Struggle for space in economy class
Personal space is a big issue in readers' letters to newspaper travel sections about long-haul economy class flying. The villain is the insensitive passenger who fully reclines their seatback as soon as the jumbo levels out. Never mind it's only 9am - he or she is there to stay and you're stuck.
As Ed Hewitt, of the website independenttraveler.com vividly puts it: "The seat in front of you bashes down against your knees. Or you reach down between your feet for your headache pills and the seat in front nails you in the noggin."
The airlines say they are introducing seats with thinner backs so you've got more room - oh yeah, with all that stuff like media screens adding to the crush? A few airlines are better than others - at least their seat "pitch" of 32 or 33 inches looks better than Qantas's 31in (see seatguru.com for comparisons). But it's only an indication of legroom, depending on seatback thickness and clutter.
As Hewitt says, banning recliners altogether wouldn't work. What about those overnight red-eye flights where just about every passenger reclines to get some sleep?
Hewitt's an advocate of the gentle approach: "Tilting my chair back just slightly permits me to do just about anything I need - read, sip coffee, stretch out enough to even sleep." But will it impress the bad guys? Not a chance.
Hewitt says no one should have to contend with spooning their food out from under the canopy of the seatback in front. True, and here my strategy seems to work: tap the bad guy and suggest he straightens up for meal time, or ask the hostie to tell him. Hewitt's got a sneaky suggestion: when the bad guy leaves his seat, quietly nudge it back up just a little.
Oh, and here's a message for the clot behind who gets up in the middle of the night: my seatback isn't a handrail! Let's face it, the odds of a great trip in "zoo class" are against you - so gather your bacteria wipes, your electrolytes, your compression socks and aspirin and hope for the best.
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