Flying the unfriendly skies

The debate rages on... United Airlines has announced that has new guidelines for overweight/plus size passengers. According to the article in today's Chicago Sun-Times, the guidelines define overweight passengers as those "who can't fit in a single seat in his or her ticketed cabin or can't properly buckle the seat belt, or anyone who can't put the armrest fully down when seated."

Does that mean a pregnant woman needing a seat belt extender would qualify under these guidelines?

It should be noted that United cites 700 complaints among over 63,000,000 passengers - that's a 1 in 90,000 ratio.

Apparently they are unconcerned about passenger's embarrassment to have this sensitive issue addressed at point of departure. If airlines are so concerned about this issue, maybe they could help assist plus-size people prior to their getting on the flight - they could allow people to be medically certified as requiring "plus size" seating, and then give them a code to enter when booking to get them a seat upgrade at a minimal cost. Or airlines could install a couple rows of coach-price seats that have business/first-class widths which these customers could select - an option that would go a long, long way towards customer satisfaction.

Of course, flight attendants would have to ensure that those being granted these seats are actually in physical need of them, not just regular-size people looking to get out of paying the extra cost of an upgrade to get a bigger seat.

While airlines are at it, they need to redesign their bathrooms. They are too small, too cramped, and the only people who can use them without being a contortionists are children, and men who don't need to sit down to do their business. Why is there no leg room in airline bathrooms? (Although really, that shouldn't be surprising as most airlines don't offer legroom in the regular seats, either.) Is the lack of room an attempt to prevent inductees into the "mile-high club"? Women who are pregnant, overweight passengers and disabled customers are at a distinct disadvantage in current-model airline bathrooms.

If I were designing new aircraft today, I would seek to do a couple things:

1) Redesign coach-class seating to create comfortable, ergonomic seats that are lighter weight (to save on fuel costs) but which also allow more seat/leg space for economy-class passengers.

2) Give airline seatbelts an extra 6-12". Even without being overweight, thanks to changes in modern medicine and diet, people are bigger than ever. Give people some breathing room while they're strapped into their seats.

3) Redesign the bathrooms so there is plenty of leg room. I flew on Swiss a couple years ago, and the economy-class bathroom was downright spacious, and had economy of line, and was much better designed than any airline bathroom I had been into in years.

Surely with today's advanced polymers, fabrics and plastics, new advances in comfort can be introduced into the world of commercial flight. It's a sad thing that I'm more comfortable riding a city bus for an hour than I am for most flights.