Plane Diverted Over Reclining Seat: Another U.S. Plane Diverts Due To Reclining Seat Dispute, Second Incident In A Week

Plane diverted over reclining seat occurred for the second time this week in the U.S., said authorities. On Wednesday, an American Airlines passenger plane diverted over reclining seat dispute and made an unscheduled landing during a flight from Miami to Paris.

According to USA Today, the plane diverted to Boston Wednesday night following an incident where 61-year-old French passenger Edmund Alexandre erupted after a female passenger in front of him reclined her seat. As a flight attendant tried to calm him, he reportedly grabbed the crewman, the Suffolk County district attorney's office said Thursday.

The Wednesday incident of plane diverted over reclining seat continued as the passenger continued to be disruptive. The Associated Press reports authorities saying that the Frenchman even followed the crewman down the aisle to grab his arm.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, two plain-clothes federal air marshals responded to the ruckus by subduing and putting on handcuffs on the unruly passenger. The plane diverted over reclining seat and the pilot landed at Logan Airport.

About 10 p.m. local time, Massachusetts state police arrested Alexandre after the plane landed. The flight continued to Paris without him, reports The Telegraph.

Alexandre was later charged of interfering with a flight crew member. The charge reportedly carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Because of the disruption when the plane diverted over reclining seat, the Frenchman was arraigned Thursday in a Boston hospital. Federal prosecutors told the Associated Press that he was taken to the hospital upon landing for observation and treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes.

According to the AP, a judge approved Alexandre's release from custody on his own recognisance. He was also ordered to return in December for a hearing.

His lawyer has not yet returned a message seeking comment.

There was also no immediate comment from American Airlines about what the Flight 62 incident on Wednesday where the plane diverted over reclining seat.

According to multiple reports, a similar incident of a plane diverted over reclining seat also occurred Sunday. A United Airlines flight diverted to Chicago after two passengers got into a heated argument due to a reclining seat.

The Telegraph reports that a man fastened a "Knee Defender" device to his tray table, resulting in the passenger in front unable to recline her seat.

He reportedly refused to remove the device when asked, thus the female threw her water at him. The incident prompted the pilot to have the plane diverted over reclining seat dispute. It was an emergency landing in Chicago.

According to Mashable, both passengers were left in Chicago, while the rest of the passengers continued the flight on to Denver.

Both aged 48, the passengers were reportedly not arrested since the incident of the plane diverted over reclining seat dispute was "a customer service issue and not a threat to aviation security," said the Transportation Security Administration.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is up to individual airlines whether or not to ban such devices. However, the Knee Defender is currently banned on all major US airlines.

Plane diverted over reclining seat happening twice appears ridiculous, but it is a passenger's right to recline one's seat. The seat pitch on U.S. airlines has reportedly become smaller in recent years, but airlines disagree, saying thinner seats makes up for the difference and legroom has not declined.