| Welcome to Yanks Down Under! You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customising your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Airplane etiquette; beep beep beep! Seat is going back! beep beep beep | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: May 7 2011, 08:27:05 PM (795 Views) | |
| Verity | May 7 2011, 08:27:05 PM Post #1 |
Piker
|
Ok, odd question but here goes: What is the etiquette on the long flight back to the States (or, any other far away place) for reclining your seat? Generally, I am of the belief that "Seats go back; therefore, you should expect it." I understand if there is a tall person behind me, or a lady with a child on her lap or someone eating, etc (and if these people asked me not to lower my seat politely, I'd be more than happy to try and accommodate them) but I'm really just referring to an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, long-ass plane ride. The reason I am wondering this is because, on my way back from visiting Australia last year, I reclined my seat in preparation to go to bed. My seat went back and everything was fine until my husband got up to go stretch his legs*. As soon as he was out of sight, the man - of average height, mind you - behind me began kicking (more like using his legs as mini battering-rams) the back of my seat. I ignored the first few kicks, assuming he was tangled up in his blanket or ... something... but, when they continued, I had to turn around and confront him. He kept blabbering on about how "ya can't put yer seat back, mate" and I pointed out that /his/ seat was reclined so that's not quite a fair expectation. He continued so, this time, I stood up (all scrawny ass 5'5" of me- rawr!) and told him to cut the crap and, if he had a problem with my seat being back, he should feel free to ask an attendant to re-seat him to one of the plentiful empty seats elsewhere in the cabin. (Our flight had been delayed 13 or 14 hours because one of Qantas' planes engines had exploded so there were plenty of empty seats. Also: everyone was grouchy and worn out.) Anyway, how would you have handled this? Is seat reclining a privilege, not a right, in Australia? Or was the man just tired and having a bad day? Also, any of you all have any good stories to share about plane rides that went well? Poorly? Involved confrontations? Also also, did you all ever have a moment of thinking "Oh dude, I am SO not "your mate." because that is EXACTLY what blinked through my head the moment he began griping at me. :\ I'm really trying to overcome the difference in word meanings and not take things too literally. *Really made me furious is how he waited until my husband was gone to pick on me.  I guess he assumed I'd just meekly raise my seat?
|
| My rather boring account of moving: Aust(in/ralia) | |
 |
 
|
| crapola | May 7 2011, 09:07:44 PM Post #2 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
i'm an aussie, and i would have said "i'm not your mate, mate!" and then probably called him a wanker. everyone has the right to recline their seats, otherwise they just wouldnt recline. maybe he fell out of bed on the wrong side, but thats no excuse for his ignorant behaviour (wonder if he's related to my father, sure sounds like it, lol!!) |
|
|
|
| isabel | May 7 2011, 09:53:56 PM Post #3 |
True Blue Mate
|
I *have* to recline on a long flight, its the only way I can take a nap! If he wanted more room he should have paid for BUSINESS or FIRST class!!! LOL I do usually wait til they are done handing out the food and all that and they turn off the cabin lights and everyone is just watching movies before I recline my seat. But yeah! I would have yelled at him too! |
| My Twitter! | |
|
|
|
| Judy | May 7 2011, 11:21:23 PM Post #4 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
I'm Australian and I think he was way out of line. |
|
|
|
| AmbroseChick | May 8 2011, 12:47:00 PM Post #5 |
True Blue Mate
|
You did the right thing - its important to stand up for yourself - plus its a very American thing to do  heheI'm assuming that the guy backed right down after you yelled at him. I've had really good luck with flights although I think the worse flight to Australia was on V-Australia. We were sitting in the screaming baby section and it seemed like none of the mothers/fathers did anything to sooth their children - they just let them scream and scream and scream. "Darling you need to be quiet" "Darling please be nice" "Darling please don't throw your food".... I wanted to belt the parents in the mouth and then look at their little darling and tell them that they were next. On the trip home, I rang V-Australia and asked them how many small children were sitting in my vicinity and then asked them to move me to an area without small children and explained why. They moved us and they were very pleasant about it. Edited by AmbroseChick, May 8 2011, 06:08:21 PM.
