Tightslot, looking at your age, like me you must have experience of Y travel 20-30 years ago. In those days reclining seats in Y were not an issue because the seat pitch was adequate. Over the years airlines have crammed more and more seats in their Y cabins in an attempt to maximise yield whilst retaining competitive fares. Fine, and as you point out, we have a choice. But that's not the issue here. What I'm simply trying to point out is that if airlines want to succumb to the commercial pressures of more seats less space then they should seriously consider the seat recline issue which does cause exactly what the title of this thread suggests! I'd say that the above responses have in fact confirmed this. Finally, a large proportion of travellers cannot afford C or F class. Is this sufficient reason for them to endure hours of discomfort from a reclined seat in Y. Where's the logic in this train of thought? If airlines want to provide Y pax reclining seats then they should be responsible enough to ensure that any recline does not impact on passenger comfort. Finally, just for the record, I always fly C class on flights of 2 hours or more AT MY OWN COST.