TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin The reason your next Delta flight might be uncomfortable

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I totally disagree with the title of the article. I LOATHE people reclining in front of me. I wish all airlines would prevent seats from reclining all together.

Agree with you!

I agree too! I never recline (unless the seat is broken; that has happened in the past).

I understand the dislike but with my lower back issues, being able to recline a bit is a lifesaver.

I'll let you know Sunday....

I know very little about models of planes, as to whether they are using these planes going to SXM or not. I am on Delta in June, going through Atlanta.

CaribLee--having suffered through years of back pain myself, I can empathize, but it really is EXTREMELY uncomfortable for the person in back of you, even if they are short, like me. And as far as eating or working on a laptop? No way..

You can find out here: SEAT GURU

Pretty sure you are on a 757 if connecting through ATL.

I have long legs and I'll recline if it's available to do so. If they sell a seat with recline features then it's mine to use as I see fit.

Somehow, that statement does not surprise me, Scuba..

I totally agree that people shouldn't be allowed to almost have their head on your knees & they keep shifting around and bumping you as they get comfortable.
No recline seats are the way to go. I find if you keep your foot up on the back of the seat they don't shift around as much!😁

And yet, reclining gives you no more leg room.

Agree with those against reclining.

Great idea and another positive for Delta. My opinion is that if your comfort depends on another persons discomfort then it isn't cool. It's "allowed" but still not cool....

Very well stated.

I understand Carol. I blame it on the airlines. They've crammed too many seats in too little space and the result is no one is happy.

I truly don't understand this. The person in front of me reclining doesn't bother me at all, and I've never felt like I had someone's "head on my knees". The seats recline such a small amount that's just not possible!

Georgia--Surprised you feel that way, but glad for your sake that it doesn't bother you. It literally drives me up the wall.

CaribLee--Delta proclaims that this is not a precursor to adding more seats and I 'guess' I believe them. For the trip home from SXM in June, we paid extra for Delta Comfort, which gives a bit more room anyway.

Same with me. Granted I mostly fly JetBlue and Delta and have never had issues with someone reclining in front of me. But I do blame the airlines. Way too cramped. Almost inhuman!

Think what you want Carol. But until airlines change seating to not recline, if I'm paying for a reclining seat I'll recline it to a comfort level. Most of the time I travel First Class or pay for the premium seats to have more comfort.

Great idea---a couple of inches should make everyone comfortable.

Seriously, you are already in a premium seat with more room and you still want to inconvenience those behind you?

Carol, how does it inconvenience you? What planes are you usually flying? JetBlue regular seating has never been an issue. Delta seats (not comfort or business) are snug but never an issue If someone reclines. Maybe AA?

We normally fly AA, yes. And yes, if someone reclines in front of me, it seriously is a problem. And not just me, according to most of the responses on this thread...

I fly AA almost exclusively to St. Maarten. I often have someone recline in front of me. I am 6'-2", 210 lbs. While it does somewhat reduce available space, I still have no trouble eating, watching movies on my tablet and generally doing all the things I would otherwise do. Do I prefer they not recline--sure. But it doesn't prevent me from doing anything I would normally do. I guess I'm one of those glass half full folks.

Just recline yours too. You have that option. That is why they make them reclinable. Pretty simple fix.

No, I don't choose to impose on someone else's space, just because someone in front of me does. I travel in the cheap seats, which have zero extra room to begin with.

That is your choice so don't condem someone for exercising their right to recline their seat. You get what you pay for.

It’s just selfish to recline on an already cramped flight. Don’t know how people are able to just not care about the people behind you. I am over six feet and as much as I’d like to I am aware of the discomfort it causes.

What's way worse than this is the person kicking or pressing on the back of your seat. Or, a person with an annoying laugh who is watching a comedy movie wth their headphones in place and laughing out loud for the better part of two hours. As for reclining seats, I only recline if trying to sleep on a long, long flight (such as to Europe). For SXM I'm often too excited to even notice!

Excellent choice...that has now been our choice (JB and Delta) for the last few years. It takes away most of the impact of those "it's all about me" people in front of me.....

...and...seat reclining in Business and First class is NOT a biggie since there is more than sufficient leg room. It the regular seat that can (will) have my knees embedded in someones back

I think a two inch recline is reasonable. Four inches was probably too much.

Delta Comfort is nice!!

Not replying to any one person here, just off the last post

Pay the extra for more room or live with the seats and what people want to do in the economy section. The consumer drives these changes, if one airline has to compete with another for a lower cost to gain the customers because people are not willing to pay more or they have to have upgraded options because the consumer wants that option and is willing to pay for it that is what drives the change. Winning that battle wins on the bottom line.

Personally I pay the extra, and I travel in the 100k per year range so with that I get the upgrades and benefits associated. The extra room is worth if for me even if I have to pay extra. But to each their own, some save on airline and blow it on food or a place to stay. Some live big all the way around, some are thrifty all the way around, it is nice that there are options and one of the great things about SXM is that the options are available for many different services.

Cheers!

Well said Todd. We always book the "more room seat" or First just to have that room and NOT have too worry about space or being uncomfortable.

Right on the money.

I feel the same way because of my back issues. I also have no quaums about the person in front of me reclining theirs as it doesn't seem to invade my space significantly.
George

Yes a couple inches is just about perfect in my mind. People that like or need to recline can do so and not really inconvenience the people behind them like a four inch recline might. Good policy!

I totally agree with Scubaman.

I totally agree with Scubaman. And furthermore, people with lower back issues can't and shouldn'tstay in one position for more than 30 minutes, according to my Physical Therapist. If you want us standing for most of the flight, then take away our ability to move our backs.