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My former law professor penned a fascinating article for Slate that touches on the Coase theorem, endowment effects, and social norms.
I’m sharing it here because I think the article has some amazing nuggets on how to get the guy in front of you not to recline your seat.
The last few times I’ve flown economy, I got my own row or ponied up for Allegiant’s Giant Seats, but the next time I’m not so lucky, I may try one of these moves.
Basically these two law professors set up some online questionnaires and asked people:
- How much would you pay the person in front of you not to recline if they have the right to recline?
- How much would you pay to recline if the person behind you had the right not to be reclined upon?
- If someone offered you $X, would you abstain from reclining? What if they offered to buy you a drink or snack that costs $X?
The results were fascinating, and I think I’m going to be having a conversation with the person in front of me on my upcoming economy flights. (I’ve got eight (!) coming up in the next six weeks, which will definitely be the most economy I’ve flown since I flew around Europe to a different country every day for a week.)
- How much do people value reclining?
- How can you get them not to recline on you?
Background
The Coase Theorem says that if people can freely bargain, then it doesn’t matter who is initially assigned a right, the person who values it more will acquire it.
Translation: Whether reclining is initially allowed or prohibited doesn’t matter as long as you can talk to the person in front of or behind you and strike a deal about whether you will recline.
In real life, the endowment effect has been noted over and over as a counterpoint to the Coase Theorem. People value something they own more than they would if someone else owned the same thing.
Translation: Whether reclining is allowed or not before bargaining matters a lot.
The study found the endowment effect was very strong. People valued the ability to recline quite a bit more when it was allowed and valued preventing reclining a lot more when reclining was prohibited. From the article:
“In an online survey, we asked people to imagine that they were about to take a six-hour flight from New York to Los Angeles. We told them that the airline had created a new policy that would allow people to pay those seated in front of them to not recline their seats. We asked one group of subjects to tell us the least amount of money that they would be willing to accept to not recline during the flight. And we asked another group of subjects to tell us the most amount of money that they would pay to prevent the person in front of them from not reclining.
…Recliners wanted on average $41 to refrain from reclining, while reclinees were willing to pay only $18 on average. Only about 21 percent of the time would ownership of the 4 inches change hands.
…When we flipped the default—that is, when we made the rule that people did not have an automatic right to recline, but would have to negotiate to get it—then people’s values suddenly reversed. Now, recliners were only willing to pay about $12 to recline while reclinees were unwilling to sell their knee room for less than $39. Recliners would have ended up purchasing the right to recline only about 28 percent of the time—the same right that they valued so highly in the other condition.”
How to Get the Person in Front of You Not to Recline
Some airlines have installed economy seats that cannot recline. On all other airlines, it is your right to recline. It’s also the right of the guy in front of you to recline. What if you want to stop him from crunching your knees?
Forget the average figure of $41 people claimed they would need to be paid in order not to recline on a six hour flight.
From the article:
“In another online survey, we asked subjects whether they would be willing to lean forward and offer the person sitting in front of them $8 to not recline during a six-hour flight, and we asked another group whether they would accept such an offer. More than 68 percent of our front-seaters told us that they would either accept the $8 and not recline, or agree not to recline without taking the $8, just because they were asked.”
And you can get an even better acceptance rate by not flashing the cash:
“For yet another group of subjects, we substituted the $8 in cash with an offer of a drink or snack (these cost approximately $8 on many U.S. airlines). In that case…78 percent of front-seaters were willing to accept it.”
So there you have it, 78% of people claim they would not recline on a six-hour flight in exchange for a drink or a snack that is only going to run you about $6 to $10.
The article notes that very few people claimed they would be comfortable offering the person in front of them this deal. But I would.
Do you think on my next flight, an eight-hour redeye from Honolulu to Chicago in economy, I should politely tap the person in front of me on the shoulder and say:
“If you’ll refrain from reclining, I’ll buy you the drink or snack of your choice. I know this is a weird offer, and please decline it if you’d rather recline–no hard feelings.”
I’m willing to do it if you guys think it’s worth a shot.
Would you accept my offer not to recline? Would you ever make the offer to the person in front of you?
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The most interesting line in your article to me:
“The article notes that very few people claimed they would be comfortable offering the person in front of them this deal.”
