Air New Zealand’s newly redesigned 787-9 Dreamliner includes a number of fancy features, but perhaps none quite as welcome as Premium Economy seats designed to fully recline without encroaching on the row behind.
“All seats have a fixed outer shell, meaning your recline doesn’t impact the person behind you,” the airline announced earlier this month.
All 14 Boeing 787-9s in Air New Zealand’s fleet will be updated to the new cabin layout by the end of 2026; alas, while passengers traveling in regular Economy class will get bigger entertainment screens and improved storage, snack trays and legroom, they’ll still have to deal with seats that recline in the annoyingly familiar fashion.
Being on the receiving end of a fully reclined airline seat can run the gamut between insignificant to intrusive. Travel etiquette experts say that while it’s OK to recline—“the aircraft wouldn’t have the option to recline if it wasn’t acceptable,” Jo Hayes, founder of EtiquetteExpert.Org, tells Travel+Leisure—basic consideration of fellow travelers requires some discretion.
One cardinal rule: Never recline during general food and drink service.
“There’s no safety issue if one passenger is reclining while another is eating; it’s more about mutual respect and comfort,” says LaDell Carter, founder and lead travel designer at Royal Expression Travels.
It’s also considerate to be gentle when raising or reclining your seat. “A rough snap back to upright can disrupt the person’s tray table behind,” says Hayes.
Travelers in basic economy class should think twice about reclining: It may be tempting to try to make yourself comfortable in a cramped seat, but be aware that reclining means stealing some of that limited space from the person behind you.
“Not all flights require reclining, especially if it’s short,” veteran flight attendant Nicollo Serratt says in Conde Nast Traveler. “No matter the length of the flight, my top tip is always to take a peek and find out who’s sitting behind you. Maybe it’s a mother traveling with an infant on her lap, or someone who’s very tall, or a business traveler working from their laptop on the tray table.
“Some people won’t mind, but for others, it makes a big difference,” he says. “Put yourself in their shoes, and remember they, too, want to travel comfortably.”
Serratt’s “golden rules” of seat reclining include simply asking before you push back.
“Just as every door has a knob to open it, every seat has a button to recline it,” he says. “Think of the recline button like a door knob; before you use it, ‘knock on the door’ by asking the person behind you if it’s okay to recline your seat.”
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