Should Plane Seats Recline?

Seat reclining follows an unwritten rule: You don't do it unless you really need to. “Airplane etiquette is you only recline when necessary, and if you must recline, just put the seat back a little bit to get the comfort you need without encroaching too much on the person behind you,” he said.

Do airplane seats recline last?

Last rows on many planes have reduced pitch, or the distance between rows, measured from the back of one seat to the back of the seat behind it. Those last rows often do not recline, either.

Why are airplane seats so uncomfortable?

Besides size, some design experts say airplane seats are not well-designed for human bodies, which explains why they're so uncomfortable. Think of an economy seat as a shirt that's designed to be one-size-fits-all.