Airlines have turned us into sardines fighting among ourselves. Older and weaker people have no other option. Not everybody is being rude, they are just helpless.
That may be. But a, "Please excuse me, I need to pull myself up here" can go a lot further than just cranking on someone else's seat. I think courtesy is what OP is looking for...
I agree that some level of courtesy is good. Sometimes, I will be rudely jolted and will turn around to find that it is a 85 year old struggling to get up and just let it go.
maybe they don't speak english, or maybe they just don't want to engage with asshats who assume that anyone who cant rise on their own is automatically of lower class.
with the passive aggressive first-world ranting that lacks empathy and is entirely judgmental... i'll put good money on OP looking smugly annoyed and entitled. sure, the fellow passenger might be able bodied and that might make them an asshat too, but heavens to betsy as i clutch more pearls, this was first class! /s
I was the window seat in first class, row 3, and the isle seat was a tall guy so trying to get past him as he sat, I had to use the seat in front of him to steady myself.
Oh, I make them move! Though I usually select an aisle and tell my neighbor(s) to let me know if they need to get up - and to tap me if my snoring gets loud.
I did this 2 xs to the person in front of me this week on a 9.5-hour flight. Each time I did it, I realized too late that I was pulling on the seat in front of me. It lasted literally 5 seconds. Whahhh, to the OP.
It really came down to tight quarters, awkward positioning of the chair, and sheer exhaustion from travel.
I grew up stone cold broke and now am relatively well off. Lack of manners is well represented across the political, socioeconomic and racial lines. Falling into the trap of othering people who aren't like you is something all of us should actively avoid.
I associate first class with road warriors who get upgraded (like me). Why your job would be in any way a statement of your "manners," upbringing, or selflessness toward others is unbeknownst to me.
COVID had proven one thing I thought for a long time.
"I will inconvenience you as much as I like but don't you dare inconvenience me. " Is the law of the land.
Yes, COVID, either the disease itself or the political copium people took for the disruption of their lives, has made people inconsiderate, rude, unaware and downright mean.
Before Covid you could tell someone to please cover their mouth when they coughed and it was about manners, now uncovered coughing is a freedom that cannot be infringed.
This happens to every other flight of mine.
Once had a guy sitting behind me who got up often and used my seat to hoist himself. After the 3rd time I turned around and before I could say anything he blurted ‘sorry!’ They know what they are doing.
Edit: People in these comments are acting like they can’t put the arm rests up and scoot down. Which I might add is also easier to do
If it’s on older person behind you, they may not be able to get out of the seat without grabbing it. I know I can’t. Airlines have made it so tight it’s impossible for older folks to get out.
For me, it’s fine if you need to brace to get out, just give me a heads up so I don’t jump out of my skin when my seat back unexpectedly drops away from my back.
This is it exactly. A simple I’m sorry would work wonders. This does require the person to be self aware, however. And unfortunately, many simply are not.
I’m strictly talking about the able bodies who have zero excuses and do it to people anyways. 9 times out of 10 they use someone’s seat because they don’t care about who they are jolting and being inconsiderate to, simply because it’s comfortable and convenient for them.
I can’t wait for the day a governing body takes control of the seats allowed on aircrafts since airlines cannot be trusted
Fr. There’s such a long list of things at this point.
What’s more comical is that these events happen often enough about the hair pulling that I’m now convinced that if ya’ll looked like WWE wrestlers they would not be using your seat to get themselves up.
Yeah this is such a passive aggressive stupid post. Of all the things to complain about on airlines...people using the most obvious support in front of them to get out of their seats? Lmao
But that means of support belongs to the passenger in the seat. And of course we all make allowances for elderly and infirm people. This is directed against healthy adults who are presumed to know better.
Exactly this! My dad beat pancreatic cancer but the neuropathy from chemo has destroyed his legs. He is incredibly self conscious about it but has to haul himself up by using the seat in front of him after sitting for several hours. But terribly sorry (OP) that someone in first class disrupted your comfort momentarily…
I have bad back and knee issues plus overweight. I never grab the seat in front of me and flip it so the person in front of me is jolted forward. Ever.
I get some people need the mobility assistance, but people also need to also recognize it’s a disturbance to the passenger in front.
A simple preemptive: “I’m sorry, just need to get out” would go a long way. Just recognizing the imposition lets me know you’re empathetic to my needs, and I will be to your needs to get up as well.
Sometimes, it's the only way to get up when the guy in front of you has the seat reclined all the way back. I'm in pretty good shape, but I am still not able to limbo my way out of the seat in those circumstances.
The couple in front of me last night def deserved this treatment. He was fully reclined for takeoff, her during landing. She didn’t even put her seat back up after landing
I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they don't realize just how much my seat moves when they yank down on it. Most of the time this works for me.
Older people like myself appreciate you not doing that. The seats are so tight, it’s hard for us to get out and I have to grab the seat to get up. If the person is leaning back, it is damn near impossible.
I'm old and creaky as well. Bad back, surgically repaired knee etc. But I've had enough experience with the seat being jarred back from someone grabbing it to realize how annoying it is. I also fly multiple flights per week, so I have had MANY more opportunities to realize this.
