Patrick Cassidy was flying from Austin to Los Angeles and was working away on his laptop when the passenger in the seat in front of him decided to fully recline his seat and as Cassidy put it, "castrate my livelihood." Cassidy was editing photos on his laptop, which was sitting on the tray table, but when the person in front suddenly reclined, his computer screen "folded like a taco" and was destroyed.
In his article, he outlined the clear etiquette of seat reclining on planes: "YOU NEVER FULLY RECLINE. It's rude and a sign of sociopathy!" He also decided to complain to Delta, and the airline responded with an apology, but no offer of compensation. They wrote: "Thank you for writing us about your experience. I'm sorry your laptop was broken due to another passenger reclining on your seat. It's not fair when one person's behavior affects another person. Please know that Personal property damaged in-flight as a result of a passenger action is not reimbursable. We regret the inconvenience this has caused you."