<p>I am short and cant see over the seat to see what the person behind me is up to. Guess I’ll have to take my chances when I recline.</p>
<p>
The leisure flying public has some culpability in this too. Bottom line is that they are NOT willing to pay for more legroom. Given a choice between Airline X & Y, they will book whichever one is cheaper; therefore, airlines have to compete on price. And the way to bring down unit cost is cram in more pax.</p>
<p>I had a situation once, where the guy sitting next to me (in the center seat), had his knees and his briefcase pressed against the seat in front of him. He looked crazed, paralyzed, the entire flight. The lady in front of him tried to recline, couldn’t, and made a bit of a fuss about it. When she went back to the bathroom, I followed her and told her there was something wrong with the guy. Mental illness, fear, I don’t know. I offered her my seat so she could recline, but then again she’d have to sit next to him. She decided to keep her seat and not make a fuss. The guy was just so tense, I don’t know what was wrong with him. But it sure wasn’t worth it to make a big deal over the issue.</p>
<p>Maybe airlines should have separate recline and no-recline sections the way they used to have smoking and no-smoking sections.</p>
<p>BTW, just entered the US using my Global Entry membership for the 1st time. I breezed past the queue in immigration, then breezed past the queue in customs. Worth it!</p>
<p>Sitting on flight from BOS-ORD. It’s a 3:20 departure and oversold. I went up to inquire about being bumped (figuring I’d go for an hour or two wait if I could get $400 out of it), turns out it’s the last nonstop! You’ve got to pay me WAY more than $400 to bump me to a flight with a stop. What are they thinking? </p>
<p>GMT, do you often check bags? I love Global Entry but it doesn’t really save time if you have to wait for bags. But it still saves hassle. </p>
<p>Insulated lap platform. </p>
<p>Give it an adjustable base to fit differing thigh sizes. Put some padding on the base for comfort. Sell it for $9.99 plus S&H.</p>
<p>But wait! Order now, and you’ll get TWO…</p>
<p>I wonder how long it will take the airlines to declare the knee defender gizmos illegal as they interfere with the equipment and the safety of passengers. That should take care of the problem and the passive-aggressive passengers who thought to outsmart the system and annoy others. </p>
<p>Fwiw, I agree they should sell premium non-reclining seats to satisfy the ones who expect others to restrict themselves. 25 bucks per leg sounds good to me for the worst seats in the back of the plane. But those same arrogant birds might gang up and restrict the access to the toilets as well. ;)</p>
<p>United already declared the knee defenders illegal 10 years ago, shortly after they were untroduced. That didn’t stop the passenger from using one that cause the ruckus and having the plane diverted and him and the person dumping water on him forced off the plane. </p>
<p>As annoying as it may be to be reclined on, it’s hard to argue that the pax didn’t “buy” the right to recline. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why should they be culpable when airlines are nickle and diming passengers for things like carry-on bags, subtracting perks/services which were once free, narrowing the amount of space between seats compared with even a decade and half ago, and they’re able to find competitors who are willing to provide more of those perks/services/legroom at same/lower prices? </p>
<p>Aren’t passengers invoking their right to vote with their feet when they don’t feel they’re getting the most for their money…especially when air travel has become a stressful ordeal to be endured than a pleasurable activity to be enjoyed? </p>
<p>Especially when certain competitors like Jetblue still manage to make money while providing very wide comfortable seating with decent legroom even for those of us nearly 6’ tall at a reasonable price. </p>
<p>Moreover, being confined in a cramped space for more than a few hours is actually bad for one’s long-term health in areas like blood circulation issues. A reason why on flights more than 3 hours*…it is recommended one take a short walk up and down the aisle to maintain that circulation. </p>
<ul>
<li>It’s a factor in why on long bus trips of 3-4 hours or more, buses stop at restaurants for 15 minutes…other than to get food or go to the bathroom…it’s also a chance for passengers to walk around after being confined in cramped spaces for a few hours.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>Great beyond rehashing the obvious, Cobrat, do you have a solution or an opinion on what the airlines should do? </p>
<p>Free perks are getting scarcer, but is wrong to charge for the a la carte services? Do I prefer to pay 50 dollars more per leg versus 25 dollars for a checked bag and a carry-on? In the end, they will get the money, and I fully support HIGH payments for the darn carry-on as it might deter people from traveling with half their wardrobe! Others hold opposite views! That means that the nickel and diming is actually beneficial. And so are the perks to frequent flyers who have spent a small fortune at the same airline. I am all for charging for drinks, food, and extra space as opposed to charge everyone including the passengers who do not care for stale coffee or rubbery chicken!</p>
<p>Cheaper options exist for a reason. Just as more expensive do. In the end, paying for a number of extra services is logical if we want planes in the air at the times we want. </p>
<p>Do you have a better idea? A FAFSA for airlines, perhaps? </p>
<p>On a more serious note, has anyone ever used FedEx to ship a suitcase to the destination instead of hauling it to and from the airport? If the best commute to the airport is by subway, it might make sense. My dad has tried to convince me it is cheaper except for SW Cattle Air or perk full airlines. I can send 30 lbs for the same cost charged by the airlines. </p>
<p>@pizza, I almost never check a bag. But this trip to the States I was bringing stuff for my kids. U are right; waiting for the checked bag to appear on the carousel was the longest park of process.</p>
<p>Other than that, w Global Entry the immigration & customs part was a breeze. Am thinking about also signing up my kids. GMTbetterhalf already loves it.</p>
<p>“On a more serious note, has anyone ever used FedEx to ship a suitcase to the destination instead of hauling it to and from the airport? If the best commute to the airport is by subway, it might make sense. My dad has tried to convince me it is cheaper except for SW Cattle Air or perk full airlines. I can send 30 lbs for the same cost charged by the airlines”</p>
<p>Only cheaper if you go FedEx ground. And then it could take a week, but hey, who cares? FedEx Express would be a far more expensive way to send a suitcase.</p>
<p>Fedex now has a one rate- very reasonable but dunno if it can be used to ship a suitcase.</p>
<p>FedEx lost (or ruined) much more of my stuff than all airlines combined (and I have flown A LOT), so my answer would be “no.”</p>
<p>I know the one rate is a good deal, but I think the biggest size you can use is an extra large FedEx box. I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s big enough to put a suitcase in. Maybe it is, though, perhaps a small one. And you have to use the boxes provided, you can’t use your own.</p>
<p>Do you have to ship the actual suitcase? Can you just ship the contents, esp if they are being used / distributed / consumed at the destination?</p>
<p>This is what happens with my work - we bring materials for workshops overseas, so I might start a journey with my clothing carry-on plus 3 bags at 70 lbs, and then use the materials so I can fold all the bags down just to 1. Sometimes we just use boxes as suitcases, which is unwieldy at the beginning of the trip but then we can break it down. </p>
<p>Somewhat related, United offers a delivery service to deliver bags within x miles of the airport, but you have to bring the bags to the airport. I’ve considered it for D’s move-in, but haven’t done. </p>
<p>Emily Yoffe has now weighed in on this:</p>
<p><a href=“Dear Prudie: I don’t let people recline their seats in front of me on planes.”>http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence/2014/09/dear_prudie_i_don_t_let_people_recline_their_seats_in_front_of_me_on_planes.html</a></p>