The problem isn't the recline feature. It is the seat spacing.
We are the same height. I have been on some AA flights where premium seating has several inches of space in front of my knees and the recline is no problem.
On the other hand, I made the mistake of taking a random seat assignment on Spirit and got crammed into an extra small seat in the back. I had to split my legs in a V to avoid crushing my knee caps. When the woman in front reclined, there was less than a foot of space between my chin and the top of her seat. Fuck Spirit. Never again.
This is one case where the government clearly DOES have a role to play. There should be a regulation on the minimum seat spacing so that people up to about 6'4" can sit without knees hitting. And seat widths should be at least 21 inches, not 19.
Seat size should be standardized. Let the airlines compete on price, service, on-time arrivals, not losing luggage, convenient routes and times.
They shouldn't be competing on how many seats they can cram into a plane in order to lower fares. That isn't going to be something a consumer will be able to find out easily. No airline is going to advertise that their rows are all two inches closer so they can squeeze an extra row or two on the plane.
I never would have taken that seat on the Spirit flight if I had known how small it was. It was not worth the cheap airfare. But how am I supposed to know that if they don't list the seat spacing when you buy the ticket?
Originally Posted by ExNYer
Honestly, while what you are describing is annoying, don't you think the free market in action is effective regulation? You've complained in a public forum and aren't going to fly on their airline again. They will lose business if enough people care, someone will get feedback to the airlines that they need to increase their legroom, and they will adapt or die. No need for the gummint.
You could also pay for first class, like you clearly do with your hookers, and get what you pay for in that case, too, most of the time.
