Passenger calls out Delta Air Lines over ‘destroyed’ laptop and has Twitter divided

If there’s anything airplane passengers feel passionately about, it’s whether or not they have the right to recline their seat. And on Twitter, people on both sides of the argument came out in full force to duke it out when a Delta passenger posted a photo of what appeared to be a casualty of a reclined seat.

“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,” Twitter user Pat Cassidy wrote on Feb. 26. Attached to his tweet was a picture of his laptop screen, which appeared to be rendered unusable.

Naturally, Cassidy had some choice words for Delta following the incident. “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,” he tweeted at Delta sarcastically. “Let me know who I can email about this? You’ll know it’s me because the bottom of the email will read ‘sent from my iPhone.'”

On Twitter, many people sympathized with Cassidy. “Isn’t it time to ban seat reclining?” one person mused. Another response stating that “nobody should be allowed to recline on an airplane” has received 75 likes and counting.

However, not everyone was team Pat. In the comments, many people were quick to point out that this all could have been avoided had Cassidy been more careful.

“You tucked the screen into the tray storage area. Frankly, it’s unsurprising that this would happen,” one person responded. Many agreed, noting that “if it wasn’t tucked under it would have simply folded shut.”

Delta seems to be in agreement with the people who blame Cassidy. On Feb. 28, he shared their response to the situation, which he notes was ultimately “the equivalent of a $75 gift card.” (In actuality, it’s 7,500 Delta bonus miles.)

The airline’s response is hardly surprising: During an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” CEO Ed Bastian noted that he believes passengers “have the right to recline,” though they should “ask if it’s OK first.”

Regardless of who’s at fault, Cassidy could have avoided this whole headache had he just purchased warranty for his laptop. In Oct. 2019, another Twitter user dealt with the same situation and noted that “everything [was] covered under … Apple Care.”

Though it’s alarming that laptops are being destroyed on airplanes with frequency, this is a good reminder to always get insurance.

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