Why can’t we charge airline passengers based on their size?
Jul 26, 2018, 7:22 AM
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
The Wall Street Journal’s Scott McCartney did a wonderful thing. He invited the CEOs of the three largest airlines to be interviewed while sitting in the back of one of their Boeing 777s in a coach seat.
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The CEO of United refused the invitation, but the CEOs of Delta and American Airlines, agreed, even though each of them stands at approximately 6 foot 3 inches.
The journal printed portraits of CEOs Doug Parker of American, and Ed Bastian of Delta, in their coach seats, elbows within the armrests, smiling. In fact, Mr. Parker looked almost joyful. But in their interviews, neither man apologized for the seats being 17 inches wide and only 30 inches apart.
They did promise not to go below that, but also made it very clear that legroom and elbow room are now considered seating products. If you want 19 inches instead of 17, you’ll have to pay for those two inches.
That brings us to the real problem: 19-inch people trying to circus-clown their way into 17-inch seats, which is America’s leading cause of armrest theft.
So I have a suggestion.
They already have that sizing gauge for your bags at the gate. Why not add a body gauge next to it? Sort the passengers by size and charge by the square inch. That way, everyone’s comfortable. You get to meet new people, there’s no alien flesh on your armrest, and we short guys save some money.
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