Knee defenders are essential to me because I have long legs. But more importantly it protects my laptop. I've had an incident where the person in front of me suddenly reclined whilst I had my laptop on my tray table. The screen got stuck on the lever to lock the tray table and cracked under the pressure.
I usually just talk to the person in front of me to inform them that I'll use a laptop. Maybe I'm lucky but it's usually pretty easy to work it out.
I had never heard of Knee Defenders before today. I think it's fairly rude to just install them.
I mean, I had people stop reclining because they couldn't move their seat. They look back and see me smiling because my knees block it.
Disclaimer: I'm from Europe, we usually fly in very small planes where there's literally no way to have space unless paying 2-3x the price for business class.
> Disclaimer: I'm from Europe, we usually fly in very small planes where there's literally no way to have space unless paying 2-3x the price for business class.
In my experience, domestic US flights and even some transatlantic flights with US carriers, are just as bad unless you pay extra for more premium carriers or upgrades, just like in Europe.
Same here :)
I can handle 2 hours more less with no space (easy Jet for example), but anything more and my knees start to hurt.
I also think its incredible rude to recline, especially forcefully, like some people have done to me.
I think that these egomaniac people are the same that get to the end of an escalator and stop to see where they should go, or exiting a train and doing the same thing blocking the exit / entrance to anyone else.
Do you also consider it essential to put your belongings under the seats adjacent to you?
I would have more sympathy for your position if I thought it was likely that you investigated the knee room and reclining policy prior to purchasing a ticket.
The claims are that it is all about safety and fairness and blah blah blah. Does anybody saying this honestly believe that 7 footers just wing it? Why should the world be different for the 6'2" than for the 7'1"?
I am less worried about the needs of the person in front of me reclining than the chances of the morbidly obese person I get next to me and then am told I have to keep the armrest up because the other person doesn't fit.
Hence, put me next to the emergency exit which on some planes seems to have more room in front too
