Disputes over knee room on flights

[life0riley]

It's been a few years since I have been on a commercial flight. It was a little difficult this time getting in and out of my seat. I know I have gained some weight over the years and was blaming myself. Now I know it wasn't all me.

http://m.slashdot.org/story/206901


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[Feathers McGraw]

I'm 6'5" and my brother is 6'10"... this kind of thing really winds me up!

[life0riley]

I'm only 5'9", but it felt tight!


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[NickStone]

It's been a few years since I have been on a commercial flight. It was a little difficult this time getting in and out of my seat. I know I have gained some weight over the years and was blaming myself. Now I know it wasn't all me.

http://m.slashdot.org/story/206901


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That story has even made its way over here. The story that we in the UK hear is that these disputes are caused by people attaching devices to the seat in front to stop them from reclining in most cases without even asking the person in that seat if they would mind keeping their seat upright. The person in front cannot recline their seat due to this device they then ask or demand the person behind them to remove the device, the person behind refuses then it all kicks off. FIGHT!

Why can't people people think of others instead of just themselves? The whole world would get on better if we did.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I haven't flown in years, and don't plan to ever again. Good thing, too! All the recent changes--from cramped seating to charges for everything--don't exactly seem inviting.

[life0riley]

I don't like flying either, but it is part of my new job. I am required to fly a small percentage of time for support. The rest can be done remote.


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[millusions]

was on a 3 hour flight last week or so,

it's not fun, or magic like it used to be, just a can of sardines these days, innit

[life0riley]

I gasped at first when I boarded. It was a full flight, and I was in the last group to board. I just talked myself through it.

I do remember it being a magical experience when I was young.


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[Snowhog]

I like flying, and I (now) always go for an aisle seat. I much prefer getting up for others.

Earlier this this summer I flew down to a reunion of siblings, offspring, and offspring of offspring, in Ketchikan where my brother and his family live. I had enough airmiles accumulated that I was able to get a First Class round-trip ticket. Was the first time in my life that I had flown First Class. It was nice.

[life0riley]

Years ago when my wife and I got married and were on our honeymoon the seating arrangement on our flight was messed up. A passenger was sitting in someone's window seat and wouldn't give it up. Somewhere in the shuffle our seats were occupied also. We watched quietly as they all bickered. The flight attendant turned to us and discreetly asked us if we minded taking a 1st class seat without being charged extra. Of course we said yes! It was very nice.


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[GreyGeek]

I flew first class all the time. It's always first class when you are pilot in command of an aircraft you rented. Plenty of leg room!

However, the last time I flew commercial was eight years ago when my wife and I went to Florida following retirement and spent a week visiting Disneyland and similar points around Orlando, Cape Kennedy, Tampa, etc... I'm 6'4", 250 lbs. A lot of it is legs and I thought they were going to fall off before we got to Orlando. My butt was crammed into the back of the seat and my knees had groves in them from the stowed tray behind the fully upright seat in front of me. The person in that seat saw my predicament and did not try to lower their seat back, so I suspect that they shared my discomfort.

When ever I flew commercial I always tried to get the seat behind the left wing so I could look down at the ground during the flight. My wife is afraid of heights and preferred the isle seat. Even when I managed to talk her into flying once with me around the patch in a Cessna 172 she sat in the right seat with her head down and never looked out the window once. But, bless her heart, she made it from take off to landing without fainting, going into shock or becoming hysterical.

Side note: my primary impression of Disneyland was that of an amusement park in rapid decay. The shark in the Jaws panorama looked like it had been mauled by another shark, and the exploding docks and such were hokey. The steam boat ride down the river did not have a steam engine, just the noise, and was pulled along by a gear work on the keel of the box dressed up to look like a steam paddle boat. The "river" bank had section where the fake soil had pealed away, exposing concrete sides to what was nothing less than an irrigation ditch. The indian villages along the bank, and the fake eagles nest in the fake trees were so shoddy the fakery was obvious. The only ride that was any fun, relaxing and enjoyable, was the drifting down the a concrete ditch on an inner tube. It is a place I have no desire to visit again.

However, the visit to Cap Kennedy and seeing the Saturn booster, the F1 engines, etc. were worth every second and every penny.

[ronw]

However, the visit to Cap Kennedy and seeing the Saturn booster, the F1 engines, etc. were worth every second and every penny.

I had the good luck to visit Cape Canaveral during the bicentennial. The VAB was open to visitors, which apparently it usually is not. Quite a treat.

Did you hit the roller coasters at Busch Gardens in Tampa? (I can't think of any other reason to visit Tampa, having lived there too many years.)

To veer back on topic: Flying is, sadly, now a horrible chore. Since moving to the northeast, I discovered that riding the train is a breath of fresh air -- show up 15 minutes before departure, no security theater, two seats per side, two power plugs on the wall, a bathroom in nearly every car, and an aisle that lets two people pass each other without major contortions.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I flew first class all the time. It's always first class when you are pilot in command of an aircraft you rented. Plenty of leg room!

