I’m 16 and 6 feet tall. Almost every time I get on a plane, my knees are already touching the back of the seat in front of me.

Recently, this one guy in front of me decided to recline his seat, and it practically slammed into me. The seat was obviously broken and reclined a full 6 inches more than the other seats, so I called the flight attendant.

She saw the problem too, and asked him to put the seat back up. HE SAID NO, AND SHE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING MORE SHE COULD DO!
Fortunately, my mom is the type who packs everything you could possibly need on a plane, so I came up with an idea.

Fortunately, my mom is the type who packs everything you could possibly need on a plane, so I came up with an idea.

I reached into my mom’s carry-on and pulled out the holy grail of annoying gadgets: a battery-operated handheld fan.

I switched it on and aimed it directly at the back of the guy’s head. The air blasted his hair, making it fly around wildly. He swatted at the air like there was a fly bothering him.

After about 30 seconds of this, he turned around, his face red with irritation. “Can you stop that?” he snapped.

I shrugged, keeping my face innocent. “Sorry, man. It’s hot back here. No legroom, no airflow. Just trying to stay cool.”

He grumbled but turned back around. I let the fan run for another minute, making sure to adjust it just right so the breeze kept tickling his neck and blowing his hair out of place.

He tried to lean away, but with the seat broken and reclined so far back, there was nowhere to go. He started shifting uncomfortably, his body wriggling to escape the persistent breeze.

After about five more minutes, his shoulders dropped in defeat. Without a word, he slammed his seat back up.

I clicked the fan off, leaned back, and stretched my legs out. Finally, some breathing room.

My mom glanced over, her eyes sparkling with pride. “Smart thinking,” she whispered, handing me a pack of gum as a reward.

The guy didn’t dare recline his seat for the rest of the flight. And I enjoyed every inch of space I had earned.

Sweet, sweet victory.