‘She Jammed a Pringles Can Into My Seat’: Woman’s DIY Hack Stops Passenger in Front From Reclining – View from the Wing

A woman with 1.5 million followers put her strategy for fighting back against seat recliners on display. She uses a Pringles can wedged between the tray table and its locking mechanism, effectively blocking the seat ahead from tilting backward.

@clareduggan1982 @Pringles #traveltiktok #traveltips #lifehacks #pringle ♬ original sound – clareduggan1982

Of course it’s taking up some of her tray table space, too. This is a do-it-yourself knee defender, a commercial product that stops the seat in front of you from reclining by bracing it into place.

Pringles were also a preferred strategy for circumventing inflight mask rules during the pandemic.

To be clear, you are allowed to recline if your seat reclines (except during takeoff and landing, when you’re instructed by crew to be in a full upright position for safety), and seat recline can be important for comfort especially on long flights with poorly-padded seats. (I wouldn’t be opposed to a petition banning Recaro seats.)

Recline works to distribute passenger weight and reduce back stress. Reclining is also a basic right when it’s a feature of your seat (certain airlines like Spirit and Frontier feature seats they call “pre-reclined” i.e. that do not recline).

• A passenger controls their own seat
• Airlines ban the Knee Defender device, which prevents recline – a device was designed to stop reclining. While their interest is prevent damage to the seat, they do not allow the passenger seated behind to interfere with the recline function

However, there is an etiquette to exercising your right to recline:

1. Don’t recline during mealtime.
2. Try not to recline unless it serves a real purpose (if it doesn’t actually benefit your comfort, don’t recline).
3. Let them know you’re going to recline, and do it gently. That helps keep this from happening:
   

   @Delta small note for the suggestion box, maybe have a little warning sign or someway to prevent my laptop from being destroyed when the person in front of me reclines their seat. pic.twitter.com/QHmphXiDhH

   — Pat “Beave” Cassidy (@HardFactorPat) February 26, 2020

If you don’t want the passenger in front of you to recline, politely ask them not to. And if they want to recline and you don’t want them to, consider whether it’s worth your while to make not reclining worth their while. Many years ago all it took was $5 (offered with a parent’s permission) for me to convince a child seated in front of me not to recline so that I could work effectively on my laptop.

The product you’re buying in a standard coach seat usually does not offer very much space. Keep in mind that both Southwest Airlines and JetBlue offer more space than United, Delta, or American – but not for long. As both carriers add premium seats they will reduce the space of standard coach seats. Many international airlines offer more space in coach than U.S. airlines do.

If you don’t want seat recline, fly Spirit. Their seats don’t recline. The airline markets the seats as “pre-reclined” which is funny when you think about the seats being in a standard fixed position. But those who want reclined seats banned have a choice!

Ultimately you need to buy the space that you want, ask politely that passengers around you conform to norms, and if they don’t get a crewmember involved. You can also consider a Coasian solution: you each have an initial set of rights and they can impede on each other’s preferences, so find a (cash) bargain.