Letters to the Editor
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funny funny ha-ha
Quoted from the comfy chair maker's website (italics mine):
"The high comfort seat is particularly suitable for single aisle aircraft. A conventional seat on a Boeing 737 is 17.5 wide; our seats are 19. For an A320 a conventional seat is 18.5; ours is 20. These are valuable increases given the continued growth in average passenger size (particularly US nationals) and the remaining lifespan of the current generation of aircraft."
I think they called us yanks a bunch of fatsos.
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More Thoughts
Overall, I haven't had a lot of problems with flying, just minor stuff except for flight cancellations in strange cities (which is why it is always good to make sure you have plenty of credit and/or cash with you whenever you travel), but I know it helps to be flexible and have a sense of adventure.
Airports can be miserable experiences, but it does help a lot to show a little kindness to the people who work in them. Chances are, they've been bitched at more times than they can count, and hey, it gets to all of us eventually. Sometimes a smile and a joke can go a long way towards getting some service from "customer service." Another suggestion: Have more people who don't have undecipherable accents working in customer service. And airports could have more arrival/departure boards so that you don't have to walk halfway around the airport to check the status of your flight. And on a related note, if you cancel a flight, please announce it over the PA system!
On the plane, please, get rid of those heavily perfumed wet wipes that come with the meals. The odor is so unappetizing to people who are still eating, and too strong for comfort for people with allergies.
And yes, flight attendants could be more friendly and helpful. The employees of foreign airlines seem to be a little more friendly (and the male flight attendants are gentlemen who help the ladies stow their bags in the overhead compartments). I just wish they would offer drinks more often as I get parched in airplanes, and if they would offer ice with the beverages, that would be so great.
Seats a person can actually sleep in would be good. And with some cushioning for those long flights! I wish I could tear out the seats from Jet Blue and install them in every overseas flight. They are the best seats, cushy and comfy, why don't other airlines have them? I've actually sat in seats that felt as hard as a park bench, and even with my pillow and my coat, I suffered horribly. Airlines should improve their seat design or have an on-board chiropractor. Maybe they could dispense Dilaudid for the pain.
If the aisles were a little wider, a person wouldn't have to wait for the beverage or food cart to finish if they needed to use the bathroom. And instead of a hot towel, I would like an ice pack or a cool washcloth.
I stand behind what I said earlier about putting passengers with kids in a separate part of the plane. It would be a mercy. On my last trip I was on an 11 hour flight with about 15 kids and babies; the crying and screaming was almost nonstop.
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Jet Blue's seating is the way to do it...
Last summer, I took a Newark/Ft. Lauderdale coach flight and was pleasantly surprised to find that the seats 1) gave nice leg-room; 2) were leather and consequently very comfortable; 3) were spaced far apart enough that you could recline without falling into the person-behind-you's lap. I had never flown JB before and was expecting cattle-car seating. Was I glad to be disappointed. (And an extra unexpected bonus was that my seatmate turned out to be Bill Murray. Yep--_that_ Bill Murray. Who knew? :))
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And, yes, people with kids need their own plane section.
I'm sorry, but an hour-plus of a child crying and screaming (or behaving badly) is 45 minutes-plus too many--and totally unfair to everyone else who has no choice but to be stuck listening. Giving parents their own area would insure the flight attendants manning that station can give them service tailored for their needs--and free the kids up to burn off energy.
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@Not naming names
"The rest of the world doesn't put up with any of the crap Americans are forced to here. Why do we tolerate it??"
It's built into the culture. Americans put speed and convenience over service "frills"--and, increasingly, airline management has come to regard even basic good service and courtesy as a frill. How many people on here would trade off getting additional attention from a flight attendant for a cheap seat on a desired flight--or an available seat because the plane has been designed as a cattle car? There's your answer. :)
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One other note on service
It's worth remembering that, in a number of Asian countries, flight attendant is a comparatively high status job for a woman, while it is clearly not in the US. Singapore Airlines gets to recruit FAs from a very different slice of society than United or American.
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Sound and Lighting
Better lighting, in the cabin as a whole, and in your personal space.
Keep the headset jack functional, and let me plug the headphones I paid $100 for in to it.
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So glad you are looking into this Patrick!
As I was giving up traveling as leisure (only emertencies!) because I can´t stand the "tourist class", and can´t afford the "executive" and "first class", you gave me hope!!! Will try Delta after they have these new seats!
Sometime ago I wrote to an airline with an ideia that I got from the interstate buses here in Brazil. They have the regular bus, that is cheapest. Then they have an executive bus that is a bit more expensive but much more confortable, not to speak of the sleeper bus that has seats that become almost beds. All for a higher price.
Why can´t arlines have, for instance, and "Executive Flight", that is in an airplane that has more space, better seats in the whole plane and not in a small section? I would gladly pay, let´s see one and half to twice the price of the economy class to fly in such an executive airplane. Not economically feaseable?
I just wonder.
Keep up the good work. I don´t miss your articles!