tugging on the seat to be able to get up. Perhaps, I should smear peanut butter or some other gooey substance such as cairo syrup over the top of the seat, curl up into a ball with my little airline pillow and sleep the night away next time.

I've never been bothered when the person in front reclines their seat. I mean, give me a break, it's only a few inches!!!

It bothers me when people whine about a seat when they are paying $300 to fly across country. Get over it people,put your seat back. Let the person in front put his back.

How tall are you? I'm 5'9". My knees don't have a couple of inches of room. <BR><BR>And frankly, I'm a lot more patient on domestic flights. It's the 11 hour international flights that can be killers (literally!)

The worst I've experienced occurred during one those now defunct inflight meals. The girl in the seat in front of me was tired, not hungry, so put her seat allll the way back, then took her loooong curly hair and flipped it over the back of the head rest, so it all hung down ending about 3" over my food tray. What a brainless act--even if I had not been eating!

I agree with 'touche', I have done the same, grabbed the seat when getting up etc. It is so damned rude, there is no space anyway. I just couldnt conceive putting my seat back and pinning in the person behind. Its ignorance and a lack of consideration, as demonstrated by some of the replies (Ive paid $$ so why shouldn't I - selfish selfish)

Touche..more room please..you are the worst. Seats recline for a reason and you are bitchin' about it. Kicking a seat,pulling down hard on it? How childish and selfish. If it means that much,buy a first class ticket.

I got a big kick out of OliveOyl's story. It was funny and disgusting at the same time. Did they give you another meal? How gross did her hair get?<BR><BR>I don't really mind the reclining people too much, but then I'm only 5'4". I rarely recline the seat myself. I hate it when people pull my hair while hauling themselves out of their seats, whether I'm reclining or not.

The thing that bothers me most is when I sit in coach and see all the people in first. I should be up there.

Hey getaclue, people put their seats back from the moment the plane takes off until it lands. Anyone that wants that much luxury should pay the extra money to sit in first class.

Passengers who have a last row seat,but put their bag in the front row overhead compartment.

The reclining of the seat ranks right up there with people who bring their unruly, screaming kids on airplanes. That is so annoying. I pay good money for an airline ticket and therefore should have the right to a quiet flight. I realize that thoise with the noisy children are also paying for their ticket(s), but it does not give them the right to disturb others.

I hate to see families on planes! Argh! The unruly brats. Funny how everyone always says that their children are *angels* when they fly but I've never seen it. Ever.

touche..that is why uour seat reclines....and the person behind you..and so on

MAN!! What a bunch of whiners...its no wonder this country is so f'ed up..<BR> I'm 6 foot and have never had a problem<BR>with the person in front reclining, like someone else said,its only a couple inches, and PLEASE!! "I don't have a couple inches of room" uh huh, right..<BR> Now the person with the hair over the top in her food..she has a complaint..

I have the solution. Lock the first row of seats so they can't recline. This will stop the chain reaction.

OliveOyl, I would have taken a big wad of chewed gum and thrown it in that b**CHS HAIR!<BR><BR>To everyone else- C'mon what does the seat recline about 3/4 inch? Get over it!<BR><BR>The most annoying thing by far is the Chatterbox. Sitting behind you. On a 10 hour flight. Never coming up for air. <BR>I truly began thinking homicidal thoughts.

When Greg tries to talk to me...<BR>Or when that ditz sitting in between me and my wife won't move.

I "accidentally" spill my drink on the jerk who reclined. its best to throw it (like you are startled) straight up onto the overhead above him and it drips down all over him. Its funny as hell thinking he is going to a business meeting smelling like a booze hound.

