Seats upright during mealtimes: views and comments

[KeithMEL]

Yes, I have, by flying Y I expect to have the tray table shoved in my stomach, it's not that uncomfortable, and not frustrating either, I'm completely happy with it.

The same can be said of having your seat upright during mealtimes in consideration of the person behind you.

This debate goes to show the wildly differing expectations of what constitutes good service. While the 'seat upright during mealtimes' policy constitutes good service to some (including yours truly), it is evidently bad policy to others.

Personally I've found SQ's style of service to be rather adaptable. The crews are rather formal by default, but they are also more than happy to have a friendly chat if you are someone like me who prefers a more casual approach rather than old fashioned, more formal service. I'd describe it as intuitive. And besides QF, they're the only other airline whose FAs have been cool enough to call me 'Keith' instead of 'Mr Tan' or 'Sir' upon request! Definitely not 'Stepford Girlish.' [comment posted in the context of this thread]

[jhm]

And besides QF, they're the only other airline whose FAs have been cool enough to call me 'Keith' instead of 'Mr Tan' or 'Sir' upon request!

Slightly OT but do the FAs on QF ever call people "Mate" (as per the stereotype) ? I've had "luv" on BA and "darling" on CX - both unprompted!

[KeithMEL]

Slightly OT but do the FAs on QF ever call people "Mate" (as per the stereotype) ? I've had "luv" on BA and "darling" on CX - both unprompted!

Yep i've got 'mate' on QF.
And once 'sunshine' from a Jetconnect (QF NZ) FA.

[TurnLeft ThankYou!]

Hmmm!

Well, l see both sides of debate over seats up and down during meals and l do sympathise with you Keith.

But the point is, the econ seat is designed for meals to be taken in the recline or the upright position.
The distance between the seats is an airline decision, not a seat design issue. If you note the fares for a full econ seat (not Discount) You would be very upset when paying this on a long-haul flight to be woken for a meal service you do not require, especially when you have alerted the crew to your flight needs after take off.

As a past QF Plat flyer they know better than to wake me other than for saftey or security issues and for landing.
Meals can be taken by the seat behind when l am in the recline position, yes it is a little tight, but them's the breaks in econ. Obesity is no excuse for denying me my fare paid seat and all that it entails, including seat movement.

Many of my flights are walk up fares, and l do not usually fly cattle but sometimes it cannot be helped and l am paying full y.

This is an airline issue and not a passenger one. There are presently a number of cases before the courts where the size of aircraft seating is being challenged due to the increase in size of the human population(AA/US) and airlines are knowingly way behind the times when it comes to human size demographics.

I will take a stab here and say airlines will have no choice soon, as health and well being matters will force them to act(courts). Remember they were forced, kicking and screaming not so long ago to act on DVT and aircraft DEFIBS.

Yes some airlines are better than others, but they are few and far between.
If l am awake l am more than happy to move my seat upright, no prob's, but l will not give away my paid seat privlidge's for someone else' enjoyment if l am asleep.

Now saying this, l have never flown SQ, but l hope to in the very near future
( as l am moving my loyalty) so l cannot comment on SQ's policy. But with Qantas l know they can and do make the request (sometimes to strongly) but are not able to enforce unless its a saftey or security matter.

Please don't think l am being to harsh here, but l paid for my seat and l intend to use it. If its a problem for some, then they need to pressure there airline to fix it, not blame fare paying passengers in the seat in front.

Please don't hate me, I'm actually a real nice guy.
But my moneys as good as the next persons.

Colin...............

[HUGE AL]

...they are also more than happy to have a friendly chat if you are someone like me who prefers a more casual approach rather than old fashioned, more formal service. I'd describe it as intuitive. And besides QF, they're the only other airline whose FAs have been cool enough to call me 'Keith' instead of 'Mr Tan' or 'Sir' upon request! Definitely not 'Stepford Girlish.'

Look at Keith...picking up on the ladies! Nice! I think I'll have to travel with you next time I'm on SQ...

[UA MM]

Look at Keith...picking up on the ladies! Nice! I think I'll have to travel with you next time I'm on SQ...

That would be very lovely, dear.

Note: That's what I said to one of the SQ Girls and Boys.

[zvezda]

In Economy, a reclined seat may actually mean the passenger behind cannot eat.

I don't believe that.

I take it you've always allowed a passenger to recline into your space during meal service when you've flown SQ Y longhaul?

