UshuaiaHammerfest

It's not just frowned upon, it's obnoxious, rude, and I suspect against the rules. Anyone whose seat is designed to recline has a right to do so.

OP, did you ask the flight attendant for help moving to another seat before the situation escalated? When you were first asked to stop hitting the seat in front of you, why didn't you say "I'll do my best, but I have a medical condition and I may accidentally hit the seat from time to time"? When the FA left to get the purser, did you tell the pax in front of you "Hey I'm really sorry -- kicking your seat is totally unintentional. Any chance you might be able to move your seat up just an inch or so?"

It sounds like you went into the conversation with an attitude of "I'm not backing down," rather than seeking compromise or actually trying to resolve the situation.

When you booked, was there no alternative flight that would've given you an exit row or a bulkhead? If the medical condition were really the primary issue, I can't imagine why you would've gambled on an upgrade rather than assuring that you'd be safe throughout the flight.

scubadu

What, specifically, is the OP "right" about? Please spell it out.

So, based on the escalation that appears to have occurred here because of the OP continuously moving their knees in the back of the seat, do you honestly believe use of the device you mention would not have also resulted in the same escalation? Seriously?

Flying sucks. Lot's of people have problems; I have a herniated disk resulting in chronic back pain which also sometimes makes me fidgety on long flights. However, that is my problem to figure out how to work around, not the person in front of me. I wish seats didn't recline (I'm not a recliner) but they do; they are built specifically to do so and the airlines allow them to do so. So, if someone legitimately purchases a ticket expecting their seat to be free to recline during a flight, well, it seems, at least in the current system, they have every right to do so.

Regards

roberino

What about the discourtesy of denying them something they have paid for - a reclining seat?

The seat pitch is published and readily available. If you don't fit then buy a bigger seat or switch to an airline with bigger Y seats.

So your suggestion is to physically enforce your antisocial attitude on someone else? That epitomises a lack of courtesy...

roberino

If you are at a significant risk of DVT then your company is liable if they force you to fly in Y and you then become ill. A positive step here would be to mention your condition to HR and ask that for flights over, say, 4 hours they will fly you in a bigger seat. If there are no exit row seats available then they pay for premium economy or business.

What is not a positive step is passive-aggressively torturing the guy in front because you didn't get an upgrade...

Non-NonRev

Yes - per the Wall Street Journal, AA has banned the so-called "Knee Defender" as long ago as 2007:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118731374982900505.html

Evita_FT

What you pay what you get

Clipper110A

There is very little courtesy on the airplane any more, and they have stuffed even more seats, so it is much less comfortable than it used to be with even "more room" LOL for MORE less courteous people.

The guy in front of you has the right to recline his seat. Having said that, there is a certain "pax type" I have observed where the seat comes all the way back as if the recline mechanism is attached the the retracting landing gear while the airplane is over the runway on takeoff.

Did the guy eat AA's fabulous Y class cuisine ? To do so with his seat in full recline, he would probably have to lean forward, and the reclined seat is serving no purpose for him other than staking out space like you might see explained by animal behaviorists on an episode of Meerkat Manor.

My point is it sounds like you may have instigated and escalated it, but does the seat need to be fully reclined over piano keys on the takeoff runway ? It CAN be..are people on airplanes solicitous of others ? Not often unfortunately.

If med condition, get two seats. I am 6 ft 3, and I will not fly 777 in Y, even if planning on SWU, unless row 31 is available at the point I make the reservation. it is that impotant to me. I don't do the 767-300 at all, unless in J or Y domestic US.

AA exit row seat maps long haul Y very difficult to get last minute exit row. Maybe they should restrict advance seat assignment for those seats to a higher tier AAdvantage level than whatever the current protocol is.

econometrics

Could not agree more. Being rational and sensible in situations that are uncomfortable is almost always the best course of action. I know that if I had been sitting in front of the OP, I would have been a lot more inclined to bring my seat up a little if the OP had been "on the level" with me, instead of trying to defend his own rights over mine.

vail

I have in the past been placed on flights where there were no first class seats available because of a flight cancellation.
I purchased the knee defender for these odd flight cancellations because some people like to see how fast they can recline the seat and see how hard they can push back at the same time.
Yes I am depriving these morons the chance to crush my knees, but I am not going to wait to see if I happen to luck out and the person in front of me will recline slowly and gracefully.
The flying public is not as rude as most of the responders on FT as can be seen in this thread but they are no picnic either.
If you are fortunate to have an exit row with a lot of legroom when the person behind you has no legroom I think the proper thing to do is to put your seat up a little and not recline all the way rather than complain to a flight attendant.
The fact that everyone here feels differently confirms the fact of the complete lack of courtesy while flying.