|
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
|
|
|
| canaussie | May 8 2011, 04:13:14 PM Post #6 |
True Blue Mate
|
I find Virgin Blue ALWAYS puts families down the back of the plane....so all the screaming babies and kids are all together and all the people flying alone or business people are at the front not having to deal with those screaming kids |
|
Paula (dual Canadian/Australian) married to an Aussie since 1999 and mummy to an Aussie since 2000 | |
|
|
| Cristin | May 8 2011, 06:08:36 PM Post #7 |
True Blue Mate
|
I may be in the minority, but I never put my seat down unless there is no one seated behind me. I hate it when the people in front of me put their seat back, so I suppose I'm trying to earn leg-room karma.  That said, I would certainly never tell someone off for putting their seat back, like that guy did to you! Whether or not it bugs me, it's everyone's right - as you say, it reclines, so it stands to reason that one is within one's rights to do so. I think you just got a cranky jerk behind you. I work in customer service, so I can attest that there are plenty of cranky jerks out there, just spoiling for a fight. Don't take it personally! |
| My Australian Blog - In An Opal Hearted Country | |
|
|
|
| SanDiablo | May 8 2011, 06:10:53 PM Post #8 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
Oh, I have a doozy of a story along this thread... We were on a 5:00 pm flight from New Orleans to Los Angeles. You might well imagine how we spent the day on Bourbon Street. My husband was trashed before we got to the airport and THEN had 2 Long Island Iced Teas in short succession before boarding the plane. My husband is a big guy and didn't fit in the camped United seats very well. Seated in front of him was a very tall - and quite muscular - strapping young man in a cowboy hat. When he leaned his seat back, my idiot drunk husband pushed it back upright. This duet was repeated several times before the cowboy turned in his seat and loomed over the headrest. "Do you got a problem?", he bellowed. And my normally quite passive husband retaliated with posturing and provocative discussion!! Veins popped out of the cowboys neck and forearms as readied himself to beat the living shit out of my husband. Fortunately, he suddenly regained his composure - not wanting to kick some drunk's ass in front of his mother, with whom he was traveling. He retreated and asked to be moved to another row. I exhaled. When he eventually sobered up - about 3 days later - he pledged his eternal gratitude and undying devotion to that tall cowboy with the amazing self restraint! |
| "I'll try anything twice." | |
|
|
|
| trix | May 8 2011, 09:38:12 PM Post #9 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
I always recline - and expect the people in front of me too. I wouldn't even bother with getting into a screaming match with the person behind me if they tried to push my seat forward - would just tell the flight attendant to tell the person to stop ....that's ridiculous. The kids bother me more - I used an acquaintence to book our flights back to the US last time (as he was a travel agent) and the bloody idiot put us near the bulkheads...which is obviously where all the kids are. We couldn't sleep even with ear plugs it was so bad. I'm so careful with seats any more - study those seat maps! |
| Americans in Adelaide on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=18654578423 | |
|
|
|
| Verity | May 9 2011, 03:30:54 AM Post #10 |
|
Piker
|
Oddly enough, I can sleep right through baby howls and, as a result, I really don't mind when young 'uns travel. Way I figure, their parents probably wouldn't be bringing them along if it wasn't somewhat important. That and, when I have a baby, I could easily see the need to travel with it (even though I really wouldn't want to) so I suppose that I should be understanding since it is a position I might be in some day. Although, if I bring my baby on the trip, I am sitting in the back with plenty of spare diapers, pacifiers, bottles, etc. in hopes of having everything I need to keep him/her calm. That said, I severely dislike the 4 year olds that should know better being allowed to run up and down the isle, talk loudly, play with noisy toys etc. Worst is when their parents allow them to drink SODA during their meal. Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy, god, whhhhhhhhhhhhhhy? Poorly behaved kindergarteners make trips hell. Oh, and for a minor clarification, I didn't actually yell at the guy. I never yell- it's much more effective to keep a flat, seething voice. ;D |
| My rather boring account of moving: Aust(in/ralia) | |
|
|
|
| yaussievi | May 9 2011, 12:34:36 PM Post #11 |
True Blue Mate
|
I always recline except for taking off, landing & eating. I don't mind the babies crying because I can't sleep on a plane anyway but I do have a problem with the kids behind me kicking the seat. And the parents who could care less I have even more of a problem with
|
| Yaussie-Vi | |
|
|
|
| TerritorianTori | May 9 2011, 02:40:02 PM Post #12 |
It couldn't happen here
|
Back to the original question, I think I would've handled it exactly as you did, Verity. That man was rude rude rude!  Both of my children are mid-moderately autistic and plane rides are always...a challenge... although, the last time we went anywhere (2009), we had an absolutely wonderful airline crew who helped us on and off the plane, helped us settle the kids, and just generally made sure everything was OK. That really made a difference. Of course, I know that even travelling with typical kids is hard: hard for parents, hard for the kids, hard for others on the plane. I just try to take a deep breath and say, it's only a few hours, it's on a few hours.. Now, if you want to hear horror stories, I can tell a few doozies about travelling on Greyhound buses during my college years! 
