Airplane seat etiquette!

[pktbMouse]

This may be the wrong place to post this however here goes..whats your take on this...we have booked our flight to florida and could only get the last row all sitting together...I know this row dosnt recline and I will have the baby on my lap. I just know the person in front is going to recline their seat and there will be no room to breath...while technically there is nothing I can do about it is it morally wrong for me to complain ?
I know it is just common courtesy but what can I do if they are crushing the baby and wont budge their seat??? I know they have payed thier money just like everyone else and they have every right to do this but most cases I think its "I will because I can". Whats your take on this? Thanks

 

[ms_missy66]

I've flown alone when my daughter was 8 months old, also having her in my lap. The folks in front of me reclined their seat and it seriously didn't make much of a difference for us. You're crammed in there anyway, KWIM? Are you traveling with another adult? Can you trade off seats or turns holding the baby if this happens? Surely not everyone will have their seat reclined at the same time. How long is the flight?

I'm betting you'll be just fine. But if it should come up, I do think it's totally okay for you to politely ask the person in front of you to sit upright. If it was me in that seat, I would gladly oblige. I mean the darn seat only goes back 2 1/2 inches (kidding!) anyway. It doesn't really add much comfort. I swear it's just mentally more comfortable. LOL

Good luck and enjoy your trip! And don't stress about this. I have a good feeling you won't run into any trouble.

 

[daisyduck123]

Whenever we flew with our babies, we always bought them their own seats so they could sit in their carseats.

If that's not an option for you, I don't think there is much you can do. I don't think I would be bold enough to ask the person in front of me NOT to recline. I think I would just look at all the seats in front of my party & pass the baby over to whomever in my party seems to have the most room.

 

[livndisney]

This may be the wrong place to post this however here goes..whats your take on this...we have booked our flight to florida and could only get the last row all sitting together...I know this row dosnt recline and I will have the baby on my lap. I just know the person in front is going to recline their seat and there will be no room to breath...while technically there is nothing I can do about it is it morally wrong for me to complain ?
I know it is just common courtesy but what can I do if they are crushing the baby and wont budge their seat??? I know they have payed thier money just like everyone else and they have every right to do this but most cases I think its "I will because I can". Whats your take on this? Thanks

While I would like to think that no one is going to be "crushing the baby" by reclining their seat. IF you have someone in front of you who is not able or willing to comply with your request. You can ask the FA for another seat. But I doubt they would be able to get a whole row together. To whom would you complain?

It is not always a "I will because I can" person in front of you. It may be "I have a medical reason not known to you" person in front of you reclining their seat.

 

[brymolmom]

I do not think it is right to complain because that person deserves that seat (and if you have another adult - you could have split up into different locations to get a reclining seat - so you likely had other options). BUT, that being said if it was me sitting in front of you and I realized the situation - I would not recline. Now, how to let me know - since it's tough to see what's going on behind you. Maybe when he/she starts reclining just saying (not in a mean way but loud enough to be heard) 'Oh my - it's really tight back here since these back seats don't recline, isn't it honey' (talking to someone else in your party or to the baby on your lap). If I heard this and realized, I would put my seat back up. And many other courteous people would do so as well. Airplane seats aren't comfortable even leaning back - I would think most people would try to help you out.

 

[Schmeck]

Can you check your flight seating online and change one of your seats? You have many choices - change your flight, change one seat if you can, or grin and bear it. You could ask very politely for the person not to recline the seat, but if they say no, what are you going to do?

 

[carj]

This may be the wrong place to post this however here goes..whats your take on this...we have booked our flight to florida and could only get the last row all sitting together...I know this row dosnt recline and I will have the baby on my lap. I just know the person in front is going to recline their seat and there will be no room to breath...while technically there is nothing I can do about it is it morally wrong for me to complain ?
I know it is just common courtesy but what can I do if they are crushing the baby and wont budge their seat??? I know they have payed thier money just like everyone else and they have every right to do this but most cases I think its "I will because I can". Whats your take on this? Thanks[/QUOTE

You know, there actually may not even be an issue. I wouldn't really worry too much about it until you see there is a problem. I wouldn't "complain" to anyone, at least not unless it becomes an issue. I would try to solve the problem myself by switching seats with someone, passing the baby, etc...

If there was nothing else that you could do yourself, then I would politely say something like, " Excuse me sir, I know that it is really uncomfortable but would you mind not reclining the seat? It is really cramped back her because I can't recline. I would love to buy you a drink to make up for the inconvenience that I am causing you." etc...