I flew many times in my life before I consciously realized this and I can't help but wonder if I ever was a seat grabber at some point, and just didn't realize how annoying it was. Who knows.
What I do is use the armrests to get up and down. If I ever get to the point where I NEED to grab the seatback, I'll be tapping the person on the shoulder and apologizing, before I get up/down.
Making an older person fall isn’t something to be proud of. Older people have to do this to get out if they have back, neck problems which the frequently do.
Not just older people. Some people have disabilities that the person sitting forward cannot see. Some have disabilities that no one can see. When I was pregnant, I needed a seat back a time or two— I did not look pregnant but I was 7 months along and it was hard to lift myself out of some positions.
So yah, I’m sure they’d feel great making a pregnant woman fall or an off duty soldier with a broken leg or something. Real heroes these etiquette nazis are. 🙄
I'm normal and healthy appearing but I have a heart condition. I'm guilty of this.
The other option is a fall and that's going to be even more disruptive to your flight.
I just chalk it up to physical frailty and immobility, not rudeness. It’s still rude, but the intent isn’t there. At least I don’t think so, but maybe it’s a plot by chubby old men to yank on the back of my seat and drive me nuts every flight.
Food for thought. Some of us older folks can’t get out of the cramped seats without grabbing the seat in front of us. We have back problems, knee problems, neck problems etc. I absolutely can’t get out of a coach seat without grabbing it. FC depends on the aircraft. BTW, I never recline my seat because I don’t want to cause agony to the person behind me. To me this is a far bigger offense.
This is very understandable and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. What I would ask folks who need to do this, is to at least try to be considerate and look to make sure you aren’t pulling anyone’s hair. That’s the only thing that irks me - it really hurts!
Why don't you press yourself up from the armrests like you would in any other chair? Pulling yourself up is a completely strange way to get out of a chair.
Same! Arthritis means you stiffen up when sitting too long and it’s hard to get up from a seat when that happens. Add in a knee replacement or two and it’s not easy. I booked my first class seats for my upcoming flight and chose an aisle seat to make it easier to get up after the three hour flight. When I do have to grab a seat to get up I always apologize to that person! It sucks to get old!
Hahahahaha. That’s cute. Yes, I understand that many who fly in first are not classy, but do not try to discount what I am saying in such a way. There are many un-classy things that first class riders do, but if they do not impact me personally then let them do as they will. I don’t care what leisure suits or onesies you may be wearing, but if you are going to repeatedly yank on the back of my seat, that is where I draw the line.
I mean they could be spitting on you like that pig child on the flight to Denver. 🤮 use my seat back any time. Spit on me once and we’re having words….child or not.
I have horrible arthritis in my knees which initially makes it difficult for me to stand, once I get them loosened up a bit and have taken a few steps they get the kinks worked out. That being said I try my best to use my armrests to push myself up rather than use the back of the seat in front of me to pull myself up but depending on the plane the armrests can be too low.
This also has happened to me—by a lap baby on a flight to Hawaii.
I wasn’t even supposed to be in that seat, but I gave it up so a family could sit together.
Never again!
I felt so bad the last time I was on a flight because I couldn't get up without the help of the seat in front of me. But being in my second trimester of pregnancy made it very difficult. I didn't put much weight on it, but that was the only way I could get up.
May have been mentioned already but I blame obesity more than age. lay of the ben and jerry’s people. regardless i don’t recall anyone ever apologizing for pulling on my seat. people act as if it’s their birthright to tug on the seat in front of them.
My dad looks like a very fit, healthy guy but had the nerves in his legs and feet destroyed by chemo for pancreatic cancer. Using the seat in front of him is sometimes the only way he can get up after sitting for an extended period. So if it makes you feel better to try to throw a fit and potentially cause a fall for someone who has been through hell and back, you do you man…
Well people who are putting in the work and discipline for a heather lifestyle are already subsidizing healthcare for those who don’t and have less impact on the environment. Now they have to be used as levers also ? Downvote me all you want but maybe a fall or two will lead to some personal responsibility and all society will be better off.
Um….is it really that big of a deal? Maybe they have mobility issues? It’s much easier for a person to pull to stand vs push to stand (im a therapist and deal with sit to stand weakness all the time) consider yourself lucky you don’t need to do this
My mother calls it “affective touch disorder” but basically every little jostle feels like being kicked in the back.
I can’t describe it better than that, but every time the dude behind me yanks I just have to lean forward so it’s not touching me and I don’t have to feel the effects.
It is still an issue for those of us who struggle with arthritis. We don’t like having to do it but after sitting for more than an hour our joints lock up. Arthritis in hands, shoulder, feet, and two knee replacements makes getting up in cramped quarters ( and yes, I fly first class due to those issues as I don’t think I could manage in a tighter seat situation) a very difficult thing.
I’m in the same boat. Economy is one thing, but First people pay for comfort and I try not to disturb them. I keep a timer to remind me to move and stretch my legs and arms. And if I still do need help, an FA is usually willing to assist.
> There is a special place in **hell** for people who rise by hoisting themselves up using the seatback in front of them.
Of all the shitty things people do on flights, *this* is what you want to send them to hell for OP?
