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Re: “Reclining seat beef with Colorado flier exposes soaring discontent,” Sept. 7 business news story.
The reclining airplane seat problem could be very easily corrected by eliminating the seats’ reclining capability.
I was on a United flight earlier this year from Chicago to Denver. I am 6-foot-1 and have long legs. The young man directly in front of me went into the reclining position before we had taken off. I kept my legs directly in front of me and that prevented him from going into a full reclining position. Twice he looked back at me and said things to me in what I considered a threatening manner. The flight attendant finally came back and asked me to reposition my legs so the young man could place his seat in a reclining position once we had taken off.
When I am on an airplane, I should have as much space as the person in front of me has. When they place their seat in a reclining position, they are increasing their space and decreasing my space. The solution is to install seats that do not recline.
Dennis Reuss, Denver
This letter was published in the Sept. 14 edition.In today’s typical airplane, seatbacks at full recline make it impossible to use the tray table, open a standard-size laptop, or easily read a book. Nothing will ever prevent at least some people from reclining their seats all the way back regardless of the impact on the person behind. The airlines will never move the seats farther apart, and they could get tighter (just as the population gets bigger).
The perfect near-term solution? Adjust the seats in all standard aircraft to allow them to recline only 6 inches. This angle is enough to prevent a person’s head from dropping when they fall asleep, but not so far as to seriously trouble the person behind. What we’ve got now will only lead to more conflict among passengers.
Hal Winslow, Littleton
This letter was published in the Sept. 14 edition.Your article misses the point. Airlines have reduced amenities and the space in economy class because when passengers go to the Internet to buy tickets, they are primarily attracted to the cheapest price. The reason that price has become the driving factor is that the middle and working classes in America have had stagnant or decreasing incomes for decades while other costs have risen.
The “cattle car in the sky” is just another symptom of income inequality in America.
Guy Wroble, Denver
This letter was published in the Sept. 14 edition.
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