I’ve flown hundreds of times and know the hidden rules for reclining seats on flights – but you won’t be happy

A FREQUENT traveller has explained the rules around reclining seats on planes, including when it’s okay to lean back and when it’s not.

Fox News correspondent Matt Finn jets all over America for his job and is no stranger to battling other passengers for leg room.

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Reclining seats were voted as the most annoying thing other passengers can do on flights[/caption]

After the network ran a poll that revealed the thing that annoys people most about other passengers was seat reclining, Matt was asked when he thinks it is an acceptable thing to do.

He claimed that he didn’t have too much of a problem with other people doing it, but said he only does it when he is trying to nap.

Otherwise, he tries to keep his seat upright as much as he can.

He said: “I think we’re all paying customers and we all have the option to recline.

“My personal policy is that I only recline when I’m actually sleeping.

“If I’m reading, or if I’m awake, I try not to recline because I don’t really need to. That’s my personal policy.

“But I think anybody can recline at any time, if you’re a paying customer.”

Matt’s opinion is supported by plane expert Ben Schlappig, who has flown more than 4,700,000 miles since he was a teenager.

In a blog post on One Mile at a Time, he claimed that reclining a seat is a right for all passengers, regardless of who they are sitting in front of.

He said: “For me it’s quite simple. Reclining your seat, when the functionality is available, is a right. After all, the recline button is located at your seat, and not the seat behind you.”

Ben says that there are ways to approach the situation and that you shouldn’t just shove your seat back without any warning.

Instead he recommends small gestures, like making eye contact with the person behind you, or just finding some way to let them know that your seat will be going back.

If the passenger in front of you is really crushing your knees, Ben recommends simply asking them to put their seat up, but urges avoiding confrontation at all costs.

For Matt, there are far greater faux pas than reclining that passengers can make while flying, with his personal pet hate people who bring smelly food on board.

He continued: “My biggest pet peeve is strong smelling food.

“You just cannot escape that odour, especially if someone’s right next to you.

“No matter what it is, if it’s McDonald’s or a full meal, it’s just irritating when you’re on a flight.”

This man annoyed people during a flight by reclining an entire row of seats for himself.

A chiropractor revealed the best way to recline a seat to get some rest during a flight.

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Matt tries to only recline his seat if he is actually sleeping – if not he will keep it upright[/caption]