Aircraft Seats

Happy New Year to everyone! I spent the Christmas/New Years break visiting my wife's family in Alabama, but I am back in the Wisconsin office tapping away on my computer keyboard.  Try as much as I do to write positive-themed postings on my blog, I just can't help but vent every now and then. This posting is one of those times. Yesterday, I was on a flight from Chicago to D.C. I had planned to catch up on a little work on the flight, and had my laptop ready to go. But low and behold, right after takeoff, the lady in front of me reclined her seat all the way back. Now instead of a computer screen in my view, I had the top of her head. Maybe back in the days when passengers had more legroom between seats, reclining seats were a nice amenity. But with today's trend to squeeze seats as close together as possible, reclining seats have lost their practicality. Whenever the passenger in front of you reclines his or her seat, you are left with very little room. Getting up to go to the restroom is difficult. And try retrieving something you stored under the seat. I think it's time for airlines to do away with reclining seats in coach/economy. They have gone from being a nice amenity to being a nuisance. The airlines stopped serving us food. Some did away with blankets and pillows. Why not make everyone who wants to sleep do with the seat upright? Heck, this could even lead to money savings. After all, that would mean no more broken reclining mechanisms to repair. Do you also feel it is time to retire reclining seats? Joe Escobar