Should reclining seats on planes be banned?
We've all experienced it... the feeling of mid-flight rage when your knees are jammed against the seat in front of you or your coffee lands on your lap. We've all been on the other side too; reclining our seats in an attempt to get comfortable on a long-haul flight.
It's an ongoing battle and now passengers are willing to sacrifice their own comfort with 91 per cent of travellers saying seat reclining should be banned, or at least allowed only during set times on short haul flights.
An international survey of over 1000 travellers, by travel site Skyscanner, found that 43 per cent felt even long haul flights should implement set times for when passengers are permitted to recline their seat.
60 per cent of cabin crew from around the world report either being involved in, or having witnessed, heated arguments between passengers on the very touchy subject of reclined seats.
Psychologist Dr Becky Spelman explains why reclining seats fuel passengers' rage: "It's partly because there are two general personality types while travelling".
"There's the 'Altruistic Soul', who is considerate of others, and the 'Selfish Ego', who will look to increase their own comfort at the expense of others."
70 per cent of the people polled admitted they would still recline their seat when in front of a pregnant woman, and 80 per cent said they wouldn't care if the person behind was elderly or frail - indicating an alarming amount of 'Selfish Egos' amongst the crowd.
Women aged from 18-24 were the most likely to display 'Altruistic Soul' tendencies, while men over the age of 35 were more likely to exhibit 'Selfish Ego' characteristics.
Almost a third of those surveyed said that someone's reclined seat had caused them major discomfort and 3 per cent revealed that they'd even suffered an injury.
The survey also found that a third of passengers played it safe when travelling, with 64 per cent admitting they had never reclined their seat because they were too worried about the reaction they'd receive.
What do you think? Should reclining seats be banned in economy class?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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