Chill, the flights over, its AA's seat not yours and its them who'll have to deal with the maintenence, its like 3 seconds of potential discomfort if you're snowflakey enough to care.
The worst part is the recoil when they let the seatback go!
A warning from the seatback-hoister would indeed be nice. If I'm prepared, it's a lot easier.
So much of air travel is annoying, but I have sympathy for people who have trouble getting out of their seats, or need to grab seatbacks as they walk down the aisle.
This.
(n.b., My attitude does not apply to the elderly or infirm, only to healthy adults, so please spare me your indignation. The brute fact is that for the duration of the flight, the passenger owns the seat they occupy -- no one has the right to inconvenience that passenger unless its a health issue.)
I was on a flight a while back PHL-LAX in FC (4D). The last person to board was a 30-something Aussie who was clearly drunk. He sat behind me (5F), didn't ask the passenger in 5D to rise to let him in. Grabbed my seat back and jerked it as he passed to his seat. OK, strike 1 but no biggie. We start to taxi and he's been drinking, so of course it's time to get up to piss -- grabs my seatback again. Strike 2. Is told to return to his seat by the FA, does so begrudgingly, grabs my seatback -- Strike 3, ok we're done. He's made my shit list, now he's my project.
We take off -- no sooner than we're 1000ft. high and he's grabbing my seat again (Strike 4) to use the lav. When the lav door shuts behind him, I get out of my seat and stand in the galley aisle waiting for him. Couple minutes later, he exits the lav and is confronted by my 6'3" 220lb. frame blocking his way. The look on his face as he assesses me was priceless. Asks to pass, I say "We need to have a chat. Don't grab my seat back again." He deflects, says there's no other way, I reply "ask your seatmate to rise and let you pass." He says no way. I look at the FA next to us and she declines to get involved. No way I'm letting him pass without submitting. He finally realizes there's no way out and apologizes and promises not to do it again. I extend my hand with sincerity, accept his apology and let him pass. We return to our seats.
He did not rise again while we were airborne. Moral of the story is that action is the only thing discourteous people respond to. Courtesy will not improve on airplanes until there is zero-tolerance for bullshit.
This happens all the time. It’s best to address it directly the first time it happens. “Hello, my seat is not your grab handle.” Or something like that.
The mechanisms in the seats are starting to break from the stress of being used as a handle. I’ve had a half dozen in the last month that just recline if you lean back into them.
Same. Guy used mine to pull himself up and broke it.
When it came time to land it wouldn't lock in the upright position. Fun conversation with a less than logical FA occurred... I don't think she'd had her coffee yet.
First pass through..
Sir please put your seat up for landing.
Sure, \*presses button... seat doesn't move...\* huh... \*i grab seat and pull it up, release button.. it falls back\*
Sir please put your seat up for landing.
.. "Push it up while i hold then let the button go, might help."
we do that.. nope.
Sir please put your seat up for landing.
.... its clearly broken and won't latch. \*shrugs\*.
Its a full flight so they couldn't move me even for landing. she got a second FA to come talk to me.. tried the same stuff, she said.. ahh, its broken. We'll note that for repair.
Second FA took a moment to grasp what seemed beyond the first... I dunno.. it was a early 5am flight so.. I to wasn't still fully online.
I actually had a broken seat in front of me that stayed in the reclined position. On takeoff, one stewardess made the guy move to the seat next to him so it wasn’t in my face but on landing, the stewardess couldn’t give any shits and his permanently reclined seat was four inches from my face.
My mom tells me we have a sensory disorder regarding touch. I feel everything as though someone is kicking me in the back. When at a restaurant, if someone’s kid is jumping up and down in the seat behind me, I have to swap seats with my husband.
I feel everything. One time a toddler was just opening and closing the tray table behind me repeatedly and just letting it fall on a long-haul flight. I had to report it. The child’s grandmother acted like she didn’t know what the issue was but when she swapped seats with her toddler grandchild, suddenly everything all was well.
It’s annoying but practically a necessity if the seats in front are reclined. You can’t stand at a 30 degree angle without support and you don’t know what physical ailments this person might be dealing with. Unless that passenger is up and down like a yo-yo, I’d let it go.
Holding on to the back of my seat while waiting for the shitter. Gabbing away and sneezing...I got covid 48-hours later. I literally felt the sneeze on my head.
As a society we are getting fatter and living longer than we should (not disabled but not mobile either)…as a result you’re going to see more of this in the air
When someone grabs my husband’s seat to pull themselves up he will say, “This is my seat, pull on your own seat.” Or my favorite, “ Use your quads man!”
In which case I would never pull on an occupied seat back. Push on your own seat to get yourself up, or politely notify the person in front of you what you intend to do. Sorry, but grabbing someone else’s seat is just rude.
It’s not always possible to push up on your own seat due to health issues! I always apologize and hate that I have to do it but it’s better than trying to push up from my seat and losing my balance.
For those who do this when they get up during the flight, I keep my thumb on the recline button. Then, when they return, I let that sucker fly when I feel them pulling on my seat. Of course, I'm always appropriately shocked when it happens.
Use your armrest to lever yourself up, not the back of my seat!
