I was aboard an Air Canada A319 enroute to a conference in Montreal at which I was to speak the following day. I was looking forward to the 5-hour flight from Vancouver, to put the finishing touches on my presentation as well as get some other work done.
After we reached cruising altitude and the seat belt sign had been extinguished, I waited about ten minutes before trying to grab my laptop case from under the seat in front of me. I’d been whacked in the head enough times before to know that those who recline their seats usually do so in the first couple of minutes after the light goes off.
Despite my caution – WHAM! – I got whacked upside the head anyway — and hard. It was almost like the guy sitting in front of me had specifically waited until I bent down to get my bag.
I responded with a loud “OW!” and gave his seat a shoulder check on my way up.
Really, how hard is it to turn your head and confirm that the person behind you is out of the way before you JERK your seat back?
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of my dealings with ‘the Jerk in 12F’.
As if having his seat fully reclined wasn’t enough, he rocked and jerked his seat back throughout the flight by pushing against the bulkhead with his feet.
The effect on my end was unpleasant and precarious to say the least.
Behind a fully upright seat on the 319, my laptop can be open to an angle of 90 degrees. With the seat fully reclined, I lose about 15 degrees, forcing me to slouch in my seat in order to see the screen.
However, when the ‘jerking’ occured, the latch on the tray table threatened to catch and snap the laptop screen. In fact, the fellow in the aisle seat in my row told me how that had happened to his laptop and he therefore complimented my response to ‘the Jerk’.
So, what did I do?
Well, every time the Jerk jerked, I jerked back. I either pushed back against his seat, or pushed down HARD on my table.
Finally, after 4 hours of going back and forth, the Jerk in 12F stood up, turned around and said, “Do you have a problem with my seat being reclined?”
“Not at all! ” I assured him. “What I do have a problem with however, is that you have been pushing your feet against the bulkhead and jerking your seatback against my laptop. Each time you jerk, the laptop screen is at risk of catching and snapping, as happened to this gentleman on another flight“, gesturing towards the man in the aisle seat.
Please notice how I managed to get “you jerk” into that sentence without making it too personal. LOL.
He whined in reply, “Well, I’m allowed to recline my seat“.
To which I responded, “Of course you are, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should“.
The Jerk then sat down, put his seat in the upright position and I managed to work in peace for a whole 30 minutes.
We all plan for and insist upon your fast recovery from the scheduled event. I can certify that many inconsiderate, rude airline seat-recliners are in airline seats right now trying to hit the chins of the passengers in the seats behind them. There are many victims, so you aren’t alone. But, thanks for mentioning this illustration of how some people, for some psychological reason, I guess, have become discourteous and inconsiderate. Mel
Air rage! Flying can be so annoying – especially when you are surrounded by jerks. I sympathise with you.
I came here through a link from your informative newsletter. Good luck with your surgery!
Yeah, I’ve always experienced having those jerks to recline their sets just after they ate and because I am a slow eater (well, I happens to chew my food well enough and not just gobble them) so I am always late to get done. However, since I knew that everyone watch TV in front of them so I do not recline even if I wanted to. It is a courtesy to others if you are taught right by your parents.
Today as it seem, no one cares anymore.
Try flying for 10 hours straight and see what you would do with those jerk’s passengers. I’ve always felt liked wringing their necks but I knew that I would be asking for a trouble.
Hope you won’t have another jerk on your next flight and good luck on your surgery………
Cheers
Elena
Glad you sort of got a bit of time without the Jerking (Am I allowed to say that?), but, would it not have been an idea to explain to the “JERK” what was happening early on rather than getting gradually more and more frustrated? Maybe, just maybe he would have reacted differently and immediately sorted the problem out giving you a lot more time with your laptop?
Hope all goes well with the operation you mentioned in your newsletter.
Regards
Wow… that must have been a real pain in the neck… no pun intended. I think I might have asked the guy up front if he would give a little because of the space. And if he wouldn’t… make it a real uncomfortable experience for him in some way 🙂
Some are too numb to even know they are causing problems!
I agree…just got off a plane and was all jammed in and the jerk in the seat in front of me pushed back and was so restless it kept me awake and irritiated.
But i like to travel and used Spirit Airlines which runs those monster deals….I actually got just $18 each way……if i took 2 bags it would have been more than the ticket …. parking was more.
So atleast use a good discount deal…..be sure to sign up for their email 24 hour deallies…..it works..I do it all the time……be careful to of the guy behind you…..I almost forgot too.
Ros, I don’t travel much due to a lack of funds and a lot of fear. The last time I went on a plane, it scared the daylight out of me. It was so rough, and the plane was jumping several feet at a time. My idea of good travel accomodations is taking a cruise boat where I can sit by the pool and sip on a frozen drink with a cute little umbrella.
But last time I was on the plane, I couldn’t help notice how far back the seats would recline. One woman fully reclined her seat, and her head was practically in the lap of the person behind her. That was ridiculous. What was that woman thinking? And what were the airlines thinking when they designed the seat to go back that far? Comfort for some but not for all? Go figure.
I have just returned from an overseas trip. I have had good long-haul flight experiences so far and this was the first one that made me seriously consider about writing a letter of feedback to the specific airline and maybe appeal to the airline industry.
The guy in front of me (a Chinese national) didn’t reclined his seat completely so as to touch my knees, but the angle of reclination was great enough to affect my movie viewing comfort cos the monitor was only about one palm-length and a half or maybe slightly more from my face. I’m not against the right of a fellow passenger to recline, please note that.
I had reclined my seat too, but I made sure I didn’t recline too far back by first checking the normal upright positon of the guy beside me, the seating position of the guy behind me and what he/she is doing; be it watching movie or using laptop.
I’m an Asian btw, but that doesn’t mean I can or should tolerate excessive lack of manners and inconsideration from another Asian.
My concern is that there should be a rule that defines how far each seat in front can recline when the one at the back is watching movies or using his/her laptop.
However, I’m just a lone voice. I need to find more Erin Brokovich to guide me to make consumer voices heard by the industry concerned.