system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: Airline seats should not recline

I am 6'1" and find flying incredibly uncomfortable due to inconsiderate people who just slam their seat back with no concern for the person behind them. People doing so causes a whole host of problems.

First, airplane seats are an incredibly limited space and the person in front of me shouldn't be able to encroach on my space. I am the type of person who likes to put my head on the tray tab and catch an hour or so nap while in the air. When someone reclines their seat, my head is in the way and causes them to jam into me. Typically the person tries again to recline their seat, but harder this time, causing me to be hit in the head again. If I am deep asleep it can be several seconds for me to comprehend what happened, resulting in 4-5 blows to the head before I can move. Even if I am not resting my head on the tray table, it makes it difficult for me to get up should I need to go to the bathroom or let the person next to me out. Space on an airplane is at a premium. The charge to sit in the exit row/first row in cabin is high. Therefore I should be entitled to my space that I purchased.

Secondly, if the person does it hard/violently enough, it can knock items off my tray table/out of my hand. Recently I was on a flight and had my soda in the cup holder indent on the tray table and a book out in front of me. The person in front of me slammed their seat back and knocked my soda over (not that I mind it ruining the book, it was a print off of a tax procedure textbook). I will accept some share of the blame as I had my soda in a cup slightly larger than the typical airline cup (maybe 2.5 inches tall) but not by much.  I have also had books I was holding up be knocked out of my hand if I didn't have a good grip, such as when I was turning the page.

Overall it is just inconsiderate for people to recline their seats on the plane. The benefit a person receives by being reclined that 15 degrees more is much smaller than the cost for the person behind them. The vast majority of travellers don't recline their seats for these reasons and probably more that I didn't cover. Those that do recline their seat don't care about the overall utility, just their personal utility. Flying would be more enjoyable overall if seats didn't recline.

To address a couple counterpoints I know of,
1) I am still in law school and so cannot afford to pay for an exit row, let alone first class.

2) If it is physically necessary for you to encroach upon someone's space then I do not have a problem. There is a debate about whether severely obese people should be required to buy two seats that I frankly don't want to be involved in. I think there is a line there where if you are wider than the seat by x amount then it is not fair to the person sitting next to you but that is a question for another day. 

3) I am not advocating that we force airlines to have seats that don't recline. It would be incredibly cost prohibitive to retrofit all of the current planes in the air. I am also not a fan of government mandating how a company functions. This is just my ideal future and companies made the switch due to the market preferring it, not government demanding it. 

4) I have heard people say just to recline my seat and then I'll have the same amount of space. This doesn't work however because not all seats recline, such as the seats in front of an exit row or the last row of seats on the plane. Are these people just SOL?



All airplanes have seats that recline and I am wondering if it is that way because that's just the way it has been and they don't see the need to change it or because I am in the minority in preferring they not recline. Thanks.
gpt
How long was your flight? Maybe you should split the difference in your view and wish for a future where short haul flights don't recline and long haul flights do?

I know a 13 hour flight with no recline is not nearly as nice as a 13 hour flight with recline.