|
 South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd | The Big Bang Theory | Doctor Who | Pet Shop Boys | Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys I don't do Facebook, sorry. | |
|
|
|
| DS6540 | May 9 2011, 05:03:57 PM Post #13 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
I read this thread and really liked the subtitle, "beep beep beep! Seat is going back! beep beep beep!" I'm all for letting people recline, and reclining myself. I think that generally, people understand that if someone reclines their seat - it makes for a more comfortable experience if I do the same and recline mine. I latched on to the subtitle though, because I thought that this thread may have been proposing some sort of warning prior to actually throwing the seat back. I do my work on planes quite often, and I often put my computer up on the tray table. My work computer is a Toshiba Portege so it's small and great for traveling. I was typing away on a presentation during one flight, and without warning the seat in front of me came back really quickly - catching the laptop screen against the closure for the tray table. Snap. Tiny pieces on the floor of the plane, a screen that would no longer close, and a repair bill. I really can't offer any specific etiquette rules; however, giving warning before you recline might be a welcome gesture to include. |
|
|
|
| AmbroseChick | May 9 2011, 09:53:46 PM Post #14 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
When I travel (and I used to travel in the US quite frequently) and I was planning on using my laptop - I always made a point of speaking to the person sitting in front of me - just to let them know that I would be working on my laptop and if they planned to recline the seat would they mind giving me a bit of warning just to preserve my laptop. I never had a problem with anyone - they were all very nice about letting me know. Of course I also hate to fly so I would always be in the aisle seat which makes back and forth communication much easier. I'm a bit of an idealist - I tend to think that most people are inherently kind hearted - except that dickhead that tried to pick a fight with Verity. I think he had definite issues. Edited by AmbroseChick, May 9 2011, 09:54:14 PM.
|
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
|
|
|
| Mimishuze | Jun 14 2011, 04:44:32 PM Post #15 |
True Blue Mate
|
Well, I personally don't mind if people in front of me put their seat back - I don't usually because I like to sit really upright and I hate reclining (my husband says that I don't sit on chairs - I perch) Anywho, I had one issue though on our trip back to the States where the guy in front of me put his seat back so violently directly after breakfast that it knocked my coffee right over - luckily it was almost empty and it spilled into the aisle and not on me. I thought that wasn't quite on - I feel like you should put your seat back very slowly and gently so that the person behind you can move things if needed or just prepare. |
| Gone On a Lucky Country - My Blog About Moving to Australia | |
|
|
|
| (provocateur) | Jun 14 2011, 05:00:49 PM Post #16 |
|
Deleted
|
The next time I go back and take my three kids, I'm going to request a seat right next to AmbroseChick. Before I board, it's candy and ice cream for the kids and a few Manhattans at the bar for me!!! |
| Account deleted by user request | |
|
|
|
| AmbroseChick | Jun 14 2011, 05:43:54 PM Post #17 |
|
True Blue Mate
|
Thats okay mate - I take Xanax so I'll just pop a couple in the kiddie's ice cream. |
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
|
|
|
| (provocateur) | Jun 14 2011, 05:50:03 PM Post #18 |
|
Deleted
|
You can pop one into my drink, too. |
| Account deleted by user request | |
|
|
|
| sleepyzzz | Jun 14 2011, 11:10:28 PM Post #19 |
Yacker
|
 AAAHHHHHHHIIII'M not looking forward to the plane ride over. Will definitely need the Xanax sprinkles on my ice-cream Plus: 1st passenger:"I'm not your Mate, Pal!" 2nd passenger:"I'm not your Pal, Buddy!" 1st passenger:"I'm not your Buddy, Friend!" 2nd passenger:"I'm not your Friend, Mate!" |
|
|
|
| CynicalCountess | Jun 15 2011, 01:20:06 AM Post #20 |
True Blue Mate
|
I'll take 3, thanks. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · General Chit-Chat · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
6:10 PM May 22