People flying economy class have complained about recliner seats ever since planes took to the air. Planes have been forced to make emergency landings because of verbal fistfights that broke out in the cabin. The annoyance felt by those whose personal space is violated by the seat in front of them is frequently tangible.
Sixty percent of cabin staff members polled throughout the globe had either been directly engaged in or observed heated fights between passengers.
The reality is that many people see using the recline button as their right since it is available. Delta’s New Policy: Short-Haul Seat Recline Changes, If the passenger behind them has a drink on their tray table, they may do it in sneaky steps or just get up and go without looking.
Others might argue that it’s impolite to recline on a seat without first being asked. There is no in-between. Or does it?
Years ago, several inexpensive airlines got it right by eliminating full reclining. As of last year, British Airways no longer offers reclining on flights under four hours in duration. Instead, they provide “mild recline to ensure everyone in the cabin has a pleasant flight.” This seems like a reasonable compromise, since it ensures that individuals who like to eat or drink in silence or who need more space due to their size will be able to do so.
Even Delta Air Lines wants to put a stop to the reclining seat war. As part of its efforts to respect its customers’ “personal space,” the airline is limiting seat reclining on its A320 aircraft.
During the most recent refurbishment, the recline on 62 of their Airbus A320 planes was cut in half, from four inches to two. The recline of all seats, including those in first class, has been lowered from 5.5 inches to 3.5 inches.
Savannah Huddleston, a company representative for Delta, stated:
“As part of Delta’s continuous efforts to make the in-flight experience more pleasurable, Delta is making a simple tweak to its 62 A320 aircrafts in changing the recline throughout to make multitasking easier.” The safety of the consumers’ personal space is of paramount importance.”
Huddleston said that the A320 is used mostly on shorter routes that carry a large number of business passengers who always work from their seats.
