A mom has taken to social media to recall how she was left unable to recline her plane seat thanks to another passenger on board.
Sharing her story on the UK-based parenting blog site Mumsnet, user 'planerider' titled her post: "Who was unreasonable regarding plane seat?"
The mom then explained that she had boarded a plane for a 7-hour flight and had paid extra or order to have the "exit seat" in the economy. "I was suffering from a bad back," she writes. "I paid quite a lot extra for the seat, it's something I try to do, as I have back problems and it helps."
However, when the mom went to recline her seat, she found herself unable to do so.
"The woman behind me had quite a big child on her lap during the flight and was sat next to the child's father," she explains. "Because of this, I was unable to recline my seat for the entire flight."
When the mom attempted to recline her seat a little (without having see the child), she says that the other woman became "angry" and started to curse at her.
She added: "I tend to recline my seat on very long flights, when the lights are dimmed for sleeping, as do most others on those flights."
The mom then asks other Mumsnet users who was being unreasonable, and the results were divided.
One person commented: "I personally think it’s unreasonable to recline your seat unless it’s overnight and I’d never do it. But respect others think differently. I wouldn’t have sworn."
Another added: "In theory you should be able to recline but in practice if there is a child on a knee or a very obese person then you cant. [It's] a risk that you accept as a traveler. If not take a private jet."
However, other users were on the side of the poster, with one person commenting: "The woman behind could have swapped places with her partner or given him the child. Maybe if you explained... not unreasonable to want to recline on a long flight."
"I think if the seat reclines it’s perfectly fine to recline it," one person said, adding: "Except during meal service, and I’d also lean around to tell the person I was going to recline it. Child could sit on dad’s lap or if they really wanted the space they should have bought another seat. They could also recline their own seat which still gives them same space."
Another user agreed with this sentiment, writing: "My sister was an air stewardess for many years and dealt with this issue on several flights a week. You are entitled to recline your seat if it has the recline function. The person behind you has to deal with it - usually the best way is to recline theirs. This is what the crew would tell you and the person behind you."
And I have to agree. When you book a flight, you're spending your hard-earned money on a seat. And if that seat reclines, then you are fully within your right to lean back and enjoy.
But let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
