I hope the fight was entertaining for the other passengers since it included a 2h diversion to Chicago. I heard of this 'knee defender' over a year ago and I am surprised it took this long to read about an in-flight altercation involving the product. Unless there have been earlier incidents that I missed.


http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014...-seat-reclining

Plane diverted as passengers fight over seat reclining
Man puts lock on seat to stop woman in front reclining it, leading to argument and both being kicked off United Airlines flight

A plane in the US had to be diverted and two passengers removed after one of them started a fight by using a banned device to stop the seat in front reclining.

The spat began on United Airlines flight 1462 because one passenger was using the Knee Defender, a $21.95 lock that attaches to a tray table and jams the reclining mechanism of the seat in front.

The male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the device to stop the woman in front of him reclining while he was on his laptop, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A flight attendant asked him to remove the device and he refused. The woman then stood up, turned around and threw a cup of water at him, the official said.

The dispute on the service from Newark to Denver escalated to the point that the airline decided to divert to Chicago�s O�Hare international airport, according to Transportation Security Administration spokesman Ross Feinstein.

Chicago police and TSA officers met the flight, spoke to the passengers � a man and a woman, both 48 � and �deemed it a customer service issue�, Feinstein said. The TSA would not name the passengers.

The plane then continued to Denver without them, arriving an hour and 38 minutes late, according to the airline�s website.

Both passengers had been sitting in United�s �economy plus� section, which advertises four more inches of legroom.

The Federal Aviation Administration leaves it up to individual airlines to set rules about the device. United Airlines says it prohibits its use, like all major US airlines. Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air take the reclining mechanisms out of their seats, leaving them permanently upright.

The FAA can impose a civil fine of up to $25,000 for passengers who are unruly. In this case no arrest was made, according to airport spokesman Gregg Cunningham.

Another "It's all about me" Episode. Always entertaining.

Commercial flying sux anymore. The unwritten rule of the skys is that if you recline your seat, you are kind of a D-bag, since it basically makes the tray space unusable for the poor soul behind you. Even the "economy plus" seats are tiny.

People who recline are dbags. All recliner mechanisms should be removed from airplanes and anyone who has reclined in the past 10 years should be publicly caned.

I travel on the airlines a lot these days . I ALWAYS go with economy plus for the extra legroom and priority boarding. If it is a long flight and I want to sleep I may recline the seat just a little, but certainly nowhere near as far as it will go (because I am aware that reclining the seat affects the person sat behind me).
Most people are pretty considerate, but there are always a few sorry individuals who just don't get it.

I have wondered why the reclining mechanism is even there, given the very predictable situation. Is it legally mandated or something?

Huh. Guess I'm a douchebag.
On any flight more than 3hrs long I'm going to try to get some shut-eye and I'm going to recline that seat, sorry.
I realize that forces the passenger behind to recline as well but why wouldn't they on a longer flight?

Someone hold him, I will get the cane.

Tar and feathers too

saw police meet a flight one day - two guys in 1st Class had gotten into a scuffle over spilled drink ..... 1st Class ? .... for those two it should of been ...NO CLASS

I don't understand this; I see lots of people recline their seats,
and no one complains, after all, you can do it too when you feel the
need. And it only reclines about 15�, and the tray table still works
fine, as I have used mine with the guy in front reclining. The table
(at least as I recall on the chairs I experienced) maintains its horizontal
independent of the angle of the seat attached.

Maybe the issue arises with some carriers who provide a greater recline
angle, or some trays don't maintain their horizontal?

I'm with PV: I have never experienced any trouble with reclined seats (both in economy and business). I mostly fly with Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France. The tray tables indeed maintains its horizontal "plane", and I still have enough room for my legs (I am of average size, so I still fit the norm just so ).

And when I have to sit 10+ hours on an airplane, you bet I will recline my seat to get some sleep. I made it a habit though to politely inform the person behind me in advance that I am about to recline my seat, to get some shut eye. So far I have encountered exactly zero problems.

International flight top tip: do some "walking around" (= extend your trip to the bathroom), especially during "sleeping hours". Have a drink and a chat with the flight attendants on "night shift", and ask if you could sit in their "hot seats" for a while (usually in the back of the plane, at an emergency exit). Super luxurious legroom, and a window where the shades are not shut.

Yeah, it seems like this was too douches in a duel at 30k ft.



The Jedi Master

I'm not that tall (6"1) and my legs barely fit in the space in front of my seat. I guess taller people have to fly first class?

If the seat reclines, the person has a right to use it IMO.

It's a seat, not an office. If you want to use your laptop, move it a little further in your lap or tilt the screen down a little more. I'm much more sympathetic to someone reclining in a seat they paid for then someone having a little inconvenience with their laptop.

League of Reclining Douchebags, Unite!

Oh, geez.

First, a little civility would be in order - but anyone who knowingly installs a device that hinders the operation of aircraft equipment* isn't the sort to know how to ask politely for the person in front of him to recline a little less.

Second, it's not that big a deal, just move the laptop out a bit and tilt the screen.

Third, who the hell is that important that they absolutely have to work while on an aircraft...and why is that person flying coach? The real time counter-hacker is a movie myth, Mr. Thousandpoppingwindows, and we're not fooled. Your PowerPoint presentation stressing the importance of leveraging diversity paradigms through proactive leadership in cloud based platforms isn't going to impress anyone in most probability.

I'll bet this guy also gets a seat in the back but puts his waaayyy oversized carry-on bag in a bin at the front of the aircraft.

* That's what I'd slap a huge fine on him for if I was the FAA.

How much you want to bet Mr. Knee Defender had HIS seat reclined?

Edit: wrong thread...