✈ Should You Recline Your Seat When You Fly? New Flights to the Caribbean & More News From TPG ✈

June 30, 2025

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Should you decline to recline?

by Tarah Chieffi, Senior writer

Certain travel topics are so controversial, you might as well add them to Mark Twain’s list of things you should never talk about in polite company.

One of those is whether or not you should recline your seat on an economy flight.

Naysayers will point to the fact that an airplane’s already cramped quarters are made even more so when the person in front of you reclines their seat, while seat-reclining supporters will say they are well within their right to lie back and get comfortable. The seat was designed to recline, after all.

You never have to wonder which side of the aisle (that’s an airplane joke) is the right one because TPG has a definitive list of times when it’s OK to recline and how to do it courteously.

Do not recline during meal service: Dining in economy is far from a five-star meal. Don’t make it worse for the person seated behind you by making their dining space even smaller.
Do not recline on super-short flights: Unless it’s a red-eye, there’s no reason to recline on a flight that’s only a couple of hours or less. Save the lie-down for when you reach your destination.
Give the person behind you a heads-up: If possible, let the person behind you know before you recline. If someone had done me this courtesy, I wouldn’t have ended up with a broken laptop. We’re not saying you need to ask permission, but a quick heads-up can go a long way in fostering goodwill.

Despite being such a polarizing topic, there’s no reason not to recline your seat, given that you go about it in the right way.

Curious about other travel etiquette topics? Here are a few more helpful stories:

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Photo Credit: Skaman306/Getty Images.

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