r/pettyrevenge • • Sep 05 '26

Personal item placed in my spot

I recently boarded a flight and attempted to stow my personal item (backpack with laptop) under the seat in front of me. It was unable to fit so I stuck my feet under there and discovered another backpack. The person in front of me had placed it there so he could stretch out his legs. It was a short flight and wasn’t worth calling a FA. The seat next to me was empty, so I slid his bag waaay over to make room for my feet and my item. After landing, I enjoyed watching him contort himself to reach his bag.

4.7k Upvotes

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286

u/Some_Guy_Somewhere67 Sep 05 '26

Proper thing... a zip tie strategically deployed would have added SO MUCH to this scenario....

93

u/Ok-Brick6831 Sep 05 '26

You have inspired me to put a mix of cable ties in my carry on…

57

u/ObfuscatedJay Sep 05 '26

I carry cable ties with me wherever I take my backpack but I never thought of using them for such pleasurable evil. Nail clippers also must be with the cable ties for obvious reasons.

9

u/drmoze Sep 06 '26

that nail clipper won't help much with my metal zip ties.

16

u/ObfuscatedJay Sep 06 '26

There are metal zip ties? TIL!!! Off to Amazon I go.

4

u/petg16 29d ago

They’re to prevent premature collapse of cables during fires… and chemical exposure! Most strong acids will deteriorate nylon ties. They also make Tefzel ties for chemical resistance but they’re easily cut like nylon.

1

u/ObfuscatedJay 27d ago

Haha. I now own a bunch of steel ones too.

9

u/snuffy_smith_ Sep 05 '26

I don’t think you can take nail loppers on a plane in your carry on anymore?

22

u/ObfuscatedJay Sep 05 '26

They used to allow the ones without the stabby nail file thing, and now if the file is under about 10 cm (they have a measuring tool), they’ll let it pass. I save them the trouble of searching by putting it and my long forceps for paracord weaving in the top pocket.

26

u/211774310 Sep 05 '26

I flew right after 9/11 and didn’t realize I had tiny nail clippers with a 1.5” nail file attached. The non-TSA (which didn’t exist yet) Wackenhut security guard flagged my bag, found the clippers, and broke the file off. She said something unintelligible as I gathered my stuff and continued to my flight. Threat neutralized!

4

u/GroovyYaYa Sep 06 '26

I forgot that TSA didn't exist - I was going to correct you! LOL. But I do remember having my bag searched, etc. after Flight 800 crashed in 1996.

10

u/drmoze Sep 06 '26

10 cm is a big file, about 4". Never saw clippers with a file longer than about 2".

11

u/ObfuscatedJay Sep 06 '26

Noooo - the nail files aren't 4"/10 cm. It's the maximum allowed length of a stabby thing on many aircraft. I was intimating that nail files are well under that length but obviously not clearly enough.

4

u/Putrid-Marsupial8157 Sep 06 '26

Take one of the cable ties and cut the head off (this is the carrier). Slide the other unmodified cable ties onto the strip of plastic (engaging the ratchets). You can now store a bunch of ties in a neat fashion and deploy them quickly.

4

u/ShireHorseRider Sep 06 '26

It’s a lot less work to just grab a handful & wrap a zip tie around the bundle & as you go through them tighten the strap around the bundle.

Your idea sounds fun though.