Yes, of course. And, for whatever it's worth, I'm offended by your suggestion that I might perpetrate such an offense against another passenger. I would not steal someone's sleeptime any sooner than I would steal their wallet or the food from their tray table.

[jjpb3]

And, for whatever it's worth, I'm offended by your suggestion that I might perpetrate such an offense against another passenger. I would not steal someone's sleeptime any sooner than I would steal their wallet or the food from their tray table.

I made no such suggestion. I don't think it's an offense to ask someone to put their seat upright for the duration of the meal service -- I think it's a reasonable request -- so I couldn't have suggested such an "offense". I was interested in knowing not whether you reclined, but whether you let someone else recline, that's all.

As for your riff on analogies to such an "offense": .

[jjpb3]

As the discussion seems to have moved from the topic of the original thread, I thought it best to start a new thread. But since the discussion is particularly relevant to travels on SQ, I've kept it in the 'All About Singapore Airlines' forum.

Greatfox, I'm sorry that I've gone into your OP and inserted a link to the original thread. I thought that was the best way to minimize confusion for future readers.

jjpb3

[Greatfox]

no probs, it sort of snowballed from my original statement so probably deserves it's own topic

[zvezda]

I made no such suggestion. I don't think it's an offense to ask someone to put their seat upright for the duration of the meal service -- I think it's a reasonable request -- so I couldn't have suggested such an "offense". I was interested in knowing not whether you reclined, but whether you let someone else recline, that's all.

The context was waking a sleeping passenger. I didn't write about whether or not I reclined. I wrote about whether or not I would be so selfishly boorish as to wake a sleeping passenger in order to be trivially less cramped while eating. I would not.

The only reasonable requests to a sleeping passenger are:
a) We've landed and you're the last passenger still onboard. Would you mind disembarking now?
b) The aircraft is on fire. Please leave expeditiously.

[jhm]

Actually, I think I agree with Greatfox and zvezda if they mean that (i) it's reasonable for a FA to ask (but not force me) to put my seat upright for a meal service; (ii) it's common courtesy to put up my seat during a meal service if awake but (iii) I wouldn't expect to be woken up to do so (and remain upright) if I had decided to sleep through the meal service.

(On the other hand, if a FA did decide to wake me, I'm not going to say anything nor write in to complain - life's too short.)

As far as being able to eat or not with the seat in front reclined, I can't be the only one uncouth enough to hold the dish up with one hand and the eating implement with the other. Not only in Y but also in F or J if (after taking into account my ample protrusion!) the seat table doesn't extend out in front far enough! It makes it much easier and pleasant to eat.

Edit: by the same token, I wouldn't expect to be woken to be asked to put my seat upright because the person behind has availed him/heself of (say) a cup noodle or other food item which some airlines hand out during the flight...

[jjpb3]

I wrote about whether or not I would be so selfishly boorish as to wake a sleeping passenger in order to be trivially less cramped while eating. I would not.

I see that you still don't get that for some passengers, the reduction in space isn't trivial, though it might very well be for you.

I have a slightly different definition of selfishness that I apply to myself. I think it would be selfish of me to recline fully upon takeoff in SQ Y on a longhaul route, when I know that there is a meal that will be served soon after takeoff, and when the person behind me might be signficantly more uncomfortable as a result of my action. Yes, I have slept in the full upright position for the mealtime (and skipped the meal because my sleepiness was too great) to avoid committing such action.

But as JetE has said, this is a discussion where personal preferences won't be resolved through a compromise that is acceptable to all (including the airline). Personal space is pretty much a zero-sum game in SQ Y, so the airline's policy has to break the deadlock. The fact of the matter is, the policy on SQ is for seats to be upright in Y during mealtimes. If one flies on SQ Y, one has to find a way of reconciling himself or herself to that policy, rather than rail against FAs who are merely following it.

[jjpb3]

Edit: by the same token, I wouldn't expect to be woken to be asked to put my seat upright because the person behind has availed him/heself of (say) a cup noodle or other food item which some airlines hand out during the flight...

It isn't the same token, and you shouldn't expect to be woken up because someone is snacking on noodles or some other food item.

I don't count snacks as part of the scheduled mealtime, and I don't think SQ does either, for the purpose of the "seats upright" policy.

[nickbot]

I must say, part of the reason mrs nickbot and I always opt for the last row in Y is that we often feel uncomfortable reclining into someone behind us, regardless of whether it is during meal service or not - I suppose it's a fact of Y life that the person in front will recline into you, but I do try to minimise this as far as possible for the comfort of the person behind me if I'm not seated in the last row.