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Seat Lock Starts Fight on Flight!

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Onager, Aug 26, 2014.

  1. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    I don't fly anymore. The TSA show is a big joke and a huge hassle, the airlines pack you in like cattle, everything seems to be an upcharge ("An extra bag, sir? That'll be $50."), the food is practically inedible (if you even get a meal), etc.

    I'd rather take the train or drive.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed.^^^ although, every time my wife and i get on the train, every double seat has one person in it, and we have to sit apart.
     
  3. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Tricky, if like me you want to go to Europe occasionally.
     
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  4. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    You have just announced you are not carrying much (if any) excess weight on your body. I keep my (Prius & previous) passenger seat in a very upright position. Over the years I have noticed that every person carrying excess weight instantly starts looking for the reclining adjustment when they get into the seat. It is like clockwork.
     
  5. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Teleportation - that's the ticket!
     
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  6. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Gosh, I wish that were true. I've lost 20kg over the last six months, but I am still a right fatty.

    On the flights I get, the rule is more that if a passenger is Chinese, they'll recline, and if they're not, they probably won't.
     
  7. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Yes, same for me. I wouldn't have fancied doing the journey I did on Saturday (Sydney to Shanghai) by train. I'd have drowned, for a start. Also, in the time it takes to get across Australia by train, I'd have died of old age - a lot of our trains don't clear 50mph. I also wouldn't be keen on doing next month's trip from Sydney to Manchester by train. At least, not with the kids. One day, I'd like to do as much of the journey as possible by land, but I think I'll have to wait till the kids grow up.

    Mind you, I did get the train today, from Shanghai to Beijing. That's about 750 miles, and takes a little over four hours by train. It's much better than the plane. It's more comfortable. The man in front of me did recline (Why? who needs to sleep from 11am to 3:30pm.?), but there's enough room that it's not a problem. There's an electricity socket, so I can use my laptop. And the trains are on time: all domestic planes into and out of Beijing are always late, so while the flight should be just over two hours, you need to allow at least another two hours for delays, plus an hour to or from Beijing airport, and an hour and a half of security, checking in, and walking the 500 miles from check-in to the gate at Beijing airport. On the train, I don't have to go through (much) security, and I don't have to check in in advance. I just get on the train, sit down, and relax. It's a joy.
     
  8. zhenya

    zhenya Active Member

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    The lack of empathy beyond ones own immediate needs in this thread is stunning. No wonder these devices sell.

    Why do people need to recline? Because travel inevitably means a disruption to your schedule. Maybe you had to get up at 4am to catch that 5:30 regional departure. Maybe they had kids up fussing the night before. Maybe they will be working all night once they reach their destination, or still have hours of driving ahead of them after landing. Paying for a seat means paying for all the features of the seat including the recline. Just like folks who are too large to fit in one seat need to buy two, if you can't make it through a flight if the person in front of you decides to use the space that they paid for then you need to buy a higher class of ticket.
     
  9. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    People just need to have respect for others, that's the key thing here. I would very rarely recline my seat fully and would generally chat with the person behind before doing so, i.e. are you using the tanle, do you mind etc etc

    I try not to recline the seat, but on a flight from London to Cape Town or a flight from Dublin to San Fran, I would have it reclined, but only if the person behind is ok with it and they haeve theirs reclined too.

    I always buy a better seat for both me and my family to avoid having these hassles (if at all possible)

    The real solution is to fly first or business class!
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that was pretty cute.:cool: i suppose we'll end up with a 'no reclining section' someday.
     
  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    If GOD had intended for man to fly, we wouldn't have rental cars with unlimited mileage.

    I used to have to fly when I worked for the Uncle, both in and out of uniform.
    I've had to do it.....
    A LOT!
    Ma Bell pays better, and unless a large body of water separates me from someplace I HAVE to go?
    I'll drive.
    My flying days are over.

    People PAY to fly.
    Proof positive that PT Barnum was right. :D
     
  12. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Sort of funny to see so many article writers claiming some sort of legal "rights" are involved in reclining. If that is the case my "rights" are seriously abused on many a flight. Here are some freedoms taken away from me:
    1) My right to a tray is robbed from me in the front row.
    2) My right to at least one seat handle in the center seat to place my elbow is never acknowledged.
    3) Behind me is the crying baby in the lap of the stressed mom. My right to recline is matched by the babies right to use my hair as a towel.
    4) My right to reading a book is secondary to hearing the life story of the unluckiest person on the flight.
    5) My right to fresh air is invaded by fartblossom next to me. Fortunately he does not realize he only brought a knife to a gunfight.
     
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  13. Onager

    Onager Junior Member

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  14. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    For this reason, I try not to recline on a domestic flight, or if I do recline only slighty and slowly.
    I am thinking I've heard it said somewhere that experienced flyer flight etiquette would in theory include asking the person behind you if reclining is OK with them or not, but most do not ask of course. So this is a gray area, with no agrement on convention.

    Sometimes I feel the crew needs to help a little better but the issue is obviously passenger behavior sometimes not good no matter what.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    we better build it before china does...
     
  16. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I would love this.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i remember the 'smoking section', as if the smoke didn't work it's way forward.:rolleyes:
     
  18. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Yes. Except on Japan Airlines, where, hilariously, the left was the smoking section and the right was non-smoking. That really didn't work.

    Recline and non-recline sections should be a bit less likely to spread, though.
     
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  19. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    I did not know that,
    I agree with you.
    I used to fly a lot under the same conditions. I am retired and I am also retired from flying as well. I just bought a new Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring. When I travel that will be my only mode of travel. If it is too far for the Avalon to go I'm not going.