"Hey lady, I'm like a sardine back here. Do you mind?" No, I didn't say it, but I felt like it.
Sorry, I'm having a flashback to my recent flight out to California.
I'm baaack. I wanted to blog more frequently. Here it is a month later and well... holidays and general family nutttiness will do that to ya'. I finally got a chance to get away--my annual trek to the Christian Comedy Association (CCA) conference.
The flight to LA (Orange County) was packed--no room even for your coat in the overhead bin (so they told us). I'm sitting in my window seat, coat wedged between me and the wall. The "young lady" in the front of me decides to put her seat back. Now I'll admit I'm not petite, but with less and less space in these airline seats, I was now unable to open my newspaper. The only way I could've done this is if I were a T-Rex, you know with little bitty arms. Actually, I don't think they should even allow seats to lean back in economy during a day flight. I would love to hear the flight attendent (in a sweet and business-like manner) say, "Oh, and finally, if you are flying economy, please don't push your seat back because of our pack-you-in-like-sardines policy. Thank you."
To top things off, the nice young lady in front of me is in an exit row, stretching out her legs. "How much room do you really need sweetie?" No, I didn't say it. The dilemma--do I ask her to put the seat back up? The fear is that this person might be unhinged and cause an incident on the plane. Most likely she would say something like, "I have a right to recline, the seats go backdon't they?" My fantasticly witty reply would be, "Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD."
I had read in the paper that an Italian designer said they were looking at making the spaces between seats even SMALLER and some US carriers expressed interest. For flights up to three hours, they would have a section where the seats are like a saddle (with a seat belt of course). They 'reasoned' and I quote,"Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses and still feel comfortable in a saddle." Yeah, because flying in an airplane and riding a horse are such similar experiences. Cowboys also smoked hand rolled, brown cigarettes, didn't bathe for days and ate beans at all their meals. Like we want to encourage that behavior on a plane.
Plus the airlines are charging you for every little thing. Knowing the way corporate America is, they'll nickel and dime you to death and make it look like they're doing you a favor. So we're all going to have to listen very carefully to that in-flight safety talk.
"In case of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will descend in front of you. To start the flow of oxygen...deposit fifty cents in the coin slot next to the call button. Those of you without change, enjoy the nap. For your convenience our lavatories now accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express. We'd like to welcome our new Airline Charge card members and remind you that every time you use the lavatory, you'll be gaining valuable bonus points."
The upshot? If you're flying in economy, don't put your seat back unless the seat behind you is empty or you ask the person first (you never know when a T-Rex is on your flight).
And a word to the powers that be at the airlines--just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.
