> Then why is the button there? It doesn't make sense for their to be a button that you should never press. I'm not buying it.
I'm of course cheekily quoting you back to yourself, but I'm sure you get the point:)
And then the passenger behind can take that space from the person behind them, etc. I don't see the issue.
I know there are a few rows where the seats can't recline, but it's on the airline to make adjustments to accommodate that.
Then why not leave them all reclined, and not have a button? The only way that everyone has equal space is if everyone agrees to keep their seat in the same position.
I think the point of this article is that the airlines are using the button as marketing, but it has only caused problems not only between customers that don’t agree in which position to use, but also for the flight attendants that have to deal with the resulting drama.
Some people may choose to sit up straight.
I feel like some people are over-optimizing for "every passenger must have equal space at all times."
Perhaps. For me though, not reclining means feeling physically sick. The seat pushes my head forward, which in turn makes me curl forward, compressing my stomach, which makes me feel ... sick.
The worst turbulence has never given me nausea. The seat on an upright position does. Every time.
It also gives me back and shoulder pain.
Some of this can be mitigated by putting a pillow or a folded jumper behind my lower back but it's not good enough. Also, that presses my knees against the seat in front. Which gives me other kinds of pain and discomfort. And eventually makes me feel sick.
> "The airlines are intentionally selling that space to the person in front of you and to you, so it's just incredibly disingenuous of the airline," he said. "I understand why they like leaning. It's more of an airline issue because they're cramming seats so close together and pitting passengers against each other.”
The button’s there so that passengers buying the ticket feel like they have additional room. And while that’s somewhat true, that passenger is taking space away from the passenger behind.
So there is this shared space, and passengers are left to fend for themselves to determine who has rights to it.