It really struck a nerve with me. For those not familiar with the story:

1. guy gets on flight and woman gets on flight. His seat is behind hers


2. guy puts the Knee Defender up. These are two plastic clips that go on his tray table that prevent the seat in front from reclining


3. lady tries to recline but can't. Calls flight attendant.


4. flight attendant tells guy to remove Knee Defender. He refuses.


5. argument follows. She throws her drink on him.


6. plane diverts and lands. They kick those two people off

8/28/2014 8:20:05 AM

Quote :

"All the more reason to be mindful of those around you. "

This would solve a lot of the problems people have today. But it's not going to happen.

8/28/2014 8:22:58 AM

If someone wants to recline their chair back in front of me and thinks thats gonna be more relaxing then go ahead. How you plan on sleeping when I am constantly slamming my legs into your chair is beyond me though. Seems you would be better up sleeping with it upright and not getting jolted around the entire flight, but thats just me.

8/28/2014 8:27:57 AM

fuck planes

8/28/2014 8:29:18 AM

I try to get aisle seats. I'm too cheap for first class, but at least this lets me sit crooked in the seat and get a leg stretched out into the aisle.

8/28/2014 8:30:59 AM

8/28/2014 8:32:47 AM

the woman spent a lot of money and purchased a seat that reclines, the airline has a policy against knee defenders, the guy shouldn't have refused the flight attendant's instructions

8/28/2014 8:37:14 AM

8/28/2014 8:38:09 AM

if someone reclined in front of me, i would just constantly get up and go to the bathroom and slam my legs into the seat. OOPS.

8/28/2014 9:01:36 AM

dtownral said:

Quote :

"the woman spent a lot of money and purchased a seat that reclines, the airline has a policy against knee defenders, the guy shouldn't have refused the flight attendant's instructions"

I'm not picking a side, but never allow yourself to justify any human behavior because someone "spent a lot of money." That is the mentality of a fucking capital slave.

8/28/2014 9:03:21 AM

Southwest Airlines + Emergency Exit Row = FTW

I agree that their comfort should be curtailed where your discomfort begins, but you also have to follow the instructions of the flight crew. I wonder if he tried to compromise and switch seats or something.

8/28/2014 9:13:36 AM

remove the "a lot of money" and just replace with "the woman purchased a reclining seat"

8/28/2014 9:13:54 AM

^^^you realize how easily that argument could be ripped apart? you violate it on a daily basis. I mean, you could order a hamburger at McDonald's and they could serve you a fried rat, and if you complained, you're a capital slave. you may have paid for a hamburger, but you get a rat.


[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 9:18 AM. Reason : ]

8/28/2014 9:17:16 AM

I recline my seat, it's a goddamn option and therefore i'm going to use it. If you don't want someone reclining in front of you then you need to start booking your flight earlier and getting the front row. Until planes remove reclining seats i'm going to recline each and every time. That being said, if it's a transcontinental flight and meals are served i'll make sure to go upright before we're served so as not to spill or jolt the person's meal behind me.

8/28/2014 9:17:37 AM

Quote :

"I mean, you could order a hamburger at McDonald's and they could serve you a fried rat, and if you complained, you're a capital slave. you may have paid for a hamburger, but you get a rat."

yeah, except she's not paying for a recliner, she's paying to be transported quickly to a distant place.

that would be like ordering a hamburger and complaining because you didn't get a sesame seed bun.

8/28/2014 9:21:04 AM

that's the dumbest point so far. the sesame seed bun is part of the burger, its even the part of the song, you are allowed to expect sesame seeds if you buy a burger that was supposed to come with them

[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 9:23 AM. Reason : d]

8/28/2014 9:23:22 AM

^^she may have booked that airline specifically because she knew it had recliners and prohibited knee defenders. so she was specifically paying for that while she traveled.

[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 9:23 AM. Reason : ]

8/28/2014 9:23:40 AM

So, funny you say that. Some airlines have started removing the reclining feature

But yeah, knees man. Knees. Mine are already in the back of the seat BEFORE someone reclines. So if you were in front of me, jeepin4x4, try as you might....your seat isn't going back

8/28/2014 9:24:22 AM

YEAH BUT WHAT ABOUT SESAME SEEDS

8/28/2014 9:24:58 AM

i use seat advisor and specifically avoid seats that to not recline, on some airlines that means paying more just to book a specific seat (even a specific regular seat). i imagine that plenty of other people do the same, maybe even this woman, but even if she didn't she is allowed to expect her seat to recline if it is a reclining seat.

