Ask Randy: Should you recline your airplane seat?

— -- These are tumultuous times for frequent fliers, as struggling airlines continue to add new fees and restrictions to their loyalty programs. So we've invited frequent-flier expert Randy Petersen to take your queries and offer advice on how to make the most of your miles. Here are some recent queries; join him in his ongoing forum to post one of your own or help answer a question from a fellow reader.

Reader JOHN MAY:A few months ago there was a situation on my flight where one woman slapped another because she put her seat back heavily without thought of the person behind.

While individuals have the right to incline their seats, other passengers have the right not to be squashed or to be hit by this action.

While there is no excuse for thoughtlessness, much of this could be resolved if airlines offered the choice of sitting in areas where you inclined your seat or did not. In the past airlines did this for smokers and non smokers.

Any thoughts on this?

Randy Petersen:I actually do have a thought on this and thanks for asking. Unfortunately I have witnessed similar situations as you just described and can't say that I'm happy about them — they remind me all too often that travel is a mode of transportation for a growing part of our world population and while I was lucky enough to have been mentored about the manners of travel by some of the finest travelers around, it is clear that some people just never got that e-mail. While I don't have the long legs of the supermodels, mine are long enough that there's not a seat back that I haven't been "knee-capped" with from time to time. But the point is not about the space, it's about remembering that the seat space is shared. For myself, I more often than not will not recline the seat to get more comfortable because I've been behind those same seats all too often (that or I need to exercise my right to grovel for an upgrade more often!). And if I do, I'll turn around and politely advise the person behind that their "air space" is about to get a little smaller, and then only very easily moving that seat back. It's usually less of a problem for me as I tend to seek out exit row seats and typically they do not recline.

As for transferring the problem to airlines and the possibility of sections of more mannered fliers? I just don't see that happening and sadly, short of slapping those that still think the world flies around them, I'm afraid it's up to us to perhaps make a social game of it. This got me thinking — next time I sit down on a crowded flight, I'll try and make small conversation with the person sitting in front of me before takeoff that if they are reclining their seat later on, to just give me a heads up so I don't spill "a drop of the water I just purchased from the airline for $5." Hopefully they'll get the joke and we'll be fine.

At the end of the day, again, there is a portion of the world's population that is not that aware of their surroundings and for that, frequent fliers like me prefer to move our business to United and their E+ economy seating with that precious few more inches in coach seating that I find has cured this problem for me. But when flying [fill in the blank here] perhaps it starts here with just you, me and the readers of this forum — let's really be more sensitive to crowded planes and other passengers and all arrive alive and unslapped. That or entice the federal government to require airlines to install backup horns on seats, just like many commercial vehicles have, that set off a honking sound whenever that vehicle is about to back up. Truly, just funning with that suggestion.

NOTE: There are actually a few entrepreneur efforts in this area but some airlines have balked at their use. Called Knee Defender/Space Defender, they are a small block you put on the seat in front of you that prevents that passenger from actually reclining. Here's a few links that may entice other comments:

http://www.tamperseal.com/space-defender-p-127.html

http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html

Reader King Kenndy:Well, looks like Randy fell asleep fast. Yep. September 6th now. Nothing since August 29th. Snore.

Randy Petersen:Actually the timing for this column was a little tough. I had plans to take a few weeks of late summer vacation and that's where I have been. Where does a high-flier go on vacation? Well, as far away from airports, airplanes and the logged-in life as possible. For years now around this same time, I head to a houseboat in the middle of Lake Powell (Utah/Arizona border). But I've now returned and am working on catching up with answers and even questions of my own.

Glad you missed me and will definitely think of posting my vacation plans next time. Very sorry for the pause.

Reader BigGeorge:Randy, I have about 14,000 old miles in NWA's WorldPerks. The account is inactive but occasionally they send me an update showing that those miles do indeed exist for me to use in their system.

I also have an active Skymiles account with Delta that grows about 2,000 miles a month primarily through grocery, gasoline and other purchases on the AmEx card.

My question is this: After the merger of Delta and NWA is completed do you forsee an opportunity for my old WorldPerks miles to be converted into Skymiles in my Delta account?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

Randy Petersen:If your 14,000 WorldPerks miles don't end up as Delta SkyMiles if and when they merge (and as of now, there seems to be no roadblocks to that effort), I will personally "gift" 14,000 of my own SkyMiles into your account — that's just how sure I am of this and of course I have the world (and USA TODAY) as witnesses to this.

I stay in good contact with both programs and there has never been anything but that for the plan.

NOW, having said that, let's be clear, you need to really make sure those miles stay active since they could expire on you. Here's what I'd do (and provide this as advice to any other frequent flier who may have somewhat dormant miles on either side of this merger): Click on over to e-miles.com. It is a nice little program that will award you bonus miles with either Northwest WorldPerks or Delta SkyMiles just for looking at an online advertisement. It won't take up much of your time, minutes in fact, and allows you a very safe way to add a few frequent flier miles to either account, which will post in the following quarter of your activity, so doing so now (by end of September) means they will post by year's end — thus providing you with activity in either program to keep the miles alive until this merger takes place.

Why take a chance, and really, any miles you have in either program will be worth saving since they will be added to the other balance you might have. There are not many chances to combine frequent flier balances for free so make sure you don't lose out on this one.

Hope this helps and remember, it is up to you to help me keep your miles active.

Again, thanks for the question BigGeorge since I think this advice can help thousands of others in similar situations and with year-end expiration coming, these small ways to keep your miles active means you will never lose out like others seem to do.