Is It Ever OK To Recline Your Seat On A Plane? Let's Settle The Debate.

People are rarely at their best during air travel. Just look at the mounting number of in-flight altercations and other troubling incidents these days.

One aspect of flying that really strikes a nerve with many travelers is seat reclining. In November, a video of a screaming match between passengers over one woman’s choice to recline went viral. Three months earlier, there was another viral clip of a passenger who used her arms to keep the seat in front of her in place during a flight from Paris to Los Angeles.

Every time these incidents make headlines, there’s renewed discussion around a divisive travel question: Is it OK to recline or is it just plain rude?

“This is a volatile subjec, and there are people on both sides of this debate,” Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and corporate trainer specializing in adult behavior, told HuffPost.

But from an etiquette standpoint, is there an objective right answer to the question of whether or not to recline? Below, Gottsman and other experts break down the best practices.

So, is it OK to recline?

“Whether to recline your seat is a matter of polite awareness,” said Jodi R.R. Smith, the president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. “We want to be able to maximize our comfort without inconveniencing anyone else. This is quite a challenge in the shrinking seats found nowadays on airplanes.”

Some might argue that if they purchased a ticket for an airplane seat that reclines, then they have the right to take advantage of that function. But etiquette coach Tami Claytor believes this mentality highlights an important etiquette rule: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.”

“Etiquette isn’t just about which fork to use ― at its fundamental level it is