8/28/2014 9:27:07 AM

i fly maybe 6-10 round trips a year, so I don't know all the ins and outs of various planes, the nuances of certain rows and things like that. But i'm also 6'1" and have never really had an issue with unreasonable discomfort in an airplane (knock on wood, 9 hour flight tomorrow). What type of plane did this altercation happen on?

8/28/2014 9:28:36 AM

that's like buying a Wendy's pretzel cheeseburger and getting a piece of bologna on a slice of white bread.

8/28/2014 9:28:47 AM

Bullet, do you think it's more likely that I have failed to consider how "easily [my] argument could be ripped apart," or is it more likely that you didn't get the point?

8/28/2014 9:30:21 AM

what? i get your point. you seem to be missing it. you should get what you pay for.

8/28/2014 9:31:17 AM

Okay.

8/28/2014 9:32:42 AM

I think this was a United flight.

8/28/2014 9:34:30 AM

My biggest flight-related pet leave is when the person behind you grabs the back of the seat and pulls on it. They do it to get up, down, reposition, whatever. I can deal with 1-2 times, it's when they do it constantly that it becomes a pain.

Quote :

"Southwest Airlines + Emergency Exit Row = FTW"

You've got to be one of the first ones on the plane...how do you pull that off? Even the $10 Early-Bird Check-In puts you in the rear of the A group.

8/28/2014 9:34:35 AM

Take the Train. You won't have these problems.

8/28/2014 9:38:31 AM

your mom can sure take a trainHEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

8/28/2014 9:41:23 AM

Maybe I don't fly as often as others ITT. But I've never really much issue with discomfort...I'm not particularly tall so limited leg room isn't a big deal. Personally, I don't recline my seat. I don't feel a need to, plus I don't wanna piss people off behind me. And I rarely have the person in front of me recline. Granted, I'm usually not on particularly long flights where reclining may be more prevalent. I dunno. Both people in this situation need to get over it...they both sound like dicks to me.

8/28/2014 9:41:40 AM

^^^ Can it get me to Denver in under 4 hours?

No thanks.

8/28/2014 9:43:09 AM

Train to Puerto Rico holmes

8/28/2014 9:46:48 AM

I recline my seat. I don't jam it back like some people do. I am 6 feet tall. Not exactly a midget. And when someone reclines in front of me, I just slide my feet under the seat ahead of me, and gives me all the clearance I need. It it not the consumers fault for wanting some comfort.

But everyone has pet peeves about other flyers. My pet peeve is the people, trying to save a buck, that carry on bags that should be checked, fill up all the overhead bin, and then I am left taking my one carry-on, a backpack, and having to stuff it under the seat, leaving no room for me to move my feet forward (exacerbating the seat recline issue).

The guy that refused to follow the flight attendants instructions should be charged.

8/28/2014 9:58:57 AM

i agree with your carry-on complaint and will add people who place purses or small bags in the overhead bin instead of under the seat in front of them

8/28/2014 10:00:56 AM

Again, I think the real underlying issue is airlines reducing the amount of room by squeezing in extra rows and seats.

Just think....some CEO and his board members probably let out an evil laugh when they came up with the idea of making their customers more uncomfortable so that they could reap huge profits.


lol, its like a downward spiral. Fuel prices increase > nickle and dime customers on baggage, small seats, etc... > fewer people fly because of the hassle > raise prices more to recoup losses > fewer people fly > cram in more people on fewer flights > fewer people fly

[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 10:08 AM. Reason : i just take my tractor ]

8/28/2014 10:04:44 AM

I flew to Cincinnati once where the lady behind me had an infant in arms but the bad thing was some rodeo cowboy (as depicted below) decided he needed to cover his face with his hat where the brim was just a few inches from my face

8/28/2014 10:18:35 AM

Sounds like the airlines are at fault for using seats not designed to give passengers ample leg room.

8/28/2014 10:22:26 AM

i sympathize with the woman and only the woman

don't like the cramped conditions? shell out the money for first class or STFU

8/28/2014 10:30:27 AM

Quote :

"then I am left taking my one carry-on, a backpack, and having to stuff it under the seat, leaving no room for me to move my feet forward (exacerbating the seat recline issue)."

That's only takeoff/landing though...you're allowed to have your bag at the base of your seat during the flight giving you room for your feet under the seat in front of you.