You have chosen to sit in a row where you can't recline, rather than splitting up the family. (Totally understandable) You have also chosen to let the baby ride for free. (Also totally understandable) But...the catch is that it is also totally understandable for the passenger in front of you to be able to enjoy their flight. On a full flight to Orlando, there could very well be another mother in front of you with a baby who is sitting behind a person with a reclined seat. KWIM?

As a last resort, I would appeal to the flight attendant for assisstance. I think that you will be better off arranging things yourself once you see the lay of the land.

 

[foszilfineder]

I would think that that person has the right to recline. Just as you have the right to buy your baby a seat where they would not be potentially squished.

 

[crashbb]

I do not think it is right to complain because that person deserves that seat (and if you have another adult - you could have split up into different locations to get a reclining seat - so you likely had other options). BUT, that being said if it was me sitting in front of you and I realized the situation - I would not recline. Now, how to let me know - since it's tough to see what's going on behind you. Maybe when he/she starts reclining just saying (not in a mean way but loud enough to be heard) 'Oh my - it's really tight back here since these back seats don't recline, isn't it honey' (talking to someone else in your party or to the baby on your lap). If I heard this and realized, I would put my seat back up. And many other courteous people would do so as well. Airplane seats aren't comfortable even leaning back - I would think most people would try to help you out.

Honestly, id you played passive-aggressive with me (and, yes, "talking" to your baby in hopes that I would hear is passive-aggressive) I would be less inclined to stop my recline than otherwise. Much better to address the person directly - not asking them to refrain from reclining but pointing out that you have a baby on your lap, and if the person in front could make sure to recline gently, you would appreciate it. Since you cannot ask the person not to recline, asking for them to do it gently is all you can really ask, but, most people would be likely to then not recline or limit their recline.

I agree with other posters though - you have to decide if sitting all in one row is more important than the potential to be behind a recliner when you cannot recline. If you decide that being in a row is more important (and it is a legitimate choice) then you cannot complain about being unable to recline (whilst the person in front of you does).

 

[bellebud]

i personally wouldn't ask the person in front of me to not recline. It would be on my shoulders for not buying baby a seat (which I totally understand), but I wouldn't impose my situation on someone else.

What I would do though, is lift the armrests in my row (family is next to you, right?) and make it more of a bench seat. baby can lay across 2 people then and just have a little more wiggle room. it's not perfect, but better than nothing.

 

[tartemis]

Yes, the person in front of her has the "right" to recline fully, but I would hope that people, in general, would be more accomodating.

I am very tall, as is my husband, and we always do our best to try and fly business class using air miles, but it is not always available. While the 5'2" girl in front of me in coach does technically have a "right" to jam her seat into me, and I wouldn't complain (outwardly) if she did it, I think people should, in general, be less concerned about their "rights" and more concerned about being considerate.

Even as tall as I am, with my "right" to fully recline, I wouldn't do so into a parent holding her baby on her lap.

 

[crashbb]

Yes, the person in front of her has the "right" to recline fully, but I would hope that people, in general, would be more accomodating.

I am very tall, as is my husband, and we always do our best to try and fly business class using air miles, but it is not always available. While the 5'2" girl in front of me in coach does technically have a "right" to jam her seat into me, and I wouldn't complain (outwardly) if she did it, I think people should, in general, be less concerned about their "rights" and more concerned about being considerate.

Even as tall as I am, with my "right" to fully recline, I wouldn't do so into a parent holding her baby on her lap.

But what about the OP showing consideration? While you and your husband can do nothing about being tall, the OP has a number of options that would not put her in this position. She could buy a seat for her child, she could split up so that her family isn't taking an entire row and sit in a seat that reclines, she could put a family member in the seat directly in front of her (so the non-recliner is a family member). Consideration works both ways.

 

[AmyMama2AvaNtheo]

I flew with my son in July and it was horrible. The person infront of me DID recline their seat while my son was sleeping on my lap. I couldnt move at ALL because my daughter was in her carseat next to me .. never again will I fly with a lap baby (well and my son is over 2 also, lol)

If you can, I would split up, not sure howmany people are flying with you .. but I would make my hubby sit somewhere else as long as he was close if it meant being able to get a different seat! Good luck ...

