Friday, December 14, 2007

Airplane Etiquette

To the person in the middle seat in front of me:

When the woman behind you has a baby in her lap and two bags in her one cubic foot of leg space because the flight is overbooked with business travelers and their giant carry-ons, have a bit of courtesy and KEEP YOUR SEAT BACK IN ITS FULL UPRIGHT POSITION. Did you notice that I couldn't move once your seat encroached upon my 15 inches of personal space already compromised by a squirming infant? I would have enjoyed kicking the back of your chair, but it was no longer possible for me to move my legs. Airplanes are crowded and uncomfortable, but we can all work together to make the experience a little better for the person behind us if we just keep the seat back up. If you do it again, karma is going to put your ass in the last row window seat behind a person reclining their seat to the maximum extent possible. You're not claustrophobic, are you?

Sincerely,
Lag Liv

10 comments:

  1. OMG, I could not agree more! Karma, baby!

    Sorry I missed you at the party Thursday night.

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  2. I secretly think airlines pump some kind of anti-social drug into their ventilation systems. Why do so many people turn into such jerks on airplanes?

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  3. amen! there are some wicked wicked people on planes. I would've been tempted to drop a spit-up napkin into her seat onto her, then would apologize "oh, I'm so sorry...there's just no room for a baby to spit up around here!" :)

    Glad you had such a nice trip and that Landon was such an angel! BTW...we need a pic of the little cherub!

    sorry if I seem like I'm stalking, but your Landon and my Cooper are only a few days apart in age, so hopefully you can understand the obsession. :)

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  4. Funny. I hate riding in airplanes. I had a big huge guy sit next to me once and use not only all the space on his tray table but also mine as well. I was entirely too nice to say anything but it was really rude. Who puts their stuff on someone else's tray table?

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  5. people are so rude and weird in the airport/on airplanes.its my turn next weds..i'm sure i'll have some "fun" stories! but glad you and the fam are back safe!

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  6. Umm, the fact that you had a squirming infant and several bags was your fault. You can't expect the seat not to recline. Most people recline their seats on flights. Try purchasing an extra seat if you're in need of extra room.

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  7. Just my opinion . . . I know I've got to get my seat just right with pillows blankets to get myself comfortable. So I can understand why the person in front of you needed to recline their seat - they may not have been trying to be mean - just survive. You were very lucky to get to bring on two carry ons for one seat - be happy they did not make you check your additional carry on.

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  8. Dear bitchy Anon,

    Of course having 2 bags and an infant was my fault- it was also my fault that I was on an airplane at all, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about the actions of a rude person. And yes, the seats recline, but just because you Can do something doesn't mean you Should. I have never reclined my seat on a plane. Would it be nice to have an extra 3 inches of space? Sure, but not at the expense of the person behind me. If we could all just suck it up and keep the backs straight, everyone could be more comfortable- especially the poor person in the last row who can't transfer his discomfort to anyone else.

    As far as the baby and the bags go: purchasing an extra seat would be worthless. Landon is 5 months old and can't sit on his own- he has to be held. We brought two bags: my purse and a diaper bag. We took out his bottle and a blanket and planned to put both bags above us; however, the flight was full and the attendants only allowed the big roll-on suitcases to go above the seats. My husband is 6'3", so I thought I'd sacrifice the leg room.

    And most people do not recline their seats. On that flight, I counted 4 people out of 170+.

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  9. Actually, every time I'm on a flight with one of our babies on my lap, if the person in front of me reclines his seat, I just ask him to put it back up, because I have a baby on my lap. No one has said no yet! I think they're so shocked that I ask, that they do it immediately! So give that a try next time.

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  10. I agree with "bitchy anon." I don't see how it's rude to recline one's chair, regardless of whether the person in the chair behind is with a child. When you pay for an airline ticket, you pay for the right to recline. If anything, you should be apologizing to him for brining your baby on the plane and making his trip much less enjoyable. Buy a business class ticket or suffer like everyone else.

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