8/28/2014 10:34:58 AM

Quote :

"synapseYou've got to be one of the first ones on the plane...how do you pull that off? Even the $10 Early-Bird Check-In puts you in the rear of the A group."

I'm diligent about the 24-hour check-in thing, so I usually get group A. Oddly enough some folks just don't want the exit row. I almost always end up there when I fly Southwest.

8/28/2014 10:42:51 AM

first world problems

8/28/2014 10:44:56 AM

I'm curious as to how the knee defender works. It would be pretty funny if someone tried to use it when a big dude was in the seat in front of him and it just broke.

8/28/2014 10:55:28 AM

I can agree with all the people arguing that you shouldn't put your seat back if it's a discomfort to the person behind you, and people should just generally be nicer to each other.

But in the absence of that being a possibility, the airline has seats that recline and outlaws the device. If that dude wants to make absolutely sure he has no one reclining in front of him he can spend more to purchase the seat in front of him, or upgrade to business/first class if the economy plus comfort seats aren't enough room for him.

I'm not saying these are good options for him, they are expensive and we all acknowledge that. If he doesn't want to spend money his best bet would be having a polite discussion with whoever's in front of him at the beginning of the flight and see where that gets him.

But in a world where no one is nice to anyone else and can't talk things out, both people bought a ticket with the expectation that theirs and the seats in front of them would recline. The guy does not have the right to take that away from someone just because he is too tall.

8/28/2014 11:03:43 AM

Quote :

"My biggest flight-related pet leave is when the person behind you grabs the back of the seat and pulls on it. They do it to get up, down, reposition, whatever. I can deal with 1-2 times, it's when they do it constantly that it becomes a pain. "

Add to that the people that just have to get up every 10 minutes. I'd rather have an aisle seat, to be able to stretch my leg(s) into the aisle from time to time, but I almost always get a windows seat, because invariably there is some schmuck (usually a woman) that just has to get up and go to the bathroom far more often than is acceptable. It's a two hour flight, lady, and you've been up 8 times already. Sit your ass down.

Oh and SHUT UP.

8/28/2014 11:04:58 AM

Quote :

" If that dude wants to make absolutely sure he has no one reclining in front of him he can spend more to purchase the seat in front of him, or upgrade to business/first class if the economy plus comfort seats aren't enough room for him."

Good to know that as a 6'5“ person I have a pay more for the seat

8/28/2014 11:18:01 AM

Quote :

"The guy does not have the right to take that away from someone just because he is too tall."

I hear you man. I just...I don't know. Someone's height isnt something they have a lot of control over. I'd place the blame squarely on the airline for not providing enough room in this instance before even looking at a passenger for being "too tall"

8/28/2014 11:18:35 AM

at the same time, the woman doesn't have control of whether the person behind her is going to be tall.

just a shitty situation. but the dude bought the ticket knowing that the seats reclined and knee defenders were prohibited... and if he didn't, he was told during the flight.

it does suck, shitty airlines.

8/28/2014 11:23:48 AM

Quote :

"shitty airlines"

this sentiment is retarded

what do you (and others who agree with you) think the solution is? bigger airplanes? larger (and fewer) seats? i assume, then, that you're willing to pay more for your tickets? because you can go ahead and pay more NOW and get a first-class seat

8/28/2014 11:31:23 AM

Quote :

"Good to know that as a 6'5“ person I have a pay more for the seat"

You only have to pay more if you want to guarantee comfort. But yes, sorry. The last few years my back has started to hurt and I've found some airline seats can be painful for me. If I want to guarantee comfort for myself I'd have to spend more money too...but instead I chance it, and if I get a shitty seat I don't mess with the people around me to make sure I'm comfortable.

And I'm strictly speaking within the confines of rules, in the absence of civility. I'm 5'7", but I don't recline unless I'm trying to sleep, which is rare. If someone asked me not to recline because they don't have room, I would gladly refrain. And yes, I do fully blame the airlines first and foremost for making flying as uncomfortable as they possibly can (and it's getting worse, see the new saddle seats they want to roll out). But for this particular argument, these people were on a plane and had to deal with the situation they were put in. Yes, I blame the airline first, but I blame the man second.

8/28/2014 11:31:39 AM

^^yes, less seats (like it was not too long ago) and less profit for the CEOs?

i mean, just removing one or two rows would make a pretty big difference.

[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 11:34 AM. Reason : ]

8/28/2014 11:32:19 AM