Greetings, Miss Manners You can recline your seat in an airplane without asking the person behind you for permission. If your chair can recline, you can do so after the captain gives the all-clear to move.
Where in the world would you ask someone else to change the seat you paid to sit in, as you suggested? Engineers and airlines would eliminate the option if they didn’t want the seats to recline. Pass the torch and retire, or get a grip.
GENTLE READER: Definitely hold the carriers accountable. They shouldn’t have any equipment that could cause their passengers any discomfort.
And Miss Manners would be content to retire as soon as you and everyone else understand the fundamental idea that civilization cannot function without: If you treat people badly, you need not feel smart for having an advantage because others will treat you badly and everyone’s life will be unpleasant.
Why does the comfort of the person seated behind you matter to you? You might just as easily have the person in front of you drop the seat onto your lap.
That can’t happen, of course, because your complacent airline is happy to let you spend even more. However, what if another traveler feels entitled to use the public restroom in an unclean state after paying the additional fare?
You are aware—and unconcerned—that Miss Manners thinks your conceit is unattractive. However, you should also be aware that it will ultimately work against you. (Or, in the near term, if a fellow traveler has the same entitlement.)
Stories by
Judith Martin
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Miss Manners: Gracious host miffed when invitee response infers attending party is an unbearable chore
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Miss Manners: How quiet do I have to be in my own backyard to accommodate the neighbors?
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Miss Manners: My long-time friend refused to host us during visit to her town
Miss Manners can be reached by email at [email protected], via her website at www.missmanners.com, or by mail at Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
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