How Low Can’t You Go: Delta’s Reducing the Recline On Some Seats

published Apr 18, 2019
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When it comes to air travel, it seems as though there are polarizing issues just about everywhere that divide passengers. Do you stand up well before it’s your aisle’s turn to exit or not? Do you prefer the window or not? Do you only travel with a carry-on or not? And, of course, one of the most controversial questions: do you recline or not recline? And moreover, how do you go about reclining when you do?

Delta Airlines just announced that they’ll be reducing the recline of each seat on some planes by about half. This experiment, so to speak, will only affect 62 planes, and they are ones that are often on short business routes. Delta says they’re making the move in an effort to enhance the individual passenger experience while flying with the company.

If you’ve ever been perfectly comfortable and napping in your seat or, even worse, working at your tiny table only to have your entire grasp on peacefulness torn to shreds by a surprise recline from the chair in front of you, you too might see the logic in this move. (For the record, I see the logic. Inconsiderate loungers are one of my flying pet peeves.)

At this time, Delta is treating the move like a test. According to coverage on the decision from Skift, just about everything is up in the air. Delta might decide to stay at half reduction or maybe go above or below it. They might reduce the recline on many more flights after this or they may fully reverse their decision. How they’ll make the final calls on this change long-term will at least partly depend on what the passengers themselves have to say. The company plans use surveys to get a better sense of how to move forward.

So, TL;DR: If you get on a Delta flight with reduced recline in the chairs and feel strongly about it, you should probably take Delta’s survey after your flight.