It says something about who “we” are, I’m just not sure what!
Yes, there are actual numbers to back up my sentence in the underlying piece and interesting speculation about why we’re uncomfortable offering. The piece is interesting throughout.
I think you should try it. Would this be considered a bribe or a gift?
I think “bribe” denotes or at least connotes an illegal or at least unethical inducement. This doesn’t sound like either to me. I’d just say I’m offering them a deal.
Would I give up my reclining on a long red eye flight for a measly ten dollar value? Oh, hellz no. But if you try it, I’m interested in knowing the result.
I wouldn’t either. I might want about $30.
What the study appeared to leave out is the type of flight. I think you’ll have a much tougher go of it on a red eye than say a trans-con from NYC to LA during the middle of the day. But I would offer a drink or snack in lieu of cash, and I’d be more willing to accept that offer as well.
I’m “lucky” in that I’m tall enough to stop other people from reclining just by positioning my legs in a certain way. I can brace the seat in front of me with my knees in such a way that doesn’t cause me pain, and whoever is in front doesn’t stand a chance in reclining. There have been some frustrated people in front of me banging into their seats repeatedly, but no one’s ever said anything to me directly. I’m not sure what they could say, I don’t think they can force me to reposition my legs in order to let the person recline.
NYC to LA doesn’t have any redeyes. (LA to NYC does.)
I wouldn’t feel comfortable stopping people from reclining because I think it’s their right. Now if I can pay them not to exercise that right, that’s a whole different ball game.
It’s worth a try; however, I’d say if someone doesn’t want to foo foo with the whole recline/don’t recline saga then they should fly Spirit!
I’m close to booking three segments on Spirit in November. The price is SO tempting even after paying $35 for a carry on to avoid giving them the chance to lose a checked bag (which costs only $30).
Scott, I say definitely ask; I certainly would ask, and if asked nicely I would most likely agree without compensation or perhaps offer the alternative of only reclining a small amount.
I hope you’re in front of me!
I think it is completely arrogant and rude of people to think they have the right to prevent people from reclining. I don’t work on a laptop, chat, read books or watch movies until I have slept for 4-6 hours usually. As a 6′ tall individual who falls asleep the moment the plane takes off, I value my purchased right to recline. If someone like Nathan tries prevent me from reclining, I consider that theft of services. I have paid for the seat and reclining space as has he. If he deprives me of this, he is effectively stealing/destroying value of something I have paid for.
I don’t work on a laptop, chat, read books or watch movies until I have slept for 4-6 hours usually.
There’s so much potential for awkwardness here. What would you do if Nathan were behind you? Alert a flight attendant?
And I have paid for my right to legroom and ability to use laptop. Reclining isn’t a right, it’s a privilege and unfortunately airlines don’t give a darn that they sell two conflicting services to two people. The recline is usually pathetic anyway, I’ve never understood how it helps someone sleep. I, on the other hand, like to sleep by stacking a bunch of pillows on the tray table so recliners basically destroy my ability to sleep. Thank god foreign airlines (like SQ recently) where attendants move me to empty seats in economy+ or exit row without charging me extra.
Only right answer is to design a seat that slides forward, instead of infringing on the space of person behind you.
No, you haven’t paid for the ability to use a laptop. Is the laptop part of your seat or tray? No. But the ability to recline is, in fact, a part of the seat design and function. Just because you dislike it doesn’t mean it’s not the other person’s right. If it were a privilege, it would require something extra in money, miles or prestige, like paying more for a bulkhead seat. Which, by the way, is what you should do if you don’t want someone reclining into you. Basically, you’re too much of a cheapskate to pay for what you want, so you force others to give it to you against their will. And then you have the nerve to pretend you’re in the right.
Chill out, no need of anger outbursts. I have the right to legroom I paid for and space in front of me. What if someone is so overweight that the person in front reclining makes using the tray table impossible? They’re still within the air space they are alloted but can’t use it now.
It’s people like you that convince me to continue to struggle with recliners. You’re probably the one who just drop your seat back randomly without warning, not even looking if someone is leaning forward or you’re spilling their drink in the process. I just stick my knees forward and tell the front person to suck it.
Can’t hurt to try… Like someone said, I think you will have better luck on a long distance non red eye…
Yes, I might need to up my offer for the redeye to Chicago.