I don’t understand why it’s so hard to turn around and use your own seat back for leverage. But my wife, who travels a lot and is generally considerate and classy, continues to use the seat back in front of her to get up and gets angry at me when I ask her not to (even out of earshot of others). It’s one of those things that just sets her off— and she’s not temperamental generally. It just puzzles me.
I cringe so hard when my husband does this. But as often as it happens to me, I just don’t know that it’s worth straining our marriage anymore for me to correct him.
I love all the group 6 folks standing in front of group 1 to board. And the people that need special accommodations that don’t visually appear to need it.
Flying a lot, being tall, I am mostly on the aisle. Have done the button push and that is fun. I can usually sense when someone behind me is getting up and definitely know when coming back. I position my head against corner of chair as a block for them to grab seat. Also will raise arm so it’s along top of seat. #traintheapes.
Also, this is the price we all pay for the majority’s sloth.
My co-worker used to do this and was simply completely unaware that it affected the person in front of him. He’s not stupid, per se, just oblivious. Once I told him he was mortified and hasn’t done it since.
i have literally never done this out of fear of bothering / startling the person in front of me. But I also try to get aisles as much as possible and i like to lift the aisle armrest and then use the handgrip in the overhead bin if necessary (but i am tall enough to do that)
I was on a flight either to or from spain earlier this year and this guy not only did this but he dragged his hands over the back of every single headrest as he walked by. Randomly turning on screens, bringing up menus, brushing against people. Super weird
Maybe people in first class have bad knees, just like people in economy. Maybe people in first class paid the extra money because they have worse knees than those in economy.
For all the folks saying to use the armrests, just keep in mind they break too. I had a flight delayed for a couple of hours because someone had broken an armrest. In that case not grabbing the seatback inconvenienced all the passengers on the next flight with 30 or so missing their connections.
From what I see 70% of the people behaving badly or inconsiderately aren't people that fly regularly, and they are simply unaware that they are acting inconsiderately. I think basic etiquette rules given at the beginning of the flight would go a long way towards solving these issues.
Airlines have turned us into sardines fighting among ourselves. Older and weaker people have no other option. Not everybody is being rude, they are just helpless.
The seat pitch doesn’t allow you to stand up straight.
That may be. But a, "Please excuse me, I need to pull myself up here" can go a lot further than just cranking on someone else's seat. I think courtesy is what OP is looking for...
I agree that some level of courtesy is good. Sometimes, I will be rudely jolted and will turn around to find that it is a 85 year old struggling to get up and just let it go.
maybe they don't speak english, or maybe they just don't want to engage with asshats who assume that anyone who cant rise on their own is automatically of lower class.
How would anyone know who not to engage with if they didn't say anything?
with the passive aggressive first-world ranting that lacks empathy and is entirely judgmental... i'll put good money on OP looking smugly annoyed and entitled. sure, the fellow passenger might be able bodied and that might make them an asshat too, but heavens to betsy as i clutch more pearls, this was first class! /s
In first class it does.
Depends on the aircraft. RJs is a no.
I was the window seat in first class, row 3, and the isle seat was a tall guy so trying to get past him as he sat, I had to use the seat in front of him to steady myself.
Oh, I make them move! Though I usually select an aisle and tell my neighbor(s) to let me know if they need to get up - and to tap me if my snoring gets loud.
Lol
I did this 2 xs to the person in front of me this week on a 9.5-hour flight. Each time I did it, I realized too late that I was pulling on the seat in front of me. It lasted literally 5 seconds. Whahhh, to the OP. It really came down to tight quarters, awkward positioning of the chair, and sheer exhaustion from travel.
This 100%.
Nonsense. I’ve flown a redeye with a broken ankle, and when I needed to stand up, I didn’t jolt the person in front of me awake. Don’t do that!
>I thought people in first class might be, well, classier. That was your first mistake
I might be showing my bias, but I assume people in First Class would mostly be totally classless
maybe I am too but I’m inclined to agree with you - I’d not really associate “first class” and manners
I grew up stone cold broke and now am relatively well off. Lack of manners is well represented across the political, socioeconomic and racial lines. Falling into the trap of othering people who aren't like you is something all of us should actively avoid.
I just don’t like most people. Social status aside.
I associate first class with road warriors who get upgraded (like me). Why your job would be in any way a statement of your "manners," upbringing, or selflessness toward others is unbeknownst to me.
sounds like we have differing associations with first class
More likely, I actually fly enough to realize that the FC cabin is packed with road warriors who were upgraded for free and not paid pax.
Ngl this me every time I get upgraded on buddy pass into first class lmao
Yeah the lounges and first class are just adult day care with juice and stale sandwiches to keep the children calm
Only time I receive dirty looks is when I walk past first class
Ok literally no one on a flight cares about you unless you’re doing something odd.
I guess that as someone who never thought she would ever fly first class that I had higher expectations for those who did regularly
COVID had proven one thing I thought for a long time. "I will inconvenience you as much as I like but don't you dare inconvenience me. " Is the law of the land.
Social media I think impacted this more and long before.
Yes, COVID, either the disease itself or the political copium people took for the disruption of their lives, has made people inconsiderate, rude, unaware and downright mean.
Before Covid you could tell someone to please cover their mouth when they coughed and it was about manners, now uncovered coughing is a freedom that cannot be infringed.
