There appears to be a new trend taking over the skies, and it’s one we certainly can not get behind. For the second time this week a U.S. operated flight was diverted because of a disruption over reclining seats.
The Boston Globe reports an American Airlines flight from Miami to Paris was diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston on Wednesday evening after a man became angry when the woman in front of him reclined her seat.
According to Massachusetts State Police, the 61-year-old man became enraged when the woman in front of him reclined her seat. A flight crew member’s attempt to calm the situation backfired, as the man allegedly followed the employee down the plane’s aisle and grabbed his arm.
An air marshal stepped in and handcuffed the man while the plane began its decent.
Upon arrival in Boston, the Parisian man was taken to a local hospital for observation and treatment of a pre-existing medical condition. According to police officials, the man was then arrested and now faces federal and state charges of interfering with the crew.
After the situation was resolved, the flight continued on to Paris.
Wednesday’s incident was decidedly more intense than a similar situation that occurred on a United Airlines flight earlier this week.
In that case, a man and woman were removed for the flight after scuffling. The man allegedly used a Knee Defender – a device that locks onto the tray table on the back of the seat, making it impossible for the person in front to recline.
When a flight attendant asked him to remove the device, he refused. The woman directly in front of him then allegedly stood up and threw a cup of water at him.
Reclining seats have been a point of spirited dispute for ages – resulting in previous rumbles in the aisles (especially during meal time) and even the intervention of F-16s after a reclining seat-induced slap fight. There’s even been discussion as to whether the whole reclining thing should be done away with, especially since some airlines have cut the amount of recline available to begin with.
Seat spat diverts Paris-bound flight to Logan Airport [The Boston Globe]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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