In case you missed it, a recent United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey to Denver had to be re-directed because two passengers fought over a reclining seat.

The male passenger had installed a Knee Defender device which prevents the seat in front from reclining. The woman in the front seat splashed water on the male passenger after he refused to remove the Knee Defender despite a request from the flight attendant.

The Internet promptly exploded into the 'Recliners are evil' and 'It is ok to recline your seat' camps.

Before this entire episode, it would be fair to say that many Singaporeans would not have thought much about whether reclining seats on the plane were an issue.

The reason this episode got so much traction in the States is because domestic flights are very much a part of their lives. Many believe that seats should not be reclined during short haul flights.

What's wrong with reclining?

As someone who reclines his seat without fail, it comes as a surprise to me that there are people who call seat recliners 'evil' or 'monsters'.

I mean the nice stewardess tells us to keep our seat upright during take-off and landing. Doesn't that mean that we can recline our seats in the time between?

Reclining is priced into the ticket

It's not like airlines hide the fact that their seats recline. Airlines like British Airways and Singapore Airlines advertise reclining seats as a plus point to fly with them. Some budget airlines do have seats that don't recline - and they come cheaper.

As a customer who paid for reclining seats, why should I have to suffer a stiff back and neck just because the guy behind me did not want to pay for more leg room?

Upright guy at the back should know that he's bought a ticket to a flight where people will utilise the chair's ability to recline.

If you hate it so much, pay to avoid it

I understand that tall people get their knees crushed by reclining seats. My answer to them is this - pay more for the leg room.

Instead of taking it to the Internet to demonise people who recline their seats, and indeed, if having a seat reclined in your face is such a terrible experience, why don't these people should offer to pay passengers seated in front of them to keep their seats upright?

Put your money where your mouth is. Passengers paid good money to recline their seats and if you demand to deny them of that luxury, you have to be prepared to compensate them instead.

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