For me to not have the ability to recline would not be worth it. If I get tired, I want to sleep the most comfortably that I can. I can fall asleep on a 10 minute car ride across town and be totally insomniac for a 10 hour flight. So my sleep is not a guarantee. Also, it would be all sorts of weirdness to have a conversation like that. I’d potentially be inclined to do it for free for a tall person, but money would probably turn me off. My husband is 6’6 and we stick him next to his 2 little daughters for extra room so yes I know it is TOUGH for big dudes. He can take up their space with a little moving around. We’ve never ever been beyond econ+ either.
Isn’t that funny? You’re more likely to do it for free than for money.
Great article Scott. All of this rightly assumes that an airline ticket conveys the right to space 3 inches behind the original position of the seat if reclining is a capability of your seat, and it does not give you the right to the 3 inches behind the seat in front of you from reclining, unless you want to buy their seat too.
I’ve actually thought a little bit about this before, although I never thought to put it in a blog post. When traveling with my kids in group C boarding, I’ve noticed that a southwest drink coupon can go a long way in asking someone to take a middle seat in a different row so my kids and I can sit together. I never tried it with asking someone not to recline but I bet it would work most of the time. Also, I read somewhere that compensation for being “bumped” from a flight was suggested by Alfred Kahn, economist and chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board (the agency that regulated airline prices in the 1970s).
That said, I think the outrage that most people have regarding the anti-reclining gadget – present company included – is the sheer passive aggressiveness inherent in its use. It’s tantamount to taking something from someone without asking if they can do it, and implicitly blaming a third party, i.e. the maintenance dept. of the airline, by making the front passenger think his or her seat is broken – behavior that I hope most of us stopped after elementary school.
The article begs a few questions, most importantly: how many people would refrain from reclining if the passenger behind them simply asked them not to do so in a nice way, for no payment whatsoever? Coase’s theorem notwithstanding, I suspect for many people a friendly request would be sufficient. Perhaps a segment of Generation Text never bothered to learn how to start a friendly conversation with a smile and the words “excuse me, sir/ma’am”.
Also, perhaps less importantly, it might be worth controlling for the length of the flight, the possibility that some of their subjects may not even want to recline in the first place, or the size of the person in front, and his or her opinion of the size of the person in back.
Finally I will add that this is the one single advantage in life that we short people have over you tall people. In every other aspect, we are subject to a certain amount of tacit lack of respect.
(If you don’t believe this, ask yourself: who was our last short president? Or even average-height president? Regardless of what you thought of his politics, Dukakis never stood a chance.) although as a slenderly challenged person I definitely can’t open my laptop if the person in front of me is reclining so maybe I will have to try this.
I agree that short > tall only applies to travel. All other times, I’d rather be tall.
Unfortunate that this is a suggestion for bribery. Here you would train people to expect rewards for inconsiderate behavior. There are many examples I think of where invididuals create unpleasantness for others (driving on any highway comes to mind). I don’t see the need for anyone to fully recline at the risk of creating discomfort for someone else, this is just being impolite. I fly globally and always ask, always make sure I am not dumping someone’s dinner in their lap and try to be polite and respectful. Bribing the passenger in front generally ensures chaos as those who have an entitled point of view will rarely be respectful or considerate of others. Everyone paid for their seat, entitlement should not eliminate the need for all of us to be considerate.
We’re racing at warp speed to the point where domestic carriers will simply remove the ability for coach seats to recline. Is there really any doubt about this? I give it 16 months
I’ll take the over. Right now the LCCs’ seats can’t recline. This adds to the impression that those airlines are terrible and the only reason to fly them is price. This is a point that differentiates the legacy carriers that I don’t think they want to lose.
The reclining doesn’t bother me as much as the fat guy spilling into my seat area.
Oh, what nonsense – and obvious click bait.
If asked and offered enough, I might agree and happily pocket the attempted bribe. Then I’d go ahead and recline my seat as I would otherwise – slowly and considerately (avoiding spills and meal-in-lap dumps), but I’d still do it. What’s the guy behind me going to do – call the air marshals?
If someone is so concerned about not having a seat recline in their face, pay the damn money and buy a seat in a premium cabin, and stop whining about it.
