Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Another flight diverted over legroom dispute





Delta Flight Rerouted After Passengers Fight Over Legroom


Good Morning America
A Delta flight from New York to Florida was rerouted Monday, the airline confirmed, the third flight diversion caused by passengers fighting over legroom in recent weeks.
Delta Flight 2370 departed from New York's LaGuardia Airport at about 7 p.m. Monday, en route to West Palm Beach. The flight was diverted to Jacksonville after the disturbance, which passengers say was sparked when a woman who was knitting reclined her chair, sending the woman behind her into a rage.
"The flight attendant came over, and that just exasperated what was going on, and then [the complaining passenger] demanded that the flight land," a fellow passenger said later. "She said something to the effect of, 'I don't care about the consequences. Put this plane down now.'"
The airline complied, and the woman who complained was removed from the flight in Jacksonville. She was not arrested.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the captain elected to divert to the closest airport,” Delta said in a statement. “Local law enforcement met the flight and removed the passenger.”
The flight continued on to West Palm Beach, arriving after 11 p.m.
Flight Diverted After Passengers Feud Over 'Knee Defender'
Legroom Wars: Plane Diverted After Reclining Seat Fight
Clashes over shrinking legroom contributed to two incidents last week. A Miami to Paris flight landed in Boston Wednesday after air marshals on the plane restrained a man who fought with a passenger trying to recline in front of him, a law enforcement source told ABC News.
That incident came days after a man on a United Airlines flight used a product called a Knee Defender to keep the seat in front of him from reclining. The woman in front, unable to recline, got into an argument with the man and reportedly threw a cup of water in his face. Both passengers were seated in United’s Economy Plus section, which gives fliers extra legroom for an extra fee.
The argument prompted the Newark, New Jersey-to-Denver flight to be diverted to Chicago, United Airlines confirmed, adding that the unidentified passengers were not allowed back on when the plane continued on to Denver.

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Another flight diverted over a legroom dispute

Basically, it's like this. If you are sitting by the window with two or more people between you and the aisle and you are over 5 foot 11 to 6 feet tall or are overweight at all, you cannot get up to even go to the bathroom during the flight if someone puts their  seat back to recline position in front of you or anyone next to you on the way to the aisle. Also, if you are over 6 feet tall both your knees might be broken with the passenger or airline or both liable for this injury especially when you cannot walk off the plane because of your injuries. Or if you are at all claustrophobic this can make some people hysterical to be trapped like this especially if they are tall or big which also might lead to violence or harsh words or both.

Since many people cannot afford business class or Economy plus or first class seats this war between those who want to recline and those injured in various ways by those who do will continue. I just hope someone doesn't have to die or a plane crash in one of these incidents before reclining seats go away permanently in coach. 

A woman knitting on a U.S. domestic route sparks outrage when she reclines her seat.  Third spat in recent weeks » 

Several airlines have already stopped their seats from reclining. The airlines caused this when they started reducing the space passengers have to a ridiculous degree to squeeze more passengers on each plane. So, the airlines (if a plane crashes because of this have no one to blame but themselves for this ever increasing hostility of passengers). 

Unless you were to ban anyone over 5 foot 11 or with a back or claustrophobia problem or anyone with a health problem that prevents them from getting up or going to the bathroom during a flight when a seat is reclined in front of them or their neighbors between them and the aisle this problem is only going to get worse from now on.
 

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