Anyone using the Knee Defender?
 

I didn't know there was such a device until I saw a report on the news this morning about a flight being diverted because two passengers got into a fight over its use. Anyone use one or seen others using it on a plane?

Here is a related story as well as a very strange video I found regarding the incident.
Knee Defender - Business Insider

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeWxzd0d-3c

I've never seen such a thing. It wouldn't help the biggest problem I have - the people in the seat in front of me slamming themselves back against the seat. Can't you just sit still?

The fighting passengers were in the "extended legroom" section, which makes any fuss over reclining even more stupid. I think they should have been arrested and charged with something. Disrupting a hundred other passengers, some of whom likely missed appointments or connections, deserves more than a tsk tsk.

As to the video the woman was right. The a--hole with the computer didn't pay for the right to use his computer at the discomfort of the person in front of him.

Someone should invent a fat slob defender.

I agree. The woman had a feature of her seat purposely disabled by the a-hole with the laptop. IMHO she was in the right for complaining but not for tossing the water on him.

Anyone know the height of the persons involved?

And too those of you who have replied in this tread, how tall are you?

At 6'1" I've had my legs cramped many times and my usual response is to open up my newspaper and let it drape onto their head, after swatting it a few times they will get the message and ask why the newspaper is in their hair. Because your ****ing seat is in my face, thank you.

Usually resolved quickly after that. Most reasonable people will understand. I've never been asked to leave a plane, (yet).

The ones I really hate are the fat pigs that need the armrest up in order to sit in my seat as well as theirs.

I've never reclined my seat in a plane, because I know that with how tight the airlines pack us in, I would be making the person behind me uncomfortable. We're all in this together and if we want to fly cheaply, we need to make sacrifices. I believe that not reclining is less of a sacrifice to my comfort than the sacrifice that a person has forced upon them in the form of having a seat back in their personnel space and a barely usable tray table.

My opinion: the airline ought to disable the recline feature in rows that are too tight to allow both passengers to enjoy the flight.

This!

Anybody that reclines their seat on an airplane is a douche....
That being said it should not be legal to disable any feature on an aircraft that you don't own.

I'm 6' 2''. I normally will shell out the extra cash for extended coach when I fly for a chance to get a little more comfort on my flights. Sometimes I get lucky and get business class. This is the only time I'll recline because I know it's the only time I won't disturb the passenger behind me. It is just one of those things that I do. I also agree that the airlines should disable the recline function and perhaps add some padding to the seats to make them a little more comfortable.

EXIT ROW!

By law, is required to have more leg room.

By law, the row in front of it will not recline.

And, since it's the exit row, most fat slobs refuse to sit there.



wait.... never mind. Please disregard everything I just said.

I'd be happy if they'd sell me a few square feet where I could just stand for the whole flight. Perhaps a wall to lean on occasionally.
Jim

I'm not quite sure why the airlines haven't ruled on this stuff yet. Just make a ruling and make it clear to all passengers. If they don't like the rule, don't fly.

As I see it, a passenger rents a reclining seat and is entitled to the full use of the recliner and all of the space between their fully reclined seat to the fully reclined seat in front of them. If the reclined seat in front of you causes distress, recline your seat to regain your spacing distance. Everybody wins.

We have been on some very long flights and reclining is the difference between relative comfort and major squirm and discomfort. On a flight back from Bejing (16hrs), a woman we knew became agitated at the gentleman in front of her because he reclined his seat and was trying to sleep. He is also a Porsche Master technician. She started pounding on his seat and hollering at him. I wanted to open the hatch and shove her out but someone wisely gave her a valium instead. Yay!

One time on a flight to Atlanta, a fluffy 350 pounder sat next to me and politely asked if we could lift the armrest so he could "relax" all over my seat.

"Uhh, that's not going to happen."

So sad that airliners have become urban busses with wings now. No thanks.

This is what el cheapo fares get you.

Who doesn't recline their seat? To assume sort of etiquette has been breached because someone used a comfort feature of the seat it was designed for is complete BS. Self-righteous douchebag. You clip my chair and I will make sure your tray gets bent, and your laptop falls over

I say, **** your laptop and all your space hogging gadgets- some people think they are entitled to impose on others because they have business to do. If you can't fit or operate in the space you bought- buy a bigger space. It's bad enough people have contests to see how much crap they can put in carry on instead of check-in (HINT: you aren't saving much time) doubly annoying when those douchebags "unpack" their electronic crap and garbage everywhere and turn it into their office space.

Same goes for fat people- deal with it.

rjp

Well said!

