A reader wonders about proper etiquette while flying

Dear Annie: I was recently on a cross-country flight, and the person in front of me reclined her seat all the way for the entire flight. I’m tall, so sitting in such a confined way is incredibly uncomfortable. On top of that, she slung a big winter coat over the top of her seat, and the fluffy hood was protruding into the space in front of my face. Even though my screen was on the back of her seat, it did not obscure my view of a movie, but it did invade what little breathing room I had left.

Do you think it’s OK to recline your seat all the way for an entire flight? And what about the coat?? Cramped in the Cabin Dear Cramped: Oh, boy. Like pineapple on pizza, matters of airplane etiquette are polarizing.

And this has only become truer in recent years, as airlines have attempted to pack more and more passengers onto planes. Etiquette infractions that once might have been only a bit annoying are now downright infuriating.

I’ll start with your easier question. It is rude to sling your jacket over the back of your seat and into the personal space of the passenger behind you. Long flights are straining enough without being made to feel as if you’re in a coat closet.

Now on to the trickier part — to recline or not to recline.

You bought that seat, and you have the right to recline it as far back as you’d like and for as long as the flight attendants say it’s allowed. I think it’s kind to take your surroundings into account. Turn around and see whether the person behind you is tall. If so, consider reclining your seat only slightly.

On a red-eye flight, reclining one’s seat is to be expected, as nearly everyone will be lying back and trying to catch some sleep. On a daytime flight, on which people may be trying to work, a reclined seat can impede laptop space.

It’s worth politely asking the person in front of you to consider not reclining his or her seat all the way. If you don’t want to say anything or if you’ve said something to no avail, do your best to let it go. Get up and walk the length of the plane every hour. Don’t just sit there attempting to bore holes into the back of the head in front of you, blood boiling.