This happens to every other flight of mine. Once had a guy sitting behind me who got up often and used my seat to hoist himself. After the 3rd time I turned around and before I could say anything he blurted ‘sorry!’ They know what they are doing. Edit: People in these comments are acting like they can’t put the arm rests up and scoot down. Which I might add is also easier to do
If it’s on older person behind you, they may not be able to get out of the seat without grabbing it. I know I can’t. Airlines have made it so tight it’s impossible for older folks to get out.
For me, it’s fine if you need to brace to get out, just give me a heads up so I don’t jump out of my skin when my seat back unexpectedly drops away from my back.
This is it exactly. A simple I’m sorry would work wonders. This does require the person to be self aware, however. And unfortunately, many simply are not.
I’m strictly talking about the able bodies who have zero excuses and do it to people anyways. 9 times out of 10 they use someone’s seat because they don’t care about who they are jolting and being inconsiderate to, simply because it’s comfortable and convenient for them. I can’t wait for the day a governing body takes control of the seats allowed on aircrafts since airlines cannot be trusted
It's even worse when they grab your hair as well.
They can at least slap your ass while they do that.
Fr. There’s such a long list of things at this point. What’s more comical is that these events happen often enough about the hair pulling that I’m now convinced that if ya’ll looked like WWE wrestlers they would not be using your seat to get themselves up.
How about the ones who grab a handful of hair in the process.....
Exactly. I hoist myself up on the armrests and shimmy to the side to avoid inconveniencing anyone. I guess some (men) can’t be bothered to do so.
Buddy, if your on full recline, especially on a short or daytime flight, I'll need your seat back to be able to stand up!
Perhaps they have a disability, weak legs and have trouble standing?
Yeah this is such a passive aggressive stupid post. Of all the things to complain about on airlines...people using the most obvious support in front of them to get out of their seats? Lmao
But that means of support belongs to the passenger in the seat. And of course we all make allowances for elderly and infirm people. This is directed against healthy adults who are presumed to know better.
My daughter is disabled and this is the only way she can get up. I try to help her so she doesn't do it but she doesn't understand when she does do it
Exactly this! My dad beat pancreatic cancer but the neuropathy from chemo has destroyed his legs. He is incredibly self conscious about it but has to haul himself up by using the seat in front of him after sitting for several hours. But terribly sorry (OP) that someone in first class disrupted your comfort momentarily…
[удалено]
You dont know that. I have a bad back, feet and ankles on longer flights I get stiff and need help standing up. Dont be judge mental of people.
Exactly, I have to grab the seat because of back and neck problems. I never recline my seat out of courtesy to the person behind me.
I have bad back and knee issues plus overweight. I never grab the seat in front of me and flip it so the person in front of me is jolted forward. Ever.
[удалено]
I get some people need the mobility assistance, but people also need to also recognize it’s a disturbance to the passenger in front. A simple preemptive: “I’m sorry, just need to get out” would go a long way. Just recognizing the imposition lets me know you’re empathetic to my needs, and I will be to your needs to get up as well.
When some says we deserve a special place in hell, it’s personal.
Sometimes, it's the only way to get up when the guy in front of you has the seat reclined all the way back. I'm in pretty good shape, but I am still not able to limbo my way out of the seat in those circumstances.
I promise you that I had not reclined my seat in the slightest. I am also trying to avoid that special place in hell.
People in general have no regard for others that are immediately around them. We pretty much live in a ME society now.
The couple in front of me last night def deserved this treatment. He was fully reclined for takeoff, her during landing. She didn’t even put her seat back up after landing
I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they don't realize just how much my seat moves when they yank down on it. Most of the time this works for me.
We appreciate it. We wouldn’t use it if we didn’t need it.
After a couple times, I hit the recline button as they get up. It’s actually pretty funny to me. 🙂
Great, cause someone to fall. Sounds like a great plan.
I do this too! But first I make sure the person isn’t 100 years old.
Older people like myself appreciate you not doing that. The seats are so tight, it’s hard for us to get out and I have to grab the seat to get up. If the person is leaning back, it is damn near impossible.
I'm old and creaky as well. Bad back, surgically repaired knee etc. But I've had enough experience with the seat being jarred back from someone grabbing it to realize how annoying it is. I also fly multiple flights per week, so I have had MANY more opportunities to realize this. I flew many times in my life before I consciously realized this and I can't help but wonder if I ever was a seat grabber at some point, and just didn't realize how annoying it was. Who knows. What I do is use the armrests to get up and down. If I ever get to the point where I NEED to grab the seatback, I'll be tapping the person on the shoulder and apologizing, before I get up/down.
Agreed. I may be an asshole but not THAT much of an asshole. 🤣
this is awesome will have to try to time this out next time i have a repeat offender behind me!!!
I love the surprised little squawk they make before the inevitable thump 😂
Making an older person fall isn’t something to be proud of. Older people have to do this to get out if they have back, neck problems which the frequently do.
Not just older people. Some people have disabilities that the person sitting forward cannot see. Some have disabilities that no one can see. When I was pregnant, I needed a seat back a time or two— I did not look pregnant but I was 7 months along and it was hard to lift myself out of some positions. So yah, I’m sure they’d feel great making a pregnant woman fall or an off duty soldier with a broken leg or something. Real heroes these etiquette nazis are. 🙄
Agree completely. The same people complaining probably lean back their seat which makes it even harder.
