Monday, February 11, 2008

The Argument On The Plane

I got in a argument on the plane recently.

With the parents of a 5 year old girl sitting in front of me who wanted to tilt her chair back. The mom kept pushing it and pushing it, but it wouldn't budge. It was cutting into my knees.

Mother to flight attendant, "There's something wrong with this chair."

I said, "It's not the chair. That's my knee."

I needed to sit with my feet on the ground, my knees straight out in front of me. And the laws of physics were working against us. I'm a tall person.

I didn't want to cause a scene, but when she first started pushing on the chair (rather violently), I didn't say anything. I thought she'd just give up and leave it alone. Instead, she called the flight attendant.

Mother, (who is in the row in front of us with her two kids. The father is sitting to my right), "You can't stop her from leaning her chair back!"

Father, "If you wanted leg room, you should have bought seats in first class."

Mother, "She has a right to tilt her seat back."

Flight attendant, "That's true. She does have a right to tilt her seat back."

Now, really. Does she have a right to lean her seat back into my body space? Is that a right? I think of it more as a courtesy. We let people lean into us because we want to lean into the person behind us.

But these seats were jammed so close together. Babies were squalling. Chickens running up and down the aisle. And my back was hurting. I needed to sit straight up.

"Sir, couldn't I seat you somewhere else."

"No. I'm traveling with my friend."

My "friend" told me later that as the husband escalated his argument that I needed to move, the wife gave him a "cut-off" sign and the situation relaxed.

(Later on, I was able to figure out how to extend my legs straight out to beneath her seat, and I let them know she could tilt back).

The husband then thanked me.

That wasn't the punchline, though. The punchline was that he had an empty seat next to him. He could have moved the little girl to that seat. But he apparently wanted them as far away from him as they could get, up in the next row with mommy.

In front of me.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. It was the little girl's right to lean her seat back as far as it will go and you should have been in first class for the leg room or at least, at an exit.

Bev Sykes said...

Isn't it nice that someone thinks that just because you are tall you should have to buy outrageously expensive first class seats!

I don't understand that kind of inconsideration. It would be ALMOST understandable if the person needing to recline the seat was an adult, but why does a kid "need" to recline a seat into someone's lap?

I have spent far too many flights unable to move because of reclined seats, but I'm too wimpy to make an issue of it. On a flight from England, I couldn't eat because I couldn't get the tray table open--which I accepted because I figured it was my punishment for being fat.

Anonymous said...

The entity you should blame is the airlines, not the little girl, who was well within her rights.

From what you read in these pages, Mr. Schalchlin can well afford a first class ticket, but a little advance planning could have afforded him a seat at one of the exits.

He could have traded seats with his friend. He could have suggested juggling seats between the 3 people mentioned and the empty seat, rather than holding his ground.

It amazes me that you would take his side over the obvious right of the little girl.

Something not mentioned in the blog: Did Mr. Schalchlin have his seat back jammed into the legs of the person behind him? Probably.

Steve Schalchlin said...

Mr. Schalchlin is not remotely able to afford first class seats.

But I agree that I probably could have been nicer in the situation. For some reason, in the moment, it just hit me wrong.

Nancy P said...

Steve, shame on the dad for not moving his child next to him!

Best, Nancy

Bev Sykes said...

From what you read in these pages, Mr. Schalchlin can well afford a first class ticket

bwahahahahhaahahahaha.

Samuel has obviously never met Mr. Schalchlin!

Amy Lynn said...

When we win a Tony, and you get to make a speech, you can apologize to her. :p

Devin Richards said...

You are a very nice guy.
I would've first of all jammed the seat back (as I do when people try to push their airplane seats on my knees) let them know very sternly that they were not going to push them on my knees.
Seems to always work for me.
Course I'm a big black guy with a deep voice. Little more frightening than an innocent looking guy with a sweet tenor voice.

Steve Schalchlin said...

LOL. Devin, can I take you with me everywhere I go? :)