How To: Prevent airplane seats from reclining

Prevent airplane seats from reclining

There just isn't enough space on airplanes for any one, even those on the shorter end of the spectrum. Top flight nightmares are usually being seated next to a screaming child, a person of large girth, or behind that jerk who reclines their seat for the entire flight. Most people aren't going to respond well to even polite request for courtesy, so that's when a little chair subterfuge comes in handy. Come prepared with a plastic zip tie and this simple trick. Watch this pranking tutorial and learn how to keep someone from putting their airplane seatback and robbing you of that precious little leg room. Use this as inspiration for one of your April Fools Day pranks!

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50 Comments

The reality is that the person in front of you probably paid alot of money for his seat, and could consider this tactic "harassment'. All he would have to do is notify the steward or stewardess (who knows the workings of that seat very well), and you could be ejected from the flight at the next stop. In these post 911 days, you have to be careful!

Only if he figured it out. Chances are he'll just assume the seat is broken.

Even if he does figure it out, just plead ignorance....
"What? Seats tied together? What are you talking about? Oh, that? Huh... it must've been here from before..."

you are ok

agree with Evan Roth and not the willy nilly nanny goats commenting above. It is very inconsiderate in a cramped space to lay your seat all the way back on the passsenger behind's lap - as many seats on buses and planes actually do.

or you could say you were preventing injury from your dammaged knee that was hit by the flight attendants cart and they wouldn't mess with you after that...

This is pretty criminal.

not cool, be nice, just ask, flying is hard for everyone now.

flying isnt hard... its hard to walk or bike to places but flying is probably the easiest method of transportation...

How is the mater#$%@er on that plane that day?

As the chief steward for a major airline, I would welcome this prank! This would give me the chance to charge the passenger with "Tampering with a aircraft component", and have him detained by the police at the next stop. I am in total control of the airplane cabin, from the cocpit door, to the rear lavatory. And if I catch you messin' with any component, no matter how Ancillary (look it up...), I'll have you for breakfast in court!

I'll bet you were a hall monitor back in high-school...

It's rather ironic to see someone who get's their rocks off from power-trips (no matter how mundane) stuck in a job waiting on people. Chill out.

Also, ancillary is not a proper noun... no need to capitalize it. ;)

and "I'll have you for breakfast in court" is a full sentence. His run-ons are abhorrent.

Sort out your grammar FLYME. You call yourself a Chf.Steward of an airline? With grammar and language like that, they probably only hired you because they need as many dumb people, like yourself, to be employed as of post 9/11.
First of all it's 'Tampering with AN aircraft component' and..
Two it's spelt 'Cockpit'.

Seriously sort your grammar out you idiot and stop putting us REAL stewards to shame.

You wouldn't have any power over the situation unless the passenger confessed to the doing. If the passenger did not confess then you cannot prove it was he/she that did it and simply just have to remove it. Police wouldn't get involved, seriously..who are you trying to impress? It certainly hasnt impressed a fellow steward...that's if you are what you say you are.

Wouldn't it be easier and more cost effective to to just cut the damn thing? Plus it would not be harming you, so your position in court would be pointless.

check any hall passes lately. chf steward, please! i'm sure the terrorist threat of a zip tie will earn you your rep. as a hero. get a life

I work with an international aviation authority and something as juvenile as this would be laughed at. Get a proper job before you start on the power trip

#$%@ you ass wipe *the airplane pilot dude

Oh how I wish there were something less obvious. I always get stuck behind a reclining person, no matter how short the flight. My long legs just can't take it.

I don't know why they even make chairs that recline anymore. It makes the space behind impossibly small.

if you choose to fly ,play the game. these people have a hard enough time serving us. i fly twice a week. without them I would not be able to live 1100 from my job. Thank you flight and ground crews.

@FLYME - Chill out air waitress. While I disagree with this practice, it's a bit of overkill to have someone arrested and detained. This is why people don't respect you. Deliver our drinks and stop pretending you're important.

i'm glad our ''national security alertness'' has truly eroded all remnants of logic

Hahaha! I could not agree more!

brillient ive gota try this one

The seats don't lean back THAT far anyway!

quite ingenious!
pretty criminal?

