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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
July 14, 2002
Will size
selectivity take flight? |
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Size matters. Size
doesn't matter. It's one of those arguments that never
produces a winner.
If we're talking diamonds or horsepower, size might
matter. If we're talking heart or ego, it might not.
What if we're talking the size of a person's rear end
or an airplane seat? Should size matter then?
To one airline it sure does. If part of your butt
spreads into the next seat, you will have to pay for that space at
the same price you paid for the first seat. As the debate
about airlines charging an oversized person for a second seat goes
on, I can't seem to decide which side to join. I have been
stuck in the middle seat between persons who needed more than the
arm rest.
Having flown this particular airline over 50 times, I
like Southwest Airlines. It's the no frills, no seat
assignment, and no food service airline that can take you from
Chicago, by way of Kansas City, Phoenix, Oakland, Houston and El
Paso, to St. Louis. They have preppy young flight attendants
who wear big nonstop Texas smiles and tell jokes. It's also
the only airline that did not lose any money after the Sept. 11
terrorist attack.
Looking at the sizes and shapes of flight attendants,
it is obvious that the seats on the planes were designed for
passengers who meet the same height and weight standards that
airline employees must meet. In this age of diversity, we only
look at color and age. Size is another category we may soon
have to consider.
America is getting fatter. We are not all the
same size as flight attendants. Just as we don't all wear the
same trouser or dress sizes, we should not be forced to sit in the
same airline or theater seat. Everything from clothing,
automobiles, televisions and fast food value meals come in multiple
sizes. Why can't airline seats come in a variety?
Airlines don't charge for one half of a seat when a toddler uses
less than the whole seat.
Can't planes and theaters install bench seats with arm
rests that adjust to small, medium, large or super size widths?
Should a passenger require a bit more than a medium space but not
quite double, a small fare increase would be acceptable.
Normally, I wouldn't care what a person pays.
Every seat other than those in the first class section is the same
size, but they don't all cost the same. When you buy your
ticket generally determine the fare you pay. If you buy a
ticket 30 days in advance, you will pay considerably less than the
person sitting next to you who waited until the day before to
purchase his.
My suggestion to the overweight fliers would be to buy
two cheap seats well in advance, say 30 days or more. Then run
to Jenny Craig or some other quick weight loss program and drop 50
pounds. On the day of your flight, sell your second seat back
to the airline at the day-of-flight purchase price.
A very fit young man in his mid-20's who looks like he
could work for Southwest Airlines, adamantly disagrees with the
airline policy. Looking at his young, fit, athletic,
flight-attendant-size build, I had to ask why he felt this way.
His response was that in maybe 25 years he will be a lot bigger and
shouldn't have to pay for two seats.
I suggest he start saving his money now or buy two
cheap seats today for a flight in 2027. |
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