I travel a lot for business. I recline my seat, I paid for it. If your 22" laptop behind me is cramped that is your problem, not mine.

Wait, do you mean I should deal with a fat person in my seat, or that the fat person should cram in and not slop all over my seat?

I only honor armrest requests from beautiful women or my wife. :)

That's right. People have a right to recline a reclining seat on an airplane. If that guy did that to my seat, I'd remove his little devices and confiscate them.

Fixed to reflect reality.

Well, if he wanted to fight over them, it would be game on. :)

Oh no- meaning they need to buck up and buy 2x seats.

Fat tax.

+1
My seat was designed to recline. Why am I a criminal to use a comfort feature placed on the plane for my benefit. Airlines need to have a policy on it.

The woman's only mistake was to not let the flight attendant handle the douche behind her. If she had, he would have gotten thrown off and she would have made it to her destination.

Hit the nail on the head. I'm amazed how many people think it's ok to recline into my crotch. It's like they are waiting for me to wash their hair.

I get that "it's your right to use the features of your seat", but just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean you should.

How many of you insist on bringing a carry on instead of checking baggage?


I hate all of you. I want to see everyone with an actual carry on (not a purse, not a backpack, one of those born from hell luggage pieces) stowed with their bags in the cargo hold, so that I can get on and off the plane like a normal civilized human being. You clog the waiting area, you clog the plane, you clog the terminal, screw you.
:)

I don't mind people who recline, because I always always always upgrade to the extra legroom seats, at 6'2" I'm not even going to play around with it.

What airline do you fly? Because all the planes I've been on the seats go back maybe 2 inches. Your kidding yourself if you think I'm anywhere close to your crotch at that point.

I am 6-4, and fly a bit more than the average person. I have been known to recline my seat and have never had anyone say or do anything about it.

I get upgraded a lot, and recline my first class seat as well.

Bill

Think about how airplane seats were designed 50 years ago, vs. today.
(Maximum comfort versus maximum capacity.)

That said, the airlines knew this product existed, and that these situations would eventually happen.
They have enacted nothing in terms of stated policy.
They are less afraid of fist fights than impeding on patent rights.

There is absolutely no way they would put the armrest up if I were sitting next to them.

If someone put those things on so I could not recline my seat, I would be cool with it if they paid me cash on the spot what my ticket cost me, otherwise it would not stay there. Either that or the air waitress could move me to first class.

Anyone using the Knee Defender?
 

No kidding. Buy an iPad idiot. Or something that'll fit in the space you paid for to do your stuff. FU. I want to sleep / relax /whatever and I paid for the privilege of doing so.

I'm 6'3" and don't fly much, but when I do it is typically for business so I don't have a huge choice over seating, etc.

Obviously every airline is different, but in many of them when I sit in the seat I have to sit completely upright with my lower back firmly against the seat back and even then my knees are touching the seat in front of me. In this position, my head is well above the headrest. If the person in front of me reclines their seat, it ends up being only inches from my face. I literally can't move.

My recent 13.5 hour flight to Japan was horrendous (can't sleep due to the upright seating position, etc.).

It is what it is. I'd rather be tall and suffer through airline flights and small cars on occasion then be short all the time. ;)

Don't give the airlines ideas! Next thing you know, they'll be renting knee defenders, and anti knee defender trays.

to me, it looks like most of the people that have replied in this tread is acting similar to the guy in the pink shirt
http://somethingyousaid.com/wp-conte..._2-640x360.jpg

How to Practice Airplane Etiquette: 7 Steps (with Pictures)

Quote: Check behind you—is that person tall, or do they have a child on their lap? If so, consider keeping your seat upright out of consideration, especially if it's a short flight. By reclining, you're taking space away from the passenger behind you; you may be more comfortable, but at someone else's expense

Based on this thread, I started looking around and found this site, RouteHappy. They help you find the happiest flight experience for the cheapest price. They rank flights on roomier seats, nicer planes, Wi-Fi, best entertainment, high flyer rating, in-seat power & cost.

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The refugees thats been walking around a mountain in Iraq with no food and water for weeks are reportedly grateful they don´t suffer from this problem.

^ This!

They should have called it "the inconsiderate douche defender".
IMHO of course.

I occasionally recline my seat when I fly. It's up to me.
It is NOT up to the whiner behind me whether I do or not.

This is from the Onion? I mean, c'mon...

The vid claims that the device does not interfere with the safety of the plane. Ridiculous. That device very clearly locks the tray-table in the down position.

I can't imagine how any carrier would allow such a device.

And how much does that device cost? While taxiing, I simply squirt 5-min epoxy on recline pivot points in front of me. (j/k)