Posted on 09/04/2014 6:56:11 AM PDT by C19fan
It’s a sign of our air-rage times: three separate planes forced to divert in the space of two weeks when cramped passengers went ballistic over someone reclining their seat. In one episode, two undercover air marshals subdued and handcuffed the irate traveler in question. In another, a woman swore at the reclining passenger in front of her and screamed for the pilot to “put this plane down.”
The dust-ups don’t shock Robert Mann, a former airline executive who now runs an airline-industry analysis company. “August is the highest load-factor month of the year for a North American carrier, and it’s not surprising to me that the highest frequency of incidents between passengers occur in that month,” he says. “It’s like rats in a maze. At a certain point they start eating each other.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
My GA flying is all business ... I don’t pay the fuel cost, my customers do. All told, it’s one of the smaller elements of the cost of operations, so it isn’t a huge deal.
Yet.
Should it ever become a significant fraction of the total cost of ops ... I can see customers cutting back.
I agree with Cymbaline. I’d rather have (another) tooth pulled than be forced to sit on a long plane flight with the seat locked up. That could be in part be a result of having a couple abdominal hernias, however.
Oops, sorry about the typo. I changed my post and forgot to delete an extra word.
I actually remember when flying was a pleasant experience. :-)
I like that idea. Anyone who flies Nitro Class would have to be prescreened medically and someone with the appropriate medical knowledge would have to accompany and monitor the group. Maybe even charge extra for the privilege of no pain flying.
in times like that, i can usually muster a projectile, productive cough or at least a good wet sneeze. it's amazing how fast they return to their upright and locked position.
I’m old enuf to remember when they were called *stewardesses* and you had to be a registered nurse to apply for the job.
No seats at all, just subway straps.
The solution is making people with courtesy and common sense again.
The truth is, that 4" of reclining really didn't do me any good. The problem for people like me (bad backs) is sitting in general. We have to get up and move to relieve the lower back pressure, and there's not alot of room to get up and move and stretch out on an airplane either.
If the airlines really wanted to fix this problem, they'd stop treating human beings like sardines in a can and remove a row or two of seats to give everyone some extra room to recline or stretch out. (Yes, that means everyone's ticket goes up a few bucks ... big deal.)
How many degrees do you think they recline now?
At least 30, probably closer to 45. Do you have any data?
No way is it 45. Not in regular economy, anyway. I would reckon it is already about 10-15 degrees back (with straight up as zero).
In any case, the recline potential needs to be about one third of what it is currently.
I didn’t know about the nurse thing but I remember when you dressed up to fly on a plane.
So let’s throw in people with bad backs and force everyone to sit very up-right for hours straight. Let’s increase pain and the incidents of blood clots.
I’m short. I’ve got short legs. *I* barely fit. I remember being scrunched between two, very miserable, very tall men. I sighed and pointed out that I wasn’t taking up as much room and welcomed them into my space. We were hip-to-knee for six hours.
‘Grateful’ doesn’t begin to cut it. They kindly helped me collect my bags when we got to the terminal and escorted me to a cab.
As Americans age and become more prone to blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes, I hope these bastards get sued into the ground for the way they treat people.
Yes, 91% said that they’d support a ban on reclining. But I’ll bet that 100% would support a $25 raise on ticket prices and an extra couple of inches of leg room.
As I have said “airfare is too cheap. Money is great cultural filter”.
You want any airline comfort? pay a little more. Many airlines have extra room coach seating for around $60 fee.
Wanna fly cheap? sit up and don’t impose on the poor fool behind you.
Well, considering I no longer fly at all, I’m not too worried about it. Last time I travelled I paid a little more to take a train and not have to deal with all the security hassles or being crammed in like sardines. It also sounds like the seats are even smaller than the last time I flew. I never thought the seats on Southwest were all that spacious and if they are setting the standard for generous foot room, I think I’ll keep my feet on the ground or go back and finish getting my pilot’s license.
Oh, and you’d think the pricier airlines would run all kinds of advertisements boasting about how their seats are bigger than the other guys. Seems like that ought to be the solution to people finding the cheapest airline listed on a travel website.
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