Written By Tierra Francois

Is 31 inches enough space to separate you and a total stranger from invading your personal space?

According to American Airlines, this is the amount of space between seats on an airplane. There have been many disputes as to if a person should be able to recline their seat on an airplane. Some people find it annoying and disrespectful and I agree.

The limited space between these seats gives a person every right to not want someone in their lap.

Imagine being on a flight for five hours with someone else’s chair on your knees. To be as comfortable as possible, you need the full 31 inches.

A poll about traveler etiquette was answered by 1,500 people. Ninety percent of participants said planes are unreasonably cramped. They also complained about how rude it is to recline your seat even if you are in the premium coach section. These seats have four extra inches between them and still seem to be too close.

“I’m taller than average certainly, but most coach seats don’t fit me and it makes it uncomfortable for people in front and behind me,” said Jason Scott, a 6’6″ traveler from North Carolina.

Not only do these seats not accommodate taller people, but what about people that are on their laptops or trying to enjoy a meal? A flight from Newark to Denver was stopped in Chicago when a business man used a “Knee Defender” (a tool a passenger can buy to prevent the person in front of them from reclining their seat) to stop the person in front of him from reclining his seat.

This issue with these seats not only causes a disruption, but it becomes unfair to the person that pays ridiculous prices to travel by plane. The average plane ticket costs around $300 which is rather costly. Paying this amount of money, I would personally have expectations to be rather comfortable. Flying the whole way with someone’s seat on my knees is not my idea of comfortable.

By Jordan Hill

Imagine making an unscheduled landing while in the middle of your flight, not because of a malfunction, not because of a hijacker, but because another passenger is pitching a fit about a seat.

Over the past few months, multiple planes have stopped mid-flight due to passengers arguing over the reclining seats. Some passengers lean their seats back the allotted amount and manage to cause enragement by the passenger sitting behind them.

If you’re on an eight or 16-hour flight, it is no surprise that you want to be comfortable. Maybe you want to get better sleep or maybe your back is hurting from sitting in the seat for so long. Leaning back your seat should not spark a fight at 37,000 feet.

The selfishness of passengers is incredible. Losing a couple of inches in front of you should not be a valid reason to land a plane at an unscheduled stop. Those selfish passengers make everyone else on board late for their meetings and arrivals because they didn’t want someone leaning back in their space.

If you want more leg room, you can pay for it, literally. In some airlines you can pay an extra $60 to receive more than the normal 31 inches between seats. So if you are willing to complain about the rights of other passengers, fork out your own money.

Passengers should be allowed to recline their seats and make themselves comfortable without having to worry about the airplane becoming a boxing ring.

It’s a trivial problem that should be better handled by flight attendants, airlines and fliers themselves.