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ohsirus

Beware the Knee Defender

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"I read this article and thought about my flight from KLAS to KIAD and payed for the extra legroom, but I later found out that if you get one of the extra legroom seats near the Exit the seats don't fully recline so you're stuck in an akward mini recline with extra legroom....$$$Scam$$$."

 

 

KneeDefender.jpg

 

 

(CNN) -- Do airline passengers have the right to recline?

That simmering debate among fliers escalated Sunday aboard a United Airlines flight that was diverted after two passengers argued over the use of a device that blocks reclining.

A Knee Defender, a gadget that "helps you stop reclining seats on airplanes so your knees won't have to," was at the root of the disturbance.

United Flight 1462 from Newark to Denver was forced to divert to Chicago's O'Hare airport, according to United Airlines. The airline said that it does not allow the use of the recline-blocking device on its aircraft.

A federal law enforcement source, speaking on background, said the incident involved a male and a female passenger, both 48 years old.

The female passenger was unable to recline her seat and flagged a flight attendant.

The flight attendant told the man seated behind her to remove the Seat Defender device, but he declined. The female passenger then threw water in his face. The pilot decided to divert the flight to Chicago, where authorities met the aircraft.

The two passengers were removed from the plane before it continued on to Denver, United said. The passengers were not arrested.

The argument occurred in the Economy Plus section, which provides United passengers up to 5 inches of extra legroom compared with standard coach seats.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/travel/united-flight-knee-defender/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

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It makes me wander...

 

Did the passenger who installed the knee defender recline their seat?

 

Chris.


Christopher Bell.

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It makes me wander...

 

Did the passenger who installed the knee defender recline their seat?

 

Chris.

That would be a good question.

 

I don't think I've ever reclined a seat on any of the commercial flights I've been on.  Flying on a MD-80 with its rather spacious coach seating I doubt that it is even a problem, but I've been on a 757 and the seats were jammed so close together that my knees pressed into the back of the seat in front of me.  Thank goodness they did not recline their seat.


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I never recline the seat. I've had more problems with old ladies than any other group.  I'm always amazed at some people's total disregard for those around them.

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I don't know fully what the legallity of these are but from a maintenance point of view they are not aircraft approved parts and therefore not allowed

So the question has to be are they FAA aproved or not

If the answer is no then the owner is potentially damaging a seat, and that is illegal !

Not to mention the time and hassle that's involved in fixing the broken seat and potential loss of revenue if the seat becomes unusable


Pete Little

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I never recline the seat. I've had more problems with old ladies than any other group.  I'm always amazed at some people's total disregard for those around them.

 

I agree about total disregard- seats are intended to recine  and recline mine on a long flight.

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I agree about total disregard- seats are intended to recine  and recline mine on a long flight.

Hopefully you won't be in the seat ahead of me.

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I never understood why people can't be bothered to turn around and ask this very little, very simple question...

"Excuse me, do you mind if I recline my seat a bit? If it hinders you, please do tell me."

Every SINGLE time I've asked this question, the answer was a smiling "Go ahead."

People's reactions are based a lot more on how you say/ do things, than what the actual message is.

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The sardine like seating space on planes is really annoying for my 6'1" frame. Even in first class(only able to do this once as a wish for my dying father) on a United flight I was not very impressed with the amount of leg room, which kind of shocked me.

 

Fat people have a similar issue but theirs is usually self induced.

 

I tolerate the plane designed as is. The seats recline, so deal with it. Those anti-recline devices should be banned and that guy should be penalized. Not sure why the women was thrown off the plane?!

 

If you have special needs, you should make it aware to the airlines when buying the tickets.

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I would think they are banned because in case of emergency if the person who put them on cannot get them off quickly enough, it will take up valuable time exiting the aircraft...and also the person(s) seated next to them will not be able to get out as well quickly. I've been told countless times to try to push my bag under the seat in front of me more as it hinders the person(s) next to me exiting.  The problem is those entertainment systems take up soo much room underneath, my backpack doesn't fit.


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If I can't recline it's a very uncomfortable flight. That couple of extra inches allows a little pressure off my lower spine which helps on long flights.

 

If someone put that device on the back of my chair, there would be a fight.

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I have to say I don't think I've ever turned around asked someone can I recline my seat. I could not imagine a 6+ hour flight stuck sitting in a fully erect position if the person behind me said they would prefer if I didn't recline my seat. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration has said it is up to individual airlines to set rules about whether they allow the use of the Knee Defender on flights.

Most major US airlines, including United Airlines, have banned the device.

 

Below is an example of the courtesy card you can give to the person in front of you.

 

This is a Knee Defender™ Courtesy Card™

I am using Knee Defender.  Knee Defender is a small plastic device that helps me protect myself by limiting how much the seat in front of me can recline.  I wanted to let you know about this and provide the following information:

___ Unfortunately, my legs are so long that if you recline your seat at all it would immediately bang into my knees.

___  As best I can estimate, you could recline your seat about ____ inches without banging into my knees.  If you would like to recline your seat this much at some point during the flight, please let me know and I will adjust my Knee Defender so that is possible.

___ If you would like to recline your seat at some point during the flight, please let me know and I will try to adjust myself and my Knee Defender so that it can be done safely.

I realize that this may be an inconvenience.  If so, I hope you will complain to the airline.  Maybe working together we can convince the airlines to provide enough space between rows so that people can recline their seats without banging into other passengers. 

Thank you for your understanding.

—  YOUR FELLOW PASSENGER

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Hmmm... where can I get one of those?


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For very long trips, I pay the extra to get more room. Trans-Atlantic flights taught me that if you were not willing to pay for at least Business Class, it was going to be a tough trip. In the US., I can stand to sit up for the duration. If someone has a problem, I understand. It is the airlines issue because of putting in too many seats. The root of being inconsiderate lies with them. If you build a cattle car, comfort goes out the window.

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