So you’ll out-jerk the jerks? Good luck with that one buddy. A jerk arms race is exactly what society needs to deal with the inconsiderate nature of, supposedly, every human on earth.
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Fuck the airlines and both of these jerks. But mostly the airlines.
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I’m not so sure it’s all about you. When a passenger buys a ticket does it come with the expectation that the passenger will be able to use their laptop to finish that presentation they’re supposed to deliver in Chicago or recline their seat and sleep before their meeting in Chicago? Either scenario has a case.
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I’m actually surprised at the number of Boing Boing readers who are defending the use of this thing. I really thought we were kind of better than that.
But then treating reader comments as a barometer for all readers goes against any kind of statistical validity, etc.
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You must be new here. 
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I’m supposed to do what then? It’s physically impossible for me to fit behind a reclined seat on most aircraft. I’d happily pay closer to what we used to, for closer to the seat spacing we used to have, but that’s not an option, and either is paying 4x the ticket price for the next status rung.
Also, if you could refrain from hyperbole and mis-quoting, that would be great.
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I notice several tall people saying how uncomfortable it is for them if the person in front reclines.
Well, that works two ways. I have a back problem, and I’ve been on long flights where the slight change of angle of the reclining of a cattle class seat was just enough to change the experience from agonizing to tolerable.
Oh, and I’m tall too, so I’m quite aware of how little legroom you have.
It isn’t always about you, and you are not necessarily the only person with a legitimate reason to desire a particular seating arrangement.
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So, fuck the person in front? Who paid the same? For the same space?
[quote]I’d happily pay closer to what we used to, for closer to the seat spacing we used to have, but that’s not an option
[/quote]
That’s a legitimate gripe for the airline. Not for us, or for the person in front of you who is dealing with the exact same situation.
“it would be nice if 100% of people weren’t inconsiderate jerks”
“inconsiderate nature of, supposedly, every human on earth”
I am rephrasing what you said, not magnifying it. It’s sad when my supposed hyperbole is actually what you said.
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Actually, no. But this place has changed, man…
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The part of the story that makes this kind of open and shut (heh) is the flight attendant told him to remove them, he didn’t, and the airline doesn’t permit the use of Knee Defenders.
Plus, sometimes, “the person in front of me reclined so i couldn’t get the preso done for a few more hours” is an okay, and valid excuse 
p.s. apparently they were both in economy plus.
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Incidentally, when I had the chance to pay a couple of hundred extra for the medium level of service - the one between cattle and business which US airlines seem to think nobody wants - I did so, and had a wonderful transatlantic flight that left me feeling like I’d been relaxing in my living room. I could recline enough to nap, without bothering anyone. So yeah, blame the airlines.
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Oh for fucks sake. I have never heard anyone ever ask if anyone minds if they recline their seat. If someone did I would find it really weird.
Occasionally people are assholes, and leg-space is declining. The amount seats recline should probably be limited more than it is, on short haul flights anyway. Send an email to your airline of choice.
But you obviously do not have the right to interfere with the operation of any fitted equipment on a commercial aircraft. Like, obviously.
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Battery, actually.
There’s a difference between refusing to remove this thing when asked, and just having it in place as a preemptive to ensure you aren’t surprised when the seat in front of you gets pushed back. Not sure how the latter is passive aggressive or a dick move–as I said, if I had one I wouldn’t refuse when asked, but being asked (or notified) gives me a chance to move my leg, secure my laptop, move my coffee, etc. I should get that warning anyway. Better this than my leg be the first indication that the guy in front is throwing back the seat.
And people do push their seats back out of the blue, hard. I’ve only had my knee knocked back myself, but once I saw a child actually decapitated by a tray seat just one seat over by some idiot who didn’t bother to check. It’s not pretty. These devices can save lives.
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hyperbole aside, the tray table doesn’t move when the seat goes back
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What if the person leaning back injures the knee of the person behind?
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refusing to remove this thing when asked
I shouldn’t have to ask you to be able to operate my seat in the way it has normally been operated for decades.
Obviously I don’t want people to be burned, injured or stuff to be broken but you custom modifying the aircraft is not the answer. A better solution would be a mechanism that stops the seats from being moved back at speed (because that seems to be the cause of a lot of people’s anger). The other thing I need to point out is that, although I accept laptop use as an acceptable thing to do on a flight, people using laptops is the new addition causing problems. Never before laptops did be put things on the tray table that slanted towards the seat in front. Now we do.
actually decapitated
You… know what that means, right? Surely an event of such horrifying proportions would be reported somewhere in the media. I don’t believe you.
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This was my reaction too. I have never heard anyone ask if it’s okay to recline. I wonder though whether you travel in North America? I haven’t for 13+ years and from what I hear North American airlines have tended to be the most consistently evil with regards to seat spacing and pitch over the last decade or so. Maybe because we(?) haven’t suffered like Americans we haven’t had comparable experiences?
Having said that I always recline slowly so as to warn anyone sitting behind that the seat is coming back but I’ve never considered asking.
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You assume correctly that my air travel experiences are mainly limited to Australia, so it is possible things are different in the US, and I’ve just been lucky the few times I’ve flown there.
