Legroom on a plane

Author
Discussion

vescaegg

Original Poster:

25,489 posts

166 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Has anyone come across a Knee Defender before?! It's a device someone can put on the seat in front of them to stop the person in front reclining!

It is slightly irksome when someone does it on a 50min flight to Ireland (but that is their prerogative and id never complain) and I'm personally not one for reclining my seat unless it's a time most people are trying to sleep etc, but I'd be furious if someone took the choice away from me! Not illegal apparently.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/28942485

http://www.cnet.com/news/knee-defender-device-lead...

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
vescaegg said:
Not illegal apparently.
All the major US airlines have banned their use.

RichB

51,435 posts

283 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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Never heard of it but I've experienced occasions when it would have been useful! hehe

Randy Winkman

16,021 posts

188 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I don't know why plane seats recline anyway. Why should someone be able to make themselves more comfortable at the expense of the person behind? It's just weird.

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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A better design of seats moves the base forward, so they only impact their own legroom.

Gazzas86

1,707 posts

170 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I have a human powered knee defender.... Being 6 ft 4 on most airlines my knees are touching the back of the seat infront, no chance of it really going back tbh.

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
mrmr96 said:
A better design of seats moves the base forward, so they only impact their own legroom.
Which blocks the exit for anyone sitting inside of you.

In fact, by keeping the table down so do knee defenders - hence their eventual ban will come.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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OP,
I know b movie sequels are always guaranteed to do OK at the box office, but I don't think your idea will really be a massive hit. I mean, I can even picture him saying "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF THESE MOTHERfkING SEATS ON THIS MOTHERfkING PLANE", but that scene alone won't make much of a film. How would you get the gratuitous boob injury scene in? Pointy cupholder?

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Puggit said:
mrmr96 said:
A better design of seats moves the base forward, so they only impact their own legroom.
Which blocks the exit for anyone sitting inside of you.

In fact, by keeping the table down so do knee defenders - hence their eventual ban will come.
Generally speaking the exit will be blocked by your legs anyway so it doesn't matter.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

185 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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Randy Winkman said:
I don't know why plane seats recline anyway. Why should someone be able to make themselves more comfortable at the expense of the person behind? It's just weird.
Hear hear, I want one of these.

Even unreclined seats give anyone vaguely tall no room.

fletch78

452 posts

219 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Johnnytheboy said:
Randy Winkman said:
I don't know why plane seats recline anyway. Why should someone be able to make themselves more comfortable at the expense of the person behind? It's just weird.
Hear hear, I want one of these.

Even unreclined seats give anyone vaguely tall no room.
+1
I'm 6 foot 4 and always seem to be sat behind some inconsiderate cockwomble who thinks it is their right to try to ram their seat through my knees......great invention, but I really don't understand why the seats can be reclined....

eharding

13,602 posts

283 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I'd just like to say that BA were operating the First Class cabin as a Club service in the 777 back from Denver last week, and at one point I was worried that the cubicle in front of mine had transgressed into my space as my toes were feeling a bit cramped as I was stretched out flat trying to snooze off - then I realised I'd tucked them into a corner, slight shift to the right and my toes are back into free space by probably a foot or so, and hence I was off to sleepsville for a solid 7 hours kip. God only knows what they offer when they're operating a full First Class service. I'm only grateful that I didn't lapse into full asleep-in-my-own-bed mode, in which case my habitual apocalyptic somnambulatory snoring and flatulence may have caused the flight to divert to Gander or somewhere equally remote.

You get pretty much what you pay for with airline seats, and sometimes you occasionally get more than you were expecting. But if you start attaching items with locks to certified aircraft in places that they were never intended to be, then you - and a few of the people you pick a fight with - are going to end up getting arrested.

Warnie

1,135 posts

198 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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This bugs me at 6ft 4, why should the short arses be more comfortable than me ? We both pay the same for our seats yet I'm left with my knees wedged against the seat in front for hours on end. If I want the same legroom as a short arse I have to pay extra for the privilege!

They should allocate on a 1st come 1st served basis the extra legroom seats for us normal sized folk free of charge.

No offence to short arses was intended in this post.....

eharding

13,602 posts

283 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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Warnie said:
This bugs me at 6ft 4, why should the short arses be more comfortable than me ? We both pay the same for our seats yet I'm left with my knees wedged against the seat in front for hours on end. If I want the same legroom as a short arse I have to pay extra for the privilege!

They should allocate on a 1st come 1st served basis the extra legroom seats for us normal sized folk free of charge.

No offence to short arses was intended in this post.....
6ft 4 tall, or wide?






Chlamydia

1,082 posts

126 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I've flown many thousands of miles over the years and I've never felt the need to recline my seat. I was reading today that one airline in America has actually removed the recline mechanisms from their seats, sounds like a good idea to me.

JuniorD

8,616 posts

222 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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It's inconsiderate to bash your seat into recline during inflight service or without first checking what the person behind is doing, but pre-emptively preventing someone else's amenity by using these anti-recline devices is utterly obnoxious.

Personally I think the non-reclining seats on Ryanair aircraft are somewhat appropriate for short haul flights, especially given the low quality of passenger they often attract i.e. the types who would have a ruck over seat use.

Edited by JuniorD on Tuesday 26th August 23:14

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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If this is a sequel to "Snakes on a Plane", it sounds pretty dull.

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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fletch78 said:
but I really don't understand why the seats can be reclined....
Seats CAN be reclined because:
1 sometimes flights are not full so the seat behind may vacant, and
2 if everyone is trying to sleep then if everyone reclines it is better for everyone

EskimoArapaho

5,135 posts

134 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
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Chlamydia said:
I've flown many thousands of miles over the years and I've never felt the need to recline my seat. I was reading today that one airline in America has actually removed the recline mechanisms from their seats, sounds like a good idea to me.
Well, here's someone who doesn't fly cattle-class with Mr O'Leary.

hidetheelephants

23,778 posts

192 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
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eharding said:
You get pretty much what you pay for with airline seats, and sometimes you occasionally get more than you were expecting. But if you start attaching items with locks to certified aircraft in places that they were never intended to be, then you - and a few of the people you pick a fight with - are going to end up getting arrested.
Can you be arrested for being in close proximity to a small plastic wedge? Is this what airtravel has been reduced to; arguments about pointless reclining seats and plastic knicknacks?