Nothing would stop you from doing this except the shame of breaking your word.
The whole non recline issue is ridiculous. The seats area made to recline. If you don’t like it than tough. That’s life.
What about the other side of this argument, what if I’m on a transcon and the person BEHIND me is digging their knees into my chair when I don’t even recline at all. Only to look back at the person and realize they are 5’0” to 5’3” tall (If your 6’3+ I wouldn’t be as upset), sure, they are not ‘slender’, but they are keeping me from a nap or an otherwise not-awful flight. I’m 6’1 and simply putting more distance between my knees solves this knees-in-seat issue for me.
People saving seats on SW is also becoming an issue. [lazy] Cheapskates that can’t play by the rules and only pay one $12.5 board first surcharge for 1/2 or 1/3 people. I have been debating bringing the flight crew into this issue so the ‘cheaters’ go to the back of the plane where they don’t need to ‘save’ seats(or maybe they do if their counterpart is C55).
I wish i didn’t have to fly SW as much, but I prefer direct flights on these routes that they serve when no other airline does.
Not everything is about money. It’s also not worth it for me.
If someone has a real, legitimate reason and politely and respectfully ask me not to recline due to aforementioned reason, I may seriously consider it for a flight of 4-6 hours duration (for free). For red-eye or international, it’s not an reasonable request as I paid for my seat and expect to be able to recline my seat. And when I say real, legitimate reasons , they do not include height or need to work on their laptop. I’m thinking along the lines of medical needs/conditions. Those who need more spaces could either book premium economy for more space or other airlines that do not offer reclines.
With those exceptions, anyone else asking is just tacky at best, even if some people may accept such an offer. The act of asking with this “bribe” puts it on my plate to decline. Space is already so tight on an plane…why encroach the little space that each person has? Everyone goes on the plane with the understanding that I am my seat, your have yours. I can recline my seat. You can yours. (and most who flies could afford to travel and paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a flight — minus the FF community), and $30-$40 isn’t going to stuff their bank.
So going back to my first sentence, not everything is about money.
If you offer someone a choice, they can’t be worse off, so I reject the line of reasoning that I am making someone worse off by offering them something in order not to recline.
They may not be worse off, but I find it tacky. Your offering is not really a “choice” — it imposes on the other person to have to make another decision on what’s already been paid for. Why stop there? Why not offer someone else $ to swap out of your middle seat? (People don’t choose the middle seat for a reason). Why not offer someone else $ for the bulk head seats?
I’d agree you’re not making them worse off by asking, but clearly, you’re not really making them “better off” either (they would be lose their reclining space for your benefit, and the incentive you are offering is purely monetary)
As you can see by your responses, some people would gladly accept. And others don’t find it to be worth the trade off, which goes back to my saying that it’s not always about the money. Needless to say, I’m in the latter camp and I personally think it’s tacky; I think it’s one of those things we can agree to just disagree on.
George bush was 5’10. Average height of a male in the USA.
I’d definitely agree to the free snack in order to not recline, so I say go for it! A lot of people are willing to do favors for you if you just ask.
If you can’t afford to Travel ( Fly, train ect .) stay home like I DID . That’s not my job to take care of another BUT I’ve done it many times for many different people . ANY trouble with reclining call the cabinet steward . He and I both laughed @ him 7 footer in the middle seat in a short SW flt. I don’t know how his HIPs fit between the armrests BUT it was 1 hr only.
Be Nice, Polite and 99% of the time you have no trouble flying..
…$10 to swap seats if my new seat reclined.
Regardless of recline or not, I have ALWAYS
been able to stretch legs straight out full length
under seat in front of me. (am 6′)
The thing that bothers me about this scenario is that yes, theoretically, I’m not any worse off if you offered me the deal. But the reality for me is that you are making me choose between (a) accepting out of guilt but then likely feeling resentful throughout the whole flight because I really needed a nap etc. and didn’t really care about a purchased snack, or (b) declining but feeling like I am made to look like a selfish *itch for not putting your desires ahead of my own. But that’s just me…
Julie
I got a free bottle of wine for changing seats with a Doctor in First class after the fact a classy move for the Doctor.. I would’ve done it for free like I did in my May for a mother with TWO young screaming kids(Quiet move) ……..