More annoying is being in the middle seat and having two fat people's jelly bellys oozing into your seat under the arem rests.

and people who bring pets. A lardass had a cat under the seat. I was allergic. Thansgiving flight home from Cinti back to SF. Why can't people leave the pets at home. I'll never fly delta again

I tink its really stupid. I would figure it out quickly and probably just have them cut. I would then lazyboy my ass the whole trip.

hmmm...not too long ago I was on a flight to Japan. A brutal 11 hour flight with a seat that wouldn't recline. I wonder...lol

FAA should make a minimal seat distance rule which all the airlines have to follow, that way, airlines can still compete on a level field, and we are not treated like sardines.

last time a flight attendent started bitching at me with a power trip, i knocked her out and put her in the restroom...nobody saw nothing!

I call bull#$%@. Both seats are hooked together the same way, but the other one can recline? I don't think so.

as if flying isn't hard enough

Ingenious!! Bet the Chinese passenger in the front seat didn't take too kindly to
the prank. But, I'm sure you got a kick out of it. So, where were you flying from/to? Hong Kong? I hear the Cantonese in the background.

You are a COMPLETE #$%@!+*.

I agree with Evan Roth and not the willy nilly nanny goats commenting above. It is very inconsiderate in a cramped space to lay your seat all the way back on the passsenger behind's lap - as many seats on buses and planes actually do.

For a more elegant method, check out Kneedefender website. I bought a pair and they are much harder to detect. They slide onto the bottom of your tray tubes. Nice. Before that, I literally kneed the hell out of the inconsiderate bastards in front of me. They got no peace.

I will beat the hell out of anybody if he tries this F****tarded trick of his on my seat!!! i paid for it and i can't sit straight for 17 hrs in a flight without laying down a bit!!! How can you stop someone from having some comfort just because you want your full comfort. why dont you recline your seat as well and then pull back a bit and lay relaxed?

The thing I don't get is what if both people in front put their seats back??? Surely that would work, as most people if they notice the person's seat next to them doesn't recline will try theirs. Then they would be both stuck reclined, so even if the person in front of you wanted to sit up they wouldn't be able too – I guess that's karma for you.

or you can just say "hey, y don't u come and sleep on my lap, pal?" like i once said.i was very angry with something else and i exploded on him when he laid his seat down on me without even asking permission for the sake of politeness... guy understood that i was looking for trouble and corrected his seat without saying a word.

I'd just pull out my shotgun and blast the mofo in the face if I couldn't recline comfortably or I'd crush his knees with my laptop.

Agree with this, I had some **** and his buddy thought it was funny to push their seats back as far as they could and keep rocking it into mine and the guys knees next to me. (I'm 6'3) After about 10 minutes of a 10 hour flight and we hadn't even took off I waited for the opportune moment when he rocked back grabbed the head rest and flung it forward as hard as I could. Needless to say the rest of the flight was a breeze.

because some of the people that are on the plane are on there for business trips! so if we need to get our work all ready for a quick and efficient meeting then were screwed arent we? and all because someone who doenst want to share the space fairly reclined. sure if your reclined you dont mind if someone in front reclines but some people have the decency to tough it out and sit in their chair like everyone else. I HAVE ADHD, but i put up with it!

Just put a C-clamp on your tray table arm with the body of the clamp against the seatback. This will prevent the seat from reclining. However, this must be removed at any time when it is required to have "tray tables up", such as takeoff and landing.

The last time I flew, 2 dykes dropped their seats as soon as we were airborne. I have another flight coming up and if it happens again, I'll be kicking the bottom of their seats for the whole trip! Dykes or not, they'll be hearing, "Gosh so sorry about having my leg twitch like that! Must get it checked out sometime."

This thread is quite old, but I want to add to it. I was on a 13 hour from Tokyo to home in an economy seat. In front of me were a guy and a gal fortunate to have the middle seat open. The gentleman pounded his back against the seat in front of me as though trying to force another degree of recline before ascent was even complete, left it there for the duration, and then slipped into their middle seat and did the same. Once the seatbelt sign was turned off he laid across all three with his head on the gal's lap and feet on the seat in front of me. When meal service arrived he sat in front of me again leaning forward to imbibe, and since his food was delivered first he finished before me; he then plopped against the backrest, spilling my coffee, and belched. Thereafter he resumed his prone position. The seats and reclining aren't the problem, people with no consideration for others is!

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