Clipper110A

It may also be a violation of FAA regulations. Passengers are not licensed A and P mechanics and are therefore technically not qualified or authorized to "install" or modify anything in an aircraft cabin.

For those very few passengers who might actually be licensed A and P mechanics are not working, and do not have the aircraft mx logbook, and would not be acting in accordance with the company's approved mx program, as that device is not part of that program anyway.

Non-NonRev

Wanting to unilaterally impose one's ideas about what is acceptable/proper/courteous behavior in a confined public space strikes me as the height of discourtesy...

I'm hardly an apologist for AA or any other airline, but I will cheer when you and other users of these banned devices are caught and are handed over to the authorities when the plane lands (I hope that the flight attendant or captain has the courtesy not to make the plastic handcuffs too tight)

dickinson

OK, let's turn the situation around.
Booked in Y on a 9 hour international flight. Was very careful to get a reclining exit row seat to be able to sleep.
FA says, "Sorry, Mr. Dickinson. You can't recline on this flight. The passenger behind you needs that room to move his knees."
For some reason I'm not sure all those defending the OP would be happy to leave the seat unreclined for 9 hours on an overnight international flight.

JDiver

Additionally to what Non-NonRev has posted:

IMO, the OP has a known medical disability / challenge, and should have contacted AA Disability Services prior to flying. Given the previous incidents, I feel the OP failed to advocate successfully for himself and his conditions when making the decision and booking. (I'd also suspect he has no business sitting in an emergency exit row.) The crew probably responded as they did because they thought he was gaming them; also it sounds like the OP was passive-aggressive and came across as argumentative and hostile in communications made. Now it's devolved to a "he said - he said" issue, no good for anyone.

The seats for people with disabilities are generally forward of the exit row, and if memory serves when AA restored "Less Room Throughout Coach" the seat rows that were installed were behind the exit row - so the OP could have been given a "disabled" seat forward of the exit row with a bit more seat pitch (this is true of the 767, iirc,) as these (marked on seat charts) are specified for people with disabilities and able-bodied will generally be relocated to other seats when necessary.

In any case, if I were the OP I would call the last number below and register my situation to attempt to couteract the writeup. And take better care of myself in the future - good luck.)

Disability Assistance

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Other helpful Information can be found in our Customers with Disabilities section.

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Past Date Travel Experience

If you are a customer with a disability and have recently experienced a problem on a previous trip, we invite you to call us directly at (817) 967-3000. Please provide your full name, a daytime phone number, and mention that you are calling to discuss a disability-related matter. We will return your call no later than the end of the following business day.

I know a bit about these things - I am 6'4" / 193 cm and have flown DFW-ZRH in non-reclining middle seat 13E (sudden business trip) and survived (and did not have to kick the seatback in front of me, nor did I attempt using a Seat Defender, which is against AA policies).

sukn

When you use this device, out of principle, do you also refrain from reclining your own seat?

Does your definition of rudeness extend to the use of the banned device?

brp

So, let me see if I understand your point:

It is the height of rudeness if one purchases a seat that reclines, and then reclines. Further, it is also a demonstration of rudeness and lack of courtesy to comment here that one purchasing a reclining seat should be allowed to recline.

However, it is acceptable (and neither rude nor discourteous) to use a banned device to disable the recline that they are entitled to just because you don't feel like letting them recline? Can I assume that it's OK for you (not the rest of us, of course) to use a cell phone blocker in places where you have decided that you don't want to hear cell phone calls?

Do you actually read what you post before hitting the Submit button?

I do agree that slamming the seat back really is the height of rudeness. When I recline, which isn't often, I do so slowly, and not completely. But I'm still entitled to my recline, as is the person in front of me.

Cheers.