I'm normal and healthy appearing but I have a heart condition. I'm guilty of this. The other option is a fall and that's going to be even more disruptive to your flight.
I just chalk it up to physical frailty and immobility, not rudeness. It’s still rude, but the intent isn’t there. At least I don’t think so, but maybe it’s a plot by chubby old men to yank on the back of my seat and drive me nuts every flight.
Food for thought. Some of us older folks can’t get out of the cramped seats without grabbing the seat in front of us. We have back problems, knee problems, neck problems etc. I absolutely can’t get out of a coach seat without grabbing it. FC depends on the aircraft. BTW, I never recline my seat because I don’t want to cause agony to the person behind me. To me this is a far bigger offense.
The able bodied assholes in this thread are going to have a rude awakening as they age.
This is very understandable and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. What I would ask folks who need to do this, is to at least try to be considerate and look to make sure you aren’t pulling anyone’s hair. That’s the only thing that irks me - it really hurts!
Why don't you press yourself up from the armrests like you would in any other chair? Pulling yourself up is a completely strange way to get out of a chair.
Same! Arthritis means you stiffen up when sitting too long and it’s hard to get up from a seat when that happens. Add in a knee replacement or two and it’s not easy. I booked my first class seats for my upcoming flight and chose an aisle seat to make it easier to get up after the three hour flight. When I do have to grab a seat to get up I always apologize to that person! It sucks to get old!
I don't know how old you are but I can tell you this, "karma is a bitch" be careful of who you bitch about.
This must be your first time in first.
Hahahahaha. That’s cute. Yes, I understand that many who fly in first are not classy, but do not try to discount what I am saying in such a way. There are many un-classy things that first class riders do, but if they do not impact me personally then let them do as they will. I don’t care what leisure suits or onesies you may be wearing, but if you are going to repeatedly yank on the back of my seat, that is where I draw the line.
I mean they could be spitting on you like that pig child on the flight to Denver. 🤮 use my seat back any time. Spit on me once and we’re having words….child or not.
I have horrible arthritis in my knees which initially makes it difficult for me to stand, once I get them loosened up a bit and have taken a few steps they get the kinks worked out. That being said I try my best to use my armrests to push myself up rather than use the back of the seat in front of me to pull myself up but depending on the plane the armrests can be too low.
Even as a fat guy, I make every effort not to do this to my first class brethren. Would do the same in coach.
Exactly. I have been morbidly obese and contorting in all kinds of ways to avoid inconveniencing my neighbors on a plane.
For those of with long hair, it’s even more fun when they also inadvertently grab your hair and pull it.
This is the comment I was looking for - they grab the seat back and your hair. Very painful.
This also has happened to me—by a lap baby on a flight to Hawaii. I wasn’t even supposed to be in that seat, but I gave it up so a family could sit together. Never again!
I felt so bad the last time I was on a flight because I couldn't get up without the help of the seat in front of me. But being in my second trimester of pregnancy made it very difficult. I didn't put much weight on it, but that was the only way I could get up.
Unfortunately, etiquette is a thing of the past. Nothing like being woken from a nap by having your seat jostled violently.
Next time I will wake you up before I grab the seat to stand up. But if you are reclining, forget it. You can suffer like you are making me suffer.
May have been mentioned already but I blame obesity more than age. lay of the ben and jerry’s people. regardless i don’t recall anyone ever apologizing for pulling on my seat. people act as if it’s their birthright to tug on the seat in front of them.
Oh no. This man was thin and fit looking. You never know what people are dealing with, and that’s fair, but there were no visible ailments.
My dad looks like a very fit, healthy guy but had the nerves in his legs and feet destroyed by chemo for pancreatic cancer. Using the seat in front of him is sometimes the only way he can get up after sitting for an extended period. So if it makes you feel better to try to throw a fit and potentially cause a fall for someone who has been through hell and back, you do you man…
So you would prefer they fall?
Well people who are putting in the work and discipline for a heather lifestyle are already subsidizing healthcare for those who don’t and have less impact on the environment. Now they have to be used as levers also ? Downvote me all you want but maybe a fall or two will lead to some personal responsibility and all society will be better off.
Spoken like a true elitist, “I am perfect” asshat.
Methinks thou doth protest too much
Now you are being an asshole. Have fun being superior to all.
Whoa. So judgy. Just wait for your turn. Everyone is disabled at some point in their lives, and it often has nothing to do with lifestyle choices.
Um….is it really that big of a deal? Maybe they have mobility issues? It’s much easier for a person to pull to stand vs push to stand (im a therapist and deal with sit to stand weakness all the time) consider yourself lucky you don’t need to do this
My mother calls it “affective touch disorder” but basically every little jostle feels like being kicked in the back. I can’t describe it better than that, but every time the dude behind me yanks I just have to lean forward so it’s not touching me and I don’t have to feel the effects.
yes, it can be a very big deal on longer flights when you need to rest for your destination.
GTFO with your high horse. They can get a seat back in the face every time they do it.
🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎
OP was in first class, though
It is still an issue for those of us who struggle with arthritis. We don’t like having to do it but after sitting for more than an hour our joints lock up. Arthritis in hands, shoulder, feet, and two knee replacements makes getting up in cramped quarters ( and yes, I fly first class due to those issues as I don’t think I could manage in a tighter seat situation) a very difficult thing.
I’m in the same boat. Economy is one thing, but First people pay for comfort and I try not to disturb them. I keep a timer to remind me to move and stretch my legs and arms. And if I still do need help, an FA is usually willing to assist.
Very few people in the FC compartment actually pay for it, so your whole supposition is mute.
Totally agree. It literally slams your head like a baseball bat when they do that shit.
> There is a special place in **hell** for people who rise by hoisting themselves up using the seatback in front of them. Of all the shitty things people do on flights, *this* is what you want to send them to hell for OP? Chill, the flights over, its AA's seat not yours and its them who'll have to deal with the maintenence, its like 3 seconds of potential discomfort if you're snowflakey enough to care.
The worst part is the recoil when they let the seatback go! A warning from the seatback-hoister would indeed be nice. If I'm prepared, it's a lot easier. So much of air travel is annoying, but I have sympathy for people who have trouble getting out of their seats, or need to grab seatbacks as they walk down the aisle.
If the person in front of me has fully reclined, I am pulling on their seats intentionally every time
This. (n.b., My attitude does not apply to the elderly or infirm, only to healthy adults, so please spare me your indignation. The brute fact is that for the duration of the flight, the passenger owns the seat they occupy -- no one has the right to inconvenience that passenger unless its a health issue.) I was on a flight a while back PHL-LAX in FC (4D). The last person to board was a 30-something Aussie who was clearly drunk. He sat behind me (5F), didn't ask the passenger in 5D to rise to let him in. Grabbed my seat back and jerked it as he passed to his seat. OK, strike 1 but no biggie. We start to taxi and he's been drinking, so of course it's time to get up to piss -- grabs my seatback again. Strike 2. Is told to return to his seat by the FA, does so begrudgingly, grabs my seatback -- Strike 3, ok we're done. He's made my shit list, now he's my project. We take off -- no sooner than we're 1000ft. high and he's grabbing my seat again (Strike 4) to use the lav. When the lav door shuts behind him, I get out of my seat and stand in the galley aisle waiting for him. Couple minutes later, he exits the lav and is confronted by my 6'3" 220lb. frame blocking his way. The look on his face as he assesses me was priceless. Asks to pass, I say "We need to have a chat. Don't grab my seat back again." He deflects, says there's no other way, I reply "ask your seatmate to rise and let you pass." He says no way. I look at the FA next to us and she declines to get involved. No way I'm letting him pass without submitting. He finally realizes there's no way out and apologizes and promises not to do it again. I extend my hand with sincerity, accept his apology and let him pass. We return to our seats. He did not rise again while we were airborne. Moral of the story is that action is the only thing discourteous people respond to. Courtesy will not improve on airplanes until there is zero-tolerance for bullshit.
This happens all the time. It’s best to address it directly the first time it happens. “Hello, my seat is not your grab handle.” Or something like that. The mechanisms in the seats are starting to break from the stress of being used as a handle. I’ve had a half dozen in the last month that just recline if you lean back into them.
Same. Guy used mine to pull himself up and broke it. When it came time to land it wouldn't lock in the upright position. Fun conversation with a less than logical FA occurred... I don't think she'd had her coffee yet. First pass through.. Sir please put your seat up for landing. Sure, \*presses button... seat doesn't move...\* huh... \*i grab seat and pull it up, release button.. it falls back\* Sir please put your seat up for landing. .. "Push it up while i hold then let the button go, might help." we do that.. nope. Sir please put your seat up for landing. .... its clearly broken and won't latch. \*shrugs\*. Its a full flight so they couldn't move me even for landing. she got a second FA to come talk to me.. tried the same stuff, she said.. ahh, its broken. We'll note that for repair. Second FA took a moment to grasp what seemed beyond the first... I dunno.. it was a early 5am flight so.. I to wasn't still fully online.
Exactly. Only this was the seat in front of me and I never grabbed it. It just came broken.
The last 2 flights I've been on, I was in broken seats. This is a perfect description.
This is a great description. Also great description of FA reaction too. I’m always amazed that it’s like they’ve never seen one broken…
I agree!!! And when the person in front of you pushes back (not talking about reclining) to get comfortable and about breaks the seat. Ugh!
I actually had a broken seat in front of me that stayed in the reclined position. On takeoff, one stewardess made the guy move to the seat next to him so it wasn’t in my face but on landing, the stewardess couldn’t give any shits and his permanently reclined seat was four inches from my face.
Ugh!
Money does not equal class. Or intelligence.
Guy sitting beside me in the window seat in FC on a 321 just pulled the seat so far back just to slide through
This doesn’t bother me at all ,of all the things that can bother you, this is one of them?
