I can’t say I was surprised to read about the fisticuffs that occurred last week when a passenger seated in the economy-plus section on board a United Airlines flight installed a device to prevent the passenger in front of him from reclining. According to reports, a passenger in a middle seat of row 11 on a United flight from Newark (EWR) to Denver (DEN) became enraged when the person seated directly behind her in row 12 refused a flight attendant’s request to remove the device. Cut to the chase: Row 11 tossed a cup of water at Row 12, and drama ensued when the flight was diverted to Chicago (ORD). Authorities detained both passengers, but neither was charged. Pundits and public alike are weighing in with opinions, clearly divided between those who recline and those who don’t. Personally, on long flights I’m a recliner. I never shove my seat back, choosing instead to glance at the passenger behind me with a slight nod signaling my intentions. That simple courtesy has never failed me. I don’t like typing with “dinosaur arms” — I stole that term from a fellow travel writer — any more than the next person, but I understand we’re all sharing limited space. Even easygoing passengers can find themselves on edge if just one more person yanks on their seatback while walking the aisle or repeats one too many lines — out loud — from the movie they’re watching. That said, I’d rather communicate with my fellow passengers than adopt a passive-aggressive approach to claiming my space. As I write, we’re in the process of producing our annual Class Act special issue which includes the pitch (the distance between the back of your headrest and the headrest in front of you when the seats are fully upright) of seats in the first-, business-, and premium economy-class cabins of airlines around the world. The definition begs the question: Do the boundaries of the space allotted to each passenger include the recline? I’d like to hear from you on this topic. Please share your opinions on our Facebook page or send your comments to [email protected]. — Lisa Matte, editor in chief