Evil Flyer

[inkkognito]

Flying too often has turned me into an evil flyer. I lurk at the Flyertalk forums and am amazed at some of the wicked things they do to fellow passengers who annoy them. But on my last flight, I actually used one of their tactics (and it worked). Seems the people over there have a hatred of those who grab and jolt the seatback as they get up or down. While it can be necessary for an elderly or disabled person, apparently many able-bodied people do it. This week, I was seated in front of one of them; it was an aisle, so it's not like he was squished in and needed to do it for balance. I let him off twice, but the third time I released my recline button just as he pulled. He must have gotten the hint (maybe he thought he broke the seat!), as it didn't happen again. The other Flyertalk strategy is to scream loudly, "OWWW! MY HAIR!!" (even if they didn't touch it), but I was watching a DVD and didn't feel like going through that much effort.
Barb

 

[ducklite]

Barb,

Just keep in mind that some people who might not look disabled have a medical reason to need that extra help getting up.

I have very poor balance (I can lose my balance standing still in bare feet--it amuses my husband to no end... ) and sometimes when standing, espcially in a plane/train/bus/etc. it's a safety issue to use the seat back, lest I fall sideways into another passenger.

Anne

 

[CarolA]

However, MOST of the people who do it aren't really thinking.... They just don't make the connection! Plus exactly how many times do you get up on a normal flight.
(Actually the folks who post on Flyertalk probably do it alot. Those frequent flyers think "the rules are for others" They complain LOUDLY about the exact same stuff I see them do.. hogging overhead bins etc... LOL!)

 

[inkkognito]

I'd feel a little bad if that was the case, but if he had a non-visible problem and knew he'd need to be pulling my seat, I'd hope he'd have said something like a simple "Excuse me," especially by the second or third time. I tend to make many restroom breaks (nervous flyer), and when I am by the window, I warn my seatmates ahead of time and apologize profusely to those around me when I have to climb over them. A simple apology goes a long way.
Barb

 

[ducklite]

barb,

That's quite true, and I always apologize when I do it. As much as possible I just try to use the armrest and my own seat back to steady myself, but in some configurations it just doesn't work out well.

Anne