“Knee Defender?” Flight Diverted Over Seat Disagreement

A Tuesday flight to Denver was diverted to Chicago over a seat disagreement between a passenger using a device called ‘the knee defender’ and the woman seated in front of him. It’s a battle that many are finding reminiscent of sibling wars in the old van or station wagon, and of Mom’s threats to ‘turn this car around.’

According to NPR, the problem arose when a woman in row 11 discovered she couldn’t recline her seat. It turned out that the man behind her was using The Knee Defender, a device designed to prevent intrusion into one passenger’s knee space by another’s seat, to keep her chair locked into the full upright position.

USA Today notes that the Federal Aviation Administration does not ban devices like this one, but individual airlines may, and most do. United Airlines, on whose flight the incident occurred, is no exception.

Thus, when the woman in row 11 discovered her problem and took it to the flight attendant, the gentleman in row 12 was asked to remove the device. He, unfortunately, refused to do so.

At this point the woman in front of him had had quite enough. She stood and threw a cup of water at him!

United Airlines quickly decided it was time to put a stop to the whole mess, and diverted the flight to Chicago, where the two were put off the plane.

Authorities met the two and escorted them away, and the rest of the passengers on the flight were delivered to their destinations a little under two hours behind schedule.

With a flight diverted over a seat fight, the argument is roiling: is it inappropriate to use a device like the Knee Defender, or does it merely force other people to be polite by not invading the space of the person behind them?

[photo credit: Aero Icarus via photopin cc]

“Knee Defender?” Flight Diverted Over Seat Disagreement