A US airliner has been diverted after a row broke out over one passenger’s use of a device to prevent the seat in front of him from reclining.

A male and female passenger were involved in a heated dispute on Sunday, after the male passenger attached a Knee Defender to his seat.

Unruly behaviour

The fight began when the male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the Knee Defender to stop the woman in front of him from reclining while he used his laptop, officials said.

A flight attendant asked him to remove the device – a small piece of plastic costing $21.95 (£13.25) which slots onto the tray table – but he refused.

The woman reacted by standing up, turning around and throwing a cup of water at him.

‘Be courteous’

The US Federal Aviation Administration has said it is up to individual airlines to set rules about whether they allow the use of the Knee Defender on flights.

Most major US airlines, including United Airlines, have banned the device.

Its inventor, Ira Goldman, has said people should be courteous and tell the passenger sitting in front of them when they are using a Knee Defender.

BBC News – Air rage over knee defender causes US flight to divert.