Reclining Aircraft Seats: Recline Carefully, No One Wants Your Head in Their Laps, Aviation Ministry Tells Flyers
Amid an ongoing debate on reclining aircraft seats, the Ministry of Civil Aviation reminded flayers that "no one wants your head in their laps".
New Delhi, February 22: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday told flyers that the must recline their seats carefully. Amid an ongoing debate on reclining aircraft seats, the Ministry of Civil Aviation reminded flayers that "no one wants your head in their laps". In a tweet, the ministry wrote: "A little bit of basic good manners and respect are always worth a thumbs up. Your seat is not a sleeper berth. Don't be inconsiderate of other people's space." Air India to Be Closed if Privatisation Bid Fails: Civil Aviation Minister.
The tweet came after a video of a passenger repeatedly punching a reclined seat in front of him on a domestic flight in the US went viral. On February 9, Wendi Williams uploaded a video on Twitter showing a passenger punching her seat from behind. "Here’s a great jackhole! He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times - HARD, at which point I began videoing him, and he resigned to this behavior. The other jackhole is the @AmericanAir flight attendant who reprimanded me and offered him rum!" she wrote. Coronavirus Effect: Civil Aviation Ministry Directs Airports in India to Set Up Logistics Support to Screen Passengers From China.
Video by Wendi Williams:
India's Civil Aviation Ministry's Advice on Reclining Seats:
The video sparked a debate which was also joined by Delta CEO Ed Bastian. He told the US media that while customers have a right to recline, "the proper thing to do if you’re going to recline is that you ask if it’s OK first". Reclining seats in the economy class often become a bone of contention among passengers. Some foreign airlines have non-reclining seats in the economy section to avoid disputes between flyers on this.
“It is a good initiative by the ministry to tweet this. While reclining economy seats is an issue globally, our authorities must tackle something uniquely Indian — the habit of passengers to stand up as soon as the aircraft comes to a halt after landing," a senior pilot was quoted by Times of India as saying. Passengers are often needed to be told that they must remain seated and not to rush to open overhead bins to take out their bags upon landing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2020 03:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).