Please obey this simple rule for airplane seat reclining

Just because you have the right to recline doesn't mean it's always the right thing to do

Airplane
(Image credit: (iStock))

There's no surer way to turn a formerly civil group of adults into two bitterly divided, frothing, seething camps than to bring up the topic of airline seat reclining. Imagine what it would look like if the cast of Fox News got stuck in an elevator with the MSNBC crew. Things get ugly, and fast.

All because of four inches of space. My iPhone is longer than that. So why do those four inches become so important at 30,000 feet?

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Leslie Turnbull

Leslie Turnbull is a Harvard-educated anthropologist with over 20 years' experience as a development officer and consultant. She cares for three children, two dogs, and one husband. When not sticking her nose into other peoples' business, she enjoys surfing, cooking, and writing (often bad) poetry.