 

[disneybridetobe]

We flew in September with DD as a lap baby, and there wasn't a problem with a reclined seat. DD is also going on my lap in May. The seats don't recline that much, enough to crush your kiddo.

PS- we're a little fluffy too, if that helps

 

[belle&beast]

We flew in January and had the last row. The man in front of me had a seat that did not lock in the upright position- so at take off he was in my lap! I don't know what I would have done if I had a child in my lap- probably handed off to another adult. He was apologetic, but couldn't help it at all. I have found flying with children most people are very helpful and understanding, hope for the best!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We always buy a seat for the infant. I also have split up a number of times. Really, it's not that big a deal to be in different rows on the same plane.

One trip, we had two kids, 3 and 5. I had gotten 3 seats in one row, then I sat across the aisle. Next to me was a young boy--maybe 6. His mom politely asked me to switch places with her. I agreed, because I felt he was a little young to be without Mom for 3 hours. Unfortunately, the mom was in the non-reclining row. Worse, the 3yo was recovering from an ear infection--as soon as that seatbelt sign went off, he came back, crawled into my lap, and fell asleep in my arms. I sat there, cramped, for the entire trip. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but it wasn't the end of the world. It didn't even occur to me to pester the person in front of me--they were probably relieved my son was sleeping and not screaming.

I think you have to take ownership of your own situation--you chose not to buy the seat, you chose not to split the family up. Now, you can certainly ask a FA politely if you can move, but beyond that, take it as a lesson learned.

 

[michael's mom]

LOL Fluffy! I love it! I've never described myself that way, but it certainly would fit.

To the OP. We flew down in 07 with our DS (then 14 months) and while the person in front of me didn't recline, it was still tight. We passed DS back and forth just to give one another some breathing room. I was never so glad as to get off of that darn plane. I can understand why you want to stick together as a family, but, if you can in any way manage the flight sitting seperately, I'd do it if it means you'll be able to recline your seat to add some room. I'm not sure of the cost, but if you could swing buying an infant seat I'd consider that too. I just found out that Southwest sells infant seats at a lower cost than other seats. Maybe your airline does as well.

 

[aleighjc]

I wouldn't worry about it, we fly all the time and it has never been a problem. The recline really isn't that much. Our last flight my daughter was a month away from turning 2 and even then as big as she was it was not a problem when the people infront of us reclined their seat.

Anna

 

[bellebud]

Yes, the person in front of her has the "right" to recline fully, but I would hope that people, in general, would be more accomodating.

I am very tall, as is my husband, and we always do our best to try and fly business class using air miles, but it is not always available. While the 5'2" girl in front of me in coach does technically have a "right" to jam her seat into me, and I wouldn't complain (outwardly) if she did it, I think people should, in general, be less concerned about their "rights" and more concerned about being considerate.

Even as tall as I am, with my "right" to fully recline, I wouldn't do so into a parent holding her baby on her lap.

I don't know that people are being inconsiderate if they recline. I always recline, and I have no idea who is behind me. I'd have to stand up and turn around to fully see who is behind (which i feel is rude), and I'd never look at someone long enough to do a mental "that person seems over 5'10", so I'll be considerate and not recline". I also am too busy tending to my own family to really take note of things like that. You seem like you really don't like flying in coach, which I don't blame you being tall. My dh is somewhat tall (6') and we try to get the "more legroom" seats. It's not much, but every little bit helps. He's really uncomfortable flying, but he'd never size up the person in front of him and think "you're only 5-something and you're *jamming* your seat into me". I'm only 5'3", but it's simply more comfortable on my back to be reclined. In the upright position, I almost feel like I'm leaning forward a bit, and that's not good for my motion sickness either. So while I'm somewhat short, I don't know how comfortable i'd be staying upright the whole flight. Just food for thought...

 

[rparmfamily]

I check out who is behind me before I recline. I'm 5'3" and a small build. I fit perfectly in the seat. DH is 6'4".He is totally squished if someone reclines all the way, he has no use of the laptray. We normally try for the bulkhead row but sometimes we book the seats so he's in front of me and can recline since he needs all the room he can get. If someone behind me appears to be large in any way (height/weight) I don't recline or I warn them I'm going to a little bit.

As for the baby...you won't have the tray table down so unless you are a bigger sized person you should be fine holding the baby and the person being reclined. I always gate check the baby carseat and double check at the ticket counter if there is an open seat by me and about 90% of the time I've gotten to use the empty seat by me for the baby, so that's a thought too.

Good luck!