However, the last time I flew commercial was eight years ago when my wife and I went to Florida following retirement and spent a week visiting Disneyland and similar points around Orlando, Cape Kennedy, Tampa, etc...

You're dating yourself, GG. It hasn't been called Cape Kennedy for a while. (Okay, so I'm dating myself, too! I visited it when it was still called Cape Kennedy. )

I'm 6'4", 250 lbs. A lot of it is legs and I thought they were going to fall off before we got to Orlando. My butt was crammed into the back of the seat and my knees had groves in them from the stowed tray behind the fully upright seat in front of me. The person in that seat saw my predicament and did not try to lower their seat back, so I suspect that they shared my discomfort.

Sounds like way too much fun. Not.

When ever I flew commercial I always tried to get the seat behind the left wing so I could look down at the ground during the flight. My wife is afraid of heights and preferred the isle seat. Even when I managed to talk her into flying once with me around the patch in a Cessna 172 she sat in the right seat with her head down and never looked out the window once. But, bless her heart, she made it from take off to landing without fainting, going into shock or becoming hysterical.

I'm right there with your wife. I never showed ANYTHING outwardly, but on the inside I was in full-blown panic mode. And my husband--the US Air Force veteran--thought it was hilarious.

Side note: my primary impression of Disneyland was that of an amusement park in rapid decay. The shark in the Jaws panorama looked like it had been mauled by another shark, and the exploding docks and such were hokey. The steam boat ride down the river did not have a steam engine, just the noise, and was pulled along by a gear work on the keel of the box dressed up to look like a steam paddle boat. The "river" bank had section where the fake soil had pealed away, exposing concrete sides to what was nothing less than an irrigation ditch. The indian villages along the bank, and the fake eagles nest in the fake trees were so shoddy the fakery was obvious. The only ride that was any fun, relaxing and enjoyable, was the drifting down the a concrete ditch on an inner tube. It is a place I have no desire to visit again.

That's not Disneyland, it's Walt Disney World. Disneyland is here in SoCal, and it's as beautiful, well kept, and imaginative as ever. I made a conscious choice when we were living in Florida to never go to WDW. I love Disneyland and appreciate it for its originality and everything, and I never liked the idea of super-sizing it in hot, muggy, mosquito-laden Florida. The great thing about Disneyland, which WDW cannot replicate, is its intimacy. It's not a gigantic monstrosity of a park, and every single square inch of it is attended to and plays some part in its overall beauty and story-telling. Unfortunately, even with its price for a one-day ticket now right at $100, it's VERY CROWDED. We went there last December when our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren were here. I hadn't been there since before my brain tumor was removed, and I had to be in a wheelchair because I can't walk long distances or stand for long periods. It was so crowded, and people were so in their own little worlds, that even the approaching woman-in-a-wheelchair-pushed-by-her-husband didn't stop some of them from just walking right in front of us! I've been going to Disneyland my whole life, and this was BY FAR the most crowded I've ever seen it--literally shoulder to shoulder. Some of the rides had 5+ hour wait times. (Luckily, we get to go in the exit because of me, and rarely waited more than three or four minutes.) I don't care how great a ride is, if I had to wait five hours...I wouldn't!

However, the visit to Cap Kennedy and seeing the Saturn booster, the F1 engines, etc. were worth every second and every penny.

If you're ever out here, plan to visit the space shuttle Endeavour at its permanent home at the California Science Center. In 2012 when it was doing its flyover of Southern California prior to moving to the CSC, I went up to Griffith Observatory and took pictures of it as it flew over the Hollywood Sign and the observatory. It was a magical experience.

[life0riley]

...


That's not Disneyland, it's Walt Disney World. Disneyland is here in SoCal, and it's as beautiful, well kept, and imaginative as ever.

...

1+


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[GreyGeek]

... Did you hit the roller coasters at Busch Gardens in Tampa? (I can't think of any other reason to visit Tampa, having lived there too many years.)

No. I hate roller coasters. Too insecure. Actually, I am somewhat afraid of heights. Standing at the observation glass on the 52nd floor of a bldging in Denver (I forget its name), the building sways out and in by at least 2 or 3 feet, IIRC. It's enough to allow one to look down and see the sidewalk below. Makes my knees quiver.

Flying is different. As a private pilot I trust my own judgement and flying ability and looking down gives me no problem at all.
For some reason commercial flying doesn't bother me either.

You're dating yourself, GG. It hasn't been called Cape Kennedy for a while. (Okay, so I'm dating myself, too! I visited it when it was still called Cape Kennedy. )
....

That's not Disneyland, it's Walt Disney World. ....

I knew it was Cape Canaveral, but I couldn't remember that name when I posted that message, so I wrote what I remembered.
I thought it was Disneyland, but WDW seems more right. It had something called the "Epcot Center", or something like that, a big white ball.