Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Fight in Flight: Fight or Flight?

The desire or need to travel on an airplane must be stronger than it ever was. I'd be preaching to the choir if I am to express my dislike with taking it to the air these days. My flying experience has been both good and bad, but after both flights on my most recent roundtrip got me worshiping every bit of free space around me, I began to wonder just how much our little bit of temporary real estate was worth. I may be coming off harsh, but should someone who is, say 6'2", 230lbs be able to purchase the same ticket for the same price as a petite woman whose eye level lies an inch above her steering wheel after filling up on half an extra value meal? I know it'd be more than offensive if ticket prices were related to a person's size, but as I sat there with my poorly cushioned ass in pain with a foreign leg and arm over my armrest and nowhere to move, I began wishing that each square centimeter had a price tag attached to it. Perhaps some who go too far, literally, should be required to pay an extra fee - heck, overweight luggage requires an extra fee because of safety so why not passengers? I know most times they can't help it, but since when was invasion justified and not an act of war? If I have to cross my arms and plaster myself against the wall as best as I can for five hours, aren't I not getting what I paid for? If I can't have my own arm spend time near my armrestville border without hitting enemy forces, then maybe I should get a discount or something. Even with the occasional beverage cart rounds, I still have to mentally focus myself to stay calm during the turmoil at the border. Is this a fight worth sticking out or should I do my best to either avoid the right turn into Coach upon entrance or even steer clear of the jetway entirely? First Class gets what they pay for but I was hoping Economy would still be above steerage. When we're only armed with a pillow and blanket in the fight for territory, it sure is hard to fly the friendly skies.