A United Airlines passenger, reportedly on a flight from Austin to Los Angeles, had a meltdown the likes of which I hadn’t seen before. He attacked his own seat on the Airbus A320.
Testing out the new lie-flat seats in United Economy
byu/smokes_weed inShittyaskflying
The required safety announcement at the start of a flight gives you instructions on using the seat belt – but doesn’t tell you how to operate the seat recline. That is usually fine, but not always!
Fasten your seat belt by placing the metal fitting into the buckle, and adjust the strap so it fits low and tight around your hips. To release, lift the face plate of the buckle.
In fairness, the United Airlines implementation of Recaro slimline seats are especially bad. A couple of hours in one of those and my back aches, which (in addition to poor wifi) is a reason I fly United very little.
Now, since we don’t actually know what set this passenger off, I think my favorite bit of speculation in comments is “I mean I miss Hemipheres as well but I think this is pretty extreme… Three Perfect Days in Jail.”
Personally I get frustrated when I board and there’s no seat back screens, too. United NEXT interior is taking much longer than promised. Sir, how do you feel about lists? I see you’d like to be on one.
Wow, passenger decorum has really reclined in recent years.
United’s latest entertainment offerings are really giving Spirit a run for their money!
Americans have no decorum.
Maybe he should have received the Dr. Dao treatment.
We have a serious mental and physical health crisis in this country but you have to go to alternative media to hear about it. Big Pharma in part has a hand in this which is why you will never see an segment on CNN or the nightly news. Airport/airplane meltdowns seem to be just about daily-just witness the endless number of Youtube videos.
Coach seats are now as comfortable as a bench but it’s not the primary reason people are going off the wall.
I’m a 1K who does too much flying on UA’s shabby A320 series aircraft. Yeah, I hate them (and hate all Airbuses), and I’ve got a bad back, but even I don’t get mad enough to destroy the seat, no matter how much I want to.
Of course, Boeing is to blame. If there weren’t delays on the MAXes, then UA could have got rid of these planes, which are long past their trip to the desert.
This guy just needs a good ol ass-whooping!!!
Probably a mechanic for airplane cabins. I wonder where the roll of speed tape is.
@Jonathan. I see what you did there. Heh, heh, heh…
Maybe he was “all proudly Boeing” and aggressive Boeing only.
I have a flight from PDX to Melbourn, FL tonight, which I dread. Seats are very uncomfortable and tight, but I promise not to do the angry dance on mine. I may do a lot of deep breathing, however.
Flying has become an awful chore.
This thoughtful and distinguished passenger took the initiative to improve the comfort of his United Airlines aircraft by redesigning his seat to better support the human body. This allowed him to recline at a more comfortable angle. After forcefully stomping down on his seat until it transformed into a lie-flat position, he might next consider addressing the small overhead luggage bins. Creating larger overhead bins would simplify the process of fitting oversized passenger baggage, providing more room and helping to prevent the need for gate-checking luggage. His fellow passengers would surely appreciate the extra space.
Cockroaches can be hard to kill.
LadyOlives,
Your nationalistic hate has no place in society anymore. The US had to save Europe from itself in two World Wars.
Besides, you don’t know this man is an American.
Ridiculous and stupid comment.
I’ve been waiting for the average size US passenger revolt to the dismally uncomfortable things that airlines pawn off as seats! I’m not mad at him. I recently flew on a 15 hour international flight and I can’t for the life of me figure out how anyone larger than me was able to survive in the main cabin. I’m 5’ and 120 pounds and I swear I was the only passenger that fit in the seat.
This all started when they banned smoking on flights, 95% of these are nicotine fits. hand out Nicorette gum on flights.
Am I the only one impressed by the shock absorption and buffering that the seat triple is doing? I mean look what he’s doing to the middle seat…. yet the coffee cup on the tray attached to the aisle seat doesn’t even move or spill! Now that’s some nice engineering!
I’ve had a couple of flights on a UA 737 this year and I really feel this video. AA isn’t that comfortable, but the United seating is just awful.That being said, not all of our feelings are healthy — the video is a pretty good example. Anger and jealousy are terribly unproductive feelings that tear at our social fabric. Those feelings have been activated all over our news outlets and social media. They help with engagement farming, but they are the things that are eating us up and causing us to isolate from each other. All that negative energy tapped for a few eyeballs and a cut of ad revenue.
I love how the same people who complain about uncomfortable and cramped seating are the same people who will shop for the lowest-priced ticket.
TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube…PLEASE, where is “Part II” to this clip??? LOLOL
What is it the Americans say?… He’s “owning the libs” who he blames for everything from uncomfortable seats to his unhappy marriage.
I sure hope the crapper on board works. I’d hate to see what he would do to that
I loathe the slimline seats too and have dreamed about doing such things but I’m not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
Maybe he’s an American who’s unhappy about the election results.
Flight out of Austin. Hmmmmm. Is that you, Gary?
He was just getting a little revenge on the little seat kicker who was sitting behind him.
C’mon, if you’ve lived through a flight with a seat kicker, you know you’ve fantasized about doing this…
I’ve been waiting for the typical American passenger to rebel against the dreadfully unpleasant seats that airlines sell! I’m not upset with him. I recently had a fifteen-hour international flight, and I’m at a loss as to how someone bigger than me managed to survive in the main cabin. I swear that I was the only person who could fit in the seat, despite my height of 5′ and weight of 120 pounds.
Does the seat triple’s ability to absorb shocks and act as a buffer impress anyone else? Despite his actions toward the center seat, the coffee cup on the tray that is connected to the aisle seat remains stationary and does not spill. That is some excellent engineering!
Lisa–I’m 5′ 11′, 175 lbs, and I fit fine in the seats. Maybe if the average passenger weren’t so much bigger than they used to be we wouldnt have these problems.
Interesting factoid: the average woman in 2024 weighs as much as the average man did in 1960. Yikes! And, yes, men have gotten proportionally larger too.
These public meltdowns and the many “Ken & Karen”* are a symptom of a pervasive sense of entitlement. There may be some with mental health issues, but rest are spoiled kidults who never grew up and pitch fits when the world doesn’t bend to their will.
* Apologies to people with those names, but is a convenient short-hand
I wonder what drug dejour he was on
Once opon a time in the 80’s and 90’s economy seats were acceptable . The aircraft used to and from the east and west coast were wide bodies ( 767 , 747 , DC10 , MD11 ) then 9-11 happened followed by sky rocketing fuel costs and despite airlines charging for everything but the toilet airplanes shrunk and more seats added packed into narrow body aircraft especially in economy. I worked for an airlines for 30 years and have not flown since my retirement. Flying used to be a thrill and something to look forward too . It still is if you fly in First or Business but seats in the back are as comfortable as sitting in a wood chair with no recline. I am surprised this has not happened sooner. I blame this stupid kid but also the airlines for continuing to offer no comfort , no service and the worst experience in air travel.
This is wild! United’s slimline seats are indeed a test of patience and comfort, but attacking your own seat takes frustration to another level.
Lack of seatback screens and the snail-paced United NEXT updates are frustrating, but this meltdown seems extreme. Hopefully, the passenger finds a better way to channel their in-flight grievances next time!