It’s happened to all of us: the person in front of you on a flight reclines into your lap, leaving you immobilized. One passenger aboard a United Airlines flight on Sunday took matters into his own hands — well one hand — smacking the offender in front of him and causing the flight to be diverted.
Maybe it was the fact that the plane was headed to Ghana — an 11-hour, 5,000-mile trek — that pushed the passenger over the edge. No one wants to be uncomfortable and cramped for that long of a trip. But a smack to the head is extreme. It’s unclear whether the two passengers tried to work things out verbally before the argument escalated, but shortly after the plane’s departure from Washington’s Dulles International Airport, the fight broke out. Flight attendants tried to break up the melee, but rather than continue the long journey, the pilot decided to turn back to Dulles.
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As if that weren’t bad enough for all the well-behaved passengers, the United plane had to be escorted by two Air Force F-16 fighter jets and the flight was later rescheduled for the following day.
While this appears to be the first time a plane was diverted over a fight about a reclined seat, another tussle aboard an American Airlines flight in November 2010 got some media attention. During that tussle, passenger Tomislav Zelenovic grabbed the ear of Brian Dougal, who had reclined his seat into Zelenovic’s lap. The force of the ear yank knocked Dougal’s glasses off. Although the flight continued to its destination of Denver, Zelenovic was taken into custody upon landing and charged with assault.
Until planes are designed to make reclining a comfortable experience for all (don’t hold your breath), this will continue to be an irksome part of air travel. It might make more sense to ask to be seated elsewhere or to simply ask your neighbor in front of you to give you a little more room. Keep your hands to yourself, though.