Seat Wars - 4 Strategic Ways To Cope With An Aggressive Recliner

September 15th, 2014  |  Travel Insurance

Flying is uncomfortable. For some reason airlines seem to have designed seats to purposely be uncomfortable. Well maybe not – but how many people do you know that enjoy the comforts of flying. Oh yeah – those people on the other side of the curtain in first class. As for the rest of us, we spend the majority of our time shifting around and trying to find a comfortable position to sit in when flying.

Our discomfort is often worsened by the people in front of us that are aggressive recliners. You know, those people that recline their seats as far back as possible, often without any warning, further reducing the minimal space we have in our seats. 

While some people have decided to fight back, as we have recently seen in the news, there are some more strategic ways to cope with an aggressive recliner in front of you. 

1. The Knee Defender: Have you seen this gimmick? It’s getting a lot of media attention as of late. You can check it out at http://www.kneedefender.com/. It is billed as a travel accessory to prevent the person in the seat ahead of you from reclining their seat. However, while a strategic way to deal with reclining seats, it may create more issues than solutions. CTV reports that the Knee Defender is banned by Canada’s two major airlines. Your best course of action may be to politely address the issue with the person reclining or and/or with the flight attendant.
2. Volunteer for the emergency exit row: Sitting in the emergency exit row is perhaps the best way to avoid reclining seats. You will have all the leg room you need. When checking into your flight, scoop up the emergency row seats if they are available. Flight crews also often ask for volunteers to sit in these seats – If they ask – jump at the opportunity. 
3. Sit in the aisle seat: Sitting in the aisle seat can provide some relief if your person in front of you chooses recline. From time to time you will be able to stretch your feet out into the aisle (just make sure it’s not during the food and drink service).
4. Switch seats if available: If you are lucky enough to be on a flight with a few open seats, kindly ask the flight attendant to switch seats. In most cases, they will accommodate your request, especially if you explain your reasons for wanting to switch. 

Even though you may be inclined to blame the person in front of you for reclining your seat, it is really the airlines fault for installing seats that recline. So try not to be too upset with the person in front of you for reclining, they are just as uncomfortable as you are and are hoping reclining their seat will provide some level of comfort and relief. 

Have you ever had issues with people reclining their seat when flying? Did you suffer in silence? How did you deal with the situation? Can you suggest other strategic ways to cope with reclining seats?