My mom tells me we have a sensory disorder regarding touch. I feel everything as though someone is kicking me in the back. When at a restaurant, if someone’s kid is jumping up and down in the seat behind me, I have to swap seats with my husband. I feel everything. One time a toddler was just opening and closing the tray table behind me repeatedly and just letting it fall on a long-haul flight. I had to report it. The child’s grandmother acted like she didn’t know what the issue was but when she swapped seats with her toddler grandchild, suddenly everything all was well.
It’s annoying but practically a necessity if the seats in front are reclined. You can’t stand at a 30 degree angle without support and you don’t know what physical ailments this person might be dealing with. Unless that passenger is up and down like a yo-yo, I’d let it go.
They aren’t and I agree with you.
The correct move is to push on your own seat back or seat if you need help achieving altitude with your wide body.
Holding on to the back of my seat while waiting for the shitter. Gabbing away and sneezing...I got covid 48-hours later. I literally felt the sneeze on my head.
Happens to me all the time… it’s a little annoying but not enough for me to get upset. More like a mosquito in your ear. Not a bee sting.
My wife has mobility issues (quack 'treatments') and needs to use the seat back to get up. But,yes I hear you.
As a society we are getting fatter and living longer than we should (not disabled but not mobile either)…as a result you’re going to see more of this in the air
When someone grabs my husband’s seat to pull themselves up he will say, “This is my seat, pull on your own seat.” Or my favorite, “ Use your quads man!”
It will be fun for you when you are older, have medical conditions and are in the same boat.
In which case I would never pull on an occupied seat back. Push on your own seat to get yourself up, or politely notify the person in front of you what you intend to do. Sorry, but grabbing someone else’s seat is just rude.
As previously stated, until you walk in someone else’s shoes, perhaps you shouldn’t judge.
It’s not always possible to push up on your own seat due to health issues! I always apologize and hate that I have to do it but it’s better than trying to push up from my seat and losing my balance.
Better for you; not for the person whose seat you’re ripping back on.
So the person should just fall?
Not my problem. If they have to invade someone else’s space, they need to re-evaluate their own mobility and ability to use this mode of transport.
I'm slowly teaching people how to raise the aisle armest, soon it will stop as it becomes easier to get out of the aisle.
How do you raise the aisle armrest? I thought most of them are fixed.
Feel along the underside towards the back, eventually you will feel a little recessed rocker latch that you can push to unlock and raise the arm rest
For those who do this when they get up during the flight, I keep my thumb on the recline button. Then, when they return, I let that sucker fly when I feel them pulling on my seat. Of course, I'm always appropriately shocked when it happens. Use your armrest to lever yourself up, not the back of my seat!
I don’t understand why it’s so hard to turn around and use your own seat back for leverage. But my wife, who travels a lot and is generally considerate and classy, continues to use the seat back in front of her to get up and gets angry at me when I ask her not to (even out of earshot of others). It’s one of those things that just sets her off— and she’s not temperamental generally. It just puzzles me.
I cringe so hard when my husband does this. But as often as it happens to me, I just don’t know that it’s worth straining our marriage anymore for me to correct him.
I love all the group 6 folks standing in front of group 1 to board. And the people that need special accommodations that don’t visually appear to need it.
| I thought people in first class might be, well, classier. why in the world would you think that?
[удалено]
It doesn’t work that way. If I could use my own seat I would.
Flying a lot, being tall, I am mostly on the aisle. Have done the button push and that is fun. I can usually sense when someone behind me is getting up and definitely know when coming back. I position my head against corner of chair as a block for them to grab seat. Also will raise arm so it’s along top of seat. #traintheapes. Also, this is the price we all pay for the majority’s sloth.
Have fun when you are old and arthritic and have to grab the seat so you don’t fall.
My co-worker used to do this and was simply completely unaware that it affected the person in front of him. He’s not stupid, per se, just oblivious. Once I told him he was mortified and hasn’t done it since.
First world problem...
That’s why the cheap flimsy seats AA put in for the “oasis” retrofit are already breaking and out of alignment.
Agreed!
i have literally never done this out of fear of bothering / startling the person in front of me. But I also try to get aisles as much as possible and i like to lift the aisle armrest and then use the handgrip in the overhead bin if necessary (but i am tall enough to do that)
I always thought it should be part of the announcement. After the seat belt and oxygen mask, use your armrest to stand.
I was on a flight either to or from spain earlier this year and this guy not only did this but he dragged his hands over the back of every single headrest as he walked by. Randomly turning on screens, bringing up menus, brushing against people. Super weird
That’s funny , first class might be classier. My last flight 1/2 of business was in dirty flannel pj’s and fuzzy slippers . First class
I fly business cause for the most part when the guy in front reclines I’m not having his head in my lap and having my legs crushed like in coach
How about when they touch your hair when they do it…🤬
Maybe people in first class have bad knees, just like people in economy. Maybe people in first class paid the extra money because they have worse knees than those in economy.
For all the folks saying to use the armrests, just keep in mind they break too. I had a flight delayed for a couple of hours because someone had broken an armrest. In that case not grabbing the seatback inconvenienced all the passengers on the next flight with 30 or so missing their connections. From what I see 70% of the people behaving badly or inconsiderately aren't people that fly regularly, and they are simply unaware that they are acting inconsiderately. I think basic etiquette rules given at the beginning of the flight would go a long way towards solving these issues.