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A man has reignited the debate about passengers reclining their seats on planes after his laptop was “destroyed” on a recent flight.
Podcast host Pat Cassidy was on a Delta flight from Austin, Texas to Los Angeles, California, when he propped his 16-inch MacBook Pro on the fold-down tray in front.
He claims the passenger in front fully reclined his seat, breaking Mr Cassidy’s laptop in the process.
“Delta, small note for the suggestion box, maybe have a little warning sign or some way to prevent my laptop from being destroyed when the person in front of me reclines their seat,” he tweeted.
“Also, this one is more of a critique than a suggestion. I really appreciate that your flight attendant came over to tell me that the passenger in front of me ‘needs to be able to recline’ and then asked him ‘if he was okay?’ as if your seat hadn’t just ruined my livelihood.”
Accompanying the tweet was a photo of Mr Cassidy’s laptop with the screen cracked and blacked out.
In a piece for Bar Stool Sports, Mr Cassidy called the offending passenger a “selfish b*****d” who “decided to fully recline his seat and castrate my livelihood”.
He added: “YOU NEVER FULLY RECLINE. It’s rude and a sign of sociopathy.”
Mr Cassidy said he was photoshopping some pictures when the passenger in seat 13A reclined the seat, causing his computer screen to “fold like a taco”.
A Delta customer service agent responded to Mr Cassidy on Twitter: “Goodness! Did you speak to a gate agent or Red Coat about the damage when you got off the plane?”
They added that he could fill in a complaint form “to have someone evaluate the damage and reach out to you”.
However, Mr Cassidy posted an update on Twitter, saying: “Delta is giving me the equivalent of a $75 gift card and an explanation that you would give a six year old. Cool.”
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First class lobby of the A380 2014 model
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Lounge bar on the A380 2015 model
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class compartment of the A380 2007 model
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The 1st class bar and lounge of the A380 2004 model
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Business class compartment of the A380 2007 model
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Business class bathroom of the A380 2010 model
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Bar on the A380, 2016
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class compartment of the A380 2014 model
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Business class seating on the A380 2016 model
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First class lobby of the A380 2014 model
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Lounge bar on the A380 2015 model
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class compartment of the A380 2007 model
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The 1st class bar and lounge of the A380 2004 model
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Business class compartment of the A380 2007 model
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Business class bathroom of the A380 2010 model
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Bar on the A380, 2016
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class suite of the A380 2014 model
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First class compartment of the A380 2014 model
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Business class seating on the A380 2016 model
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He attached a screenshot of an email which appeared to be from Delta’s customer service team.
“I’m sorry your laptop was broken due to another passenger reclining on your seat,” it read. “It’s not fair when one person’s behaviour affects another person.
“Please know that personal property damaged inflight as a result of a passenger action is not reimbursable. We regret the inconvenience this has caused you.”
The email went on to offer Mr Cassidy 7,500 “bonus miles” on his SkyMiles account.
The Independent has asked Delta to comment on the incident.
It follows a raging debate about whether passengers should recline their seats at all on flights, after a video of a man hitting the back of a woman’s seat went viral.
The incident occurred onboard an American Airlines flight from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Charlotte, North Carolina, after passenger Wendi Williams reclined her seat.
Video shot by another passenger shows the man, seated in the last row of the aircraft, banging the back of Ms Williams’ chair while watching something on his mobile phone.
As a result, her aisle seat can be seen shaking back and forth.
Ms Williams has claimed that the incident amounts to “assault”, although online commentators have disagreed – instead asking why she didn’t ask him to stop, or pull up her reclined seat.
“I will be calling the FBI to press charges against the ‘man’ who mistook me for a punching bag,” Ms Williams wrote on Twitter.
“My only crime was reclining my seat.”