My bigger pet peave is airfares to places like New Zealand and Australia that are through the roof.<BR><BR>Laura such composer I would have said something but of course this probably would have made matters worse. <BR><BR>Laura one thing to consider is that kids have a hard time processing (?) these long flights. I went with my 8 year old niece this past summer to Hawaii. She is PERFECTLY MANNERED in other situations. I remember her getting up at one point and pushing the reclined seat in front of her. We said kelly stop that he is sleeping she YELLED. HE HAS BEEN SLEEPING THE ENTIRE FLIGHT!!! I am laughing writing this to you. This just was not like her to have such a sense of entitlement but that guy had crowded her space as others have mentioned. To make a long story a little shorter, traveling with my niece has taught me to be a bit more tolerant of others with kids. I would have said something to someone that ignores everyone but her child but I don't think I would be so annoyed in future with a child that is out of sorts. Mind you before I traveled with my niece I was the first to label a kid brat, monster, spoiled. I think this just can be hard to travel with a kid unless you are engaging or drugging them to sleep JJ.<BR>

I don't get it. People on this board post with such authority, like they have been EVERYWHERE. Don't any of you have miles? Don't any of you buy a coach seat and use the miles to upgrade? Haven't you accumulated enough miles at this point via your many prior trips and credit cards to fly business class? Not trying to be boastful, but I am one of the people on this board who travels, alot, and I haven't flown coach since I went on a 2 hour flight to Florida on standby. I am not rich, but I seem to manage to have the miles to upgrade for every single flight. What gives here?

Hey clueless,<BR>I'm 3 inches taller than your 6 feet. So those extra two inches you still have in front of your knees are the same as 1" of seat crammed into my knees. Do the math.

areyouforreal - if you are not rich how to you manage to rake up so many free miles and coach upgrades??? You have a rich daddy?

To ya right:<BR><BR>You need to take air mile lessons, boy!<BR><BR>1) business travel. If the company is nice, you get to keep your miles. Perhaps it's your own company and you bill your client for the flight. Perhaps it's not your company and you still get to bill the client.<BR><BR>2) (ours) a mile per dollar spent on our Visa card. We currently have enough for 3 flights to Europe from charges on visa. Everything gets charged, including kids college tuition, and before someone jumps me, YES we pay our balance off each month so incur no interest charges!<BR><BR>Now we could be upgrading on flights we do take, but choose to build up for some great trips instead.

hey areyouforreal. if your such a avid traveller. you'd know that many deep discount ticks don't earn miles expecially AIR PASSES.. plus many of us can't afford too take a plane from A to b. and choose busses or trains instead, which don't earn miles.. <BR><BR>LOL. your playing a fools game.. <BR>

Hey crammed, you misunderstood my post..I did'nt say I had two inches, I said the seat only goes back a couple inches. And even if you are 3 inches taller..I can do the math, and it still doesnt add up.

I hate that the flight attendants never give you enough to drink- just give me the whole can of soda please so I won't have to bother you for a refill!

What bothers me most on airlines are the other passengers.

My biggest pet peeve while flying is the constant cougher right behind me. I can just feel the germs flying through the air and landing all over me and my food. <BR><BR>The person behind you pulling on your seat back to get up is annoying too. Especially when they pull your hair in the process.<BR><BR>Sarah, I agree. I have much more sympathy for children on planes now that I have travelled with them myself. But you are right, the parents who ignore their kids get my goat.<BR><BR>Oh, the woman who wanted to tell my daughter Bible stories was a little annoying too.

The seat-back issue is a killer. My last flight was US Air Phil-WPalm. Because of all the cancelled flights that US Air does to try and save $, this flight was packed. I got to my seat and sure enough the guy in front had his seat reclined. I couldn't even get into my seat! After much squeezing I sat down and this guys face is looking up at me! So I push that stupid button on the arm of my seat and nothing happens, the seat was broken!!!<BR>I lost out on both ends.<BR>

i have never ever been on a flight where the person in front of me DID NOT recline their seat. It's a given.<BR><BR>The worst thing about air travel is that the tickets are non-transferable - not re-sellable. Unfair. You can give away concert tickets, bus tickets, train tickets, everything. What a coup for the airlines. Why does the public put up with this? It's vaguely explained as "security" related. But don't be fooled. It's about $$$! And it's wrong.

Being assigned a seat in the last two rows of the plane, you can look forward to:<BR>That great aroma from the lavatory<BR><BR>The guy on line to use the lavatory standing over your seat. I feel like he's reading my newspaper along with me.