In our recent "How We Travel Now" series, I compared the experiences of flying various low-cost airlines, objectively noting that Spirit Airlines' sardine-can seats did not recline, while Sun Country's more plush seats did.
And man, did readers let me have it.
"I rarely recline my seat as a courtesy to the passenger behind me," read one comment. "I'm only 5'5 and when the passenger in front of me reclines, it's impossible to work and really uncomfortable."
Another: "My guess is that the author is on the shorter side ... I never, ever recline my seat. I just think it's rude to do that to the person behind you."
Ha ha, I'm 6 feet on a good day, thank you, and yes, Spirit Airlines was tight for me.
"With reduced space and seat sizes don't you think you could pass on reclining your seat?" e-mailed Phillip Benson. "I know the people sitting behind you would really appreciate this kind and CONSIDERATE gesture."
OK, I get it: We Minnesotans are just too nice to recline.
It's good news, then, that Delta Air Lines, home of the "Comfort+" cabin, announced it is reducing the recline from 4 to 2 inches on its Airbus A320s, and from 5.4 to 3.5 inches in first class. Delta says this is to "minimize disruptions to multi-tasking," which may be code for "cramming more passengers on the plane." Meanwhile, Sun Country's new cabin overhaul features seats ranging from 2 to 5 inches of recline, depending on what you paid.
