WHAT’S UP WITH MY SEAT!

Airlines nix recline

Is the recline on the decline? Flight experts say that the reclining seat could be scrapped from economy class amid soaring concerns over space, fuel costs and inflight kerfuffles.

“This trend has been occurring for several years now, and I think it will continue,” William McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, told Condé Nast Traveler.

“Lighter seats are what the airlines want because with the cost of jet fuel, they are always looking to reduce weight onboard.” The logic is that non-reclining seats require fewer mechanical bells and whistles, thereby reducing their weight.

Less confrontation

But the side benefit is that seat reclining has resulted in a multitude of midair mishaps from spilled coffee to broken laptops and even in-flight spats.

“There is no question that [reclining seats] are potential triggers for unruly behavior for a variety of reasons,” Philip Baum, visiting professor of aviation security at the UK’s Coventry University, said at an international conference on how to handle unruly flyers.

Last fall, an airplane passenger was filmed vehemently defending her right to recline against a passenger who kept pushing her seat upright.

For that reason, phasing out reclining seats is a “blessing in disguise,” said McGee, who sees the change as inevitable. “The airlines have pitted passenger against passenger in the ‘right to recline’ wars, and it’s led to discomfort, fistfights, arrests and overall misery,” he said. “When reclining inconveniences and disturbs the passengers behind, then it’s problematic.”

He sees it as part of an overall trend of dwindling economy-class luxuries, which has seen airlines do away with complimentary bag checks, meals and seat-selection privileges in the section.

Budget carriers Spirit and Allegiant have offered nearly upright or “pre-reclined” seats for years.

Meanwhile, several years ago, airlines such as Delta, United, American and Southwest scaled back coach seat-recline space to an average of just 2 inches instead of the previous standard, a more luxuriant 4 inches.