Fliers weigh in on the etiquette of reclining seats

— -- As co-author of Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th Edition, it's no surprise that manners maven Daniel Post Senning is reluctant to recline his airplane seat. Yes, Emily's great-great grandson will occasionally lean back — but only if the person behind him already is reclined and sleeping. Lowering your seatback "may be your right, but it's like bringing a smelly Italian sub on board: It's not always the best idea," says Senning, a frequent flier who puts reclining seats on equal footing with such potentially rancorous issues as who gets dibs on the middle-seat armrests and whether infants belong in first class.

Two notable examples that led to push back: In February 2010, a fellow passenger took a swing at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney when Romney asked him to raise his seatback before takeoff. This spring, a seatback dust-up on a plane bound from Washington, D.C., to Ghana prompted the pilot to return to Dulles airport, escorted by F-16 fighters.

Senning, who says he's lucky to be "all of 5-8 on a tall day," has even offered to switch to a middle seat if a lanky seatmate is wedged behind a determined recliner: "In such close, cramped quarters, it's super important to be aware and considerate."

This weekend kicks off the busiest travel season of the year, with the Air Transport Association predicting 23.2 million Americans will fly over the Thanksgiving holiday. That forecast is down about 2% from last year, but officials say a reduced number of flights will make aircraft quarters closer than ever — and the "right to recline" debate even more relevant.

In a recent USA TODAY/TripAdvisor survey that drew more than 6,500 responses, travelers were conflicted: Asked "what's your position on reclining plane seats?" 27% answered, "I have the right to recline," while another 27% said "all seats should be non-reclining." Bringing up the rear: "It's rude to recline" (17%), "I only recline when sleeping" (15%) and "It depends who's behind me" (13%).

"Almost every trip I work these days has an issue with the seat recline," says Sara Keagle, a flight attendant who blogs about her job at TheFlyingPinto.com.

"Passengers are more stressed, and with full flights people feel crammed. They've dealt with the anticipation of flying, parking, the TSA, and gate agents … and for some, the seat back being pushed into their lap is the straw that broke the camel's back."

To Austin-based technology salesman Scott Morris, who flies about 20 weeks a year, reclining is "a selfish act. I am 6-0, and it is too cramped to use my laptop if someone leans back. It bothers me to see someone slam their seat back into someone's knees, (and) when someone puts their seat back and cramps me up, I often find myself putting my knees in the back of their seat and banging on my laptop a little too hard."Reclining seats can be particularly nettlesome on long-haul flights, says Jami Counter, senior director at the seat review website SeatGuru.com.

Though food and service play a role, "when you're on a flight of 12-plus hours, having someone recline into your space really affects your overall perception of whether it was a good or bad trip," he says.

A few airlines have addressed the issue by installing slimmer coach seats with rigid, shell-like backs and cushions that slide forward a few inches, cutting down on legroom for taller passengers but preserving a sense of personal space.