Why you should never recline your seat on a plane

It's simple: we're out of room

Illustration by Christopher Elliott

Should you recline your airline seat? The passenger sitting in front of me on a recent flight never bothered asking. Shortly after takeoff, he just lurched backward. No warning.

He didn't get far because my knees stopped him. That's what happens when you only have just 28 inches between seats, as on my one-hour Jetstar …