Everyone’s heard about it. Just a week or so ago, a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco was turned around because a male passenger allegedly choked a female passenger in front of him. Why? Because the passenger in front reclined her seat during takeoff.
Obviously, we should never be choking another human being, especially when not actually physically threatened. But, there was tremendous buzz in favour of the choker. Seat reclining passengers create an issue with many people and they create an issue with me.
The flight from LAX to SFO lasts a whole one hour and twenty minutes. That’s the time of a normal commute into work by car for many in major cities throughout North America. Can we not all sit in an upright position and be at peace?
My peeve started with 3-4 hour flights from Toronto to the Caribbean. Immediately upon that fasten seatbelt sign going out, the seats recline and the lineups to the bathroom start. Usually, these flights are on smaller planes like Boeing 737’s or Airbus A320’s. There are limited washrooms and just one aisle down the middle of the plane.
The flight is three to four, and maybe all the way up to five hours. This is not a long time. If you were on a road trip with me, you wouldn’t be leaving your seat for 5-6 hours, or maybe even longer. I stop when either I’ve reached the destination or the gas tank is empty. And, the fasten seatbelts light is always on.
And then, the seat reclining…
Typically, the second that plane is in the air, the carts start rolling down the aisles with your stomach churning snack onboard along with the really small drinks. There’s nothing more fun than trying to predict when the person in front of you will put that seat back, throwing the contents of your fold down tray onto your lap. As it stands, when that tray is down, even for a regular sized guy like myself, there’s not a lot of space between that tray and your gut.
I never, and I mean never, recline my seat on a flight, no matter the length. Quite frankly, the recline is not enough to make any difference in my comfort. I think that habit is shared by more and more travellers and should be the norm. It certainly avoids those nasty choking incidents.
Just Relax
Read a book. Meditate. Look at the scenery drifting by 35,000 feet below. Be friendly to your neighbours who might be trying hard to overcome their fear of flying.
For a relatively small amount of money, you are being transporting in a matter of hours over a distance that would take days or even weeks by ground transportation. This is amazing technology. No matter how many times you fly, appreciate it. Sit upright and just enjoy the ride.
