RTW seatback launcher (passenger reclines seat suddenly without warning)
 

it’s been brought up before but I feel compelled to share this frustration with my fellow UA Flyertalkers as it’s something potentially injurious.

Im tall, my company doesn’t pay for TPAC or other international business class travel so many times I’m in Y. Today in a middle 3 E+ aisle I’m enjoying an open middle aisle and am sitting behind a large guy who is quite gregarious and who I did notice brought about 20 or so airline whiskey bottles along with him in a ziplock bag. Not sure how that works but so be it. The issue is this guy literally winds up and vaults his seatback without warning and had caught my long legs and knees underneath my tray table/seat back and it hurts. I let out a yell but he’s got some bad hearing going on or else his Bosr headphones are better than stock.

Once—sure. By the third time I decided to speak with him but he’s passed out either from the booze or sleeping pills. I think with my long femurs I could actually sustain injuries if it were to happen at just the right time.

Do people really think this is ok? Maybe this needs to be moved by mods to some other thread but I’m just frustrated.

That sounds terrible.

I'm a little confused, though. Where were you relative to him? Where were your legs before/after, relative to the seat and the table? What does RTW mean in this situation?

This is a labor relations issue with your employer.

Sorry for confusing anyone. I was seated immediately behind him. RTW: he’s flying around the world for $500 so he’s no rookie.

So, this is an instance of a rude, potentially drunk pax, right? Has nothing to do with TPAC routes, or the pax was flying a RTW fare? Or am I missing something?

You’re right. I was establishing that this was an experienced flyer and not a newby, that this was a LONG flight, and that the guy just had no idea that it could hurt someone to literally lift oneself up and vault rearwards to recline the seat

Are you flying UA?

If you've not directly spoken to him or an FA then you have no complaint. He may be unaware that your knees are right up against the reclining part of the seat and the seat might be stuck requiring a bit of momentum to get reclining.

You've obviously had a bit of a chat if you know where he's going and what he's paid, so why not bring it up?

People love to crap on WN, but as someone who's 6'3"/230 and almost always sits in the back the seat pitch on even our smallest 737s means I have plenty of legroom no matter how far back the guy in front pushes back his seat.

How do you get a RTW ticket for only $500?

But onto the substance of the OP's complaint, I don't understand why airlines don't fit dampers to the seat recline mechanisms. I'm not an engineer but it's at least 10 years since they became standard in kitchen drawers and they cost literally nothing in that iteration.

No kidding! Toilet seat covers have them too, for crying out loud!

I am an engineer, and can't understand why airplane seats can't recline dampened, and actually go upright when pushing the button without an FA having to assist by pulling on the seat.

Dude was drunk and not careful, which sucks but encountering drunk careless people is part of life. It's definitely not "OK", and I affirm your dissatisfaction with the situation.

Damping movement in oneway is not hard or expensive it's just a change and getting a change certified is not exactly easy, simple, or cheap.
Two minor reasons for not having FA or cockpit control of seat recline. One reason is cost even one extra penny is too much for the industry and another would be maintenance. In the rush to remove as much wiring and weight from seats adding a new and relatively untested system is highly unlikely.

I'm still really confused what happened. The pax in the forward seat... reclined the seat into OP's knees? Hard? Repeatedly? Do Y seats even move enough that you can slam someone with them?

Having "20 or so airline whiskey bottles" (assuming pax boarded them and was consuming them) is definitely a violation of FARs.

What’s all right is that he (the ethanol aficionado) should be able to recline his seat without hindrance. The dialog about getting a more comfortable seat is between you and your employer.

A couple of thoughts:

1) I have endured flights where the person behind me was kneeing the back of my seat throughout the flight. I understand if you have long legs it's difficult. But with the thin United seats it's really unpleasant if the person is repeatedly jabbing their knees in different parts of the seat. I've been tempted to launch the seat like that in retaliation. Where I'm tempted to act, at least a few others usually do act.

2) I've had a number of seats with a sticky recline. There's no way to ease them back: they either go nowhere or they launch.