I've flown 15+ hour flights, and yes, I recline my seat. So does most everybody else. To expect someone to sit straight up for that duration, makes you the inconsiderate party.

I prefer the style of seat that instead of reclining pulls the seat base and a panel of fabric forwards. That way you get to lean back as much as you like, but the further you go, the more of your own room you sacrifice rather than the person behind you. Feels fairer.

The complaint isn’t necessarily that the person is reclining. It’s more that the legroom is so small that the recliner can actually bother you.

Lighten up, Francis. Or at least make a similarly defensive and contorted argument on behalf of all the child travelers and seat kickers.

What if you have the middle seat in the last row next to the toilets that doesn't recline?

Yep, everyone know it’s only douchey on a <3 hour flight

So it’s okay to mash other people’s knees?

Not my problem. Buy a premium ticket.

On a domestic flight within the US, I'll try to accommodate you. Once the flight length exceeds 6, 7 hours, yeah, that seat is going back.

Yes. If you want more legroom pay for the emergency aisle or a premium seat.

If you want to recline buy business class seat, wtf. Reclining should be allowed only when person behind you is fine with that. Some airlines even have stickers which say exactly this.

If you want the person in front of you not to recline then buy business class.

Seats in coach recline and it's not my problem that you're being stingy.

I don’t think I’ve ever agreed more with an HN comment.

The only person in that situation being rude is the seat kicker. Children don't travel well, but you can't get mad at the parent. Especially for international travel, it's usually the only option. I'm pretty sure I can't get a boat from the US to Europe anymore, and even if I could, a multi-week journey isn't really feasible.

So yeah, when the kid is screaming I feel bad and I try to take him to the galley, but there is only so much standing in the galley you can do.

And I'm definitely reclining my seat on an 11 hour flight.

You can - and it's about 6~7 days. Still not feasible, but certainly not multi-week.

7 days each way. ie. multi-week round trip.

That would be true. But like the commenter recommending an HNL two/three day break between LAX and somewhere in AUS, if I don't have to there tomorrow, I am otherwise required to be here. (For arbitrary values of here and there).