FLYING THE OVERSTUFFED SKIES OF AMERICA

OK, maybe it's me, but I thought that the airlines made rules about overwieght people having to purchase two seats. Is it that they received too many lawsuits from those people?  Did they just have to give up?  But why then do they have to make the seats so small?

Luckily, I am small with short legs.  I am also blesseed to have lots of miles and qualify for upgrade status by a few airlines, so every now and again I get to sit in the First/Business Section of the planes.

But I cannot understand why in the airlines great think tanks, that in coach, they made the aisles narrower, seats smaller and leg room less and less.  There is new news out that they are shrinking the bathrooms and making seats even smaller in Coach.  I feel so sorry for large and tall men whose girth fills the seats and whose knees touch the seat in front of them.

I am continually amazed at the size of the carry ons that the airlines permit these days as well.  Not only does it take forever to board a plane and listen to the constant reminder to "put wheels in first"  or "please store smaller bags under the seat in front of you". It doesn't make a whole lot of difference anyway, as no one listens and the flight attendents have to go throght the bins and move things around so more things will fit in the overhead compartments.  As the airlines charge more and more for checked bags, more and more people bring more and more bags on board.

So imagine the young family I saw today getting on my flight from Salt Lake to the East Coast.

We had a lovely young woman who when she was married must have fit in a size 6 or 8, but after having 3 children, both she and her 6 ft,  spouse, weighed  easily more than 500lbs between them.

The 3 little boys (all between the ages of 3 and 6) were playing happily on the dirty airport carpet surrounded by a makeshift corral of suit cass (carryons of, course).  When called to pre-board the flight they herded the kids and the bags down the jetway, waddling all the way.  Each adult had a large carryon and all three tots pulled cute little decorative bags behind them.  Mom also had a large diaper bag and a large purse, and Dad carried another small carryon, who knows what for.

When I boarded, they still had not moved all of their stuff into the overheads nor under the seats.  Kids were screaming then and fighting over who would sit with Mom.  Mom and Dad, placed the kids and they wedged themselves into the small seats using extender belts to strap themselves in. whew!  Is traveling worth it any more?

Then guess what?  My aisle seat was next to a 500lb woman(no exageration) who wedged herself into the middle seat, all the while overflowing my seat and the seat of  guy in the window seat.  What happened with purchasing an extra seat for these folks?

I travel the world frequently, and I am always amazed when I fly domestically, the sloppy dress and the huge girth of our American public.  Poor private businesses and airlines that  cannot force  these people to purchase two seats..  It is a true travesty for the rest of us and it is not fair!  A flight attendant friend of mine told me that if a passenger complains about an oversized person alongside of them, if another seat is not available for them, they will be asked to get off the plane and will be put free of charge on the next available flight.  Since when are the innocent made to suffer because of the lack of rules  and discipline  by others?

  Comon people....take responsibility for yourselves. Get healty. Eat better and take a walk every day.  A little goes a long way and will make you better and less of a bother to those of us who have to put up with you.   And please airlines.. stop making your seats so small that even the kids don't fit!  Stop charging for evey little amenity  and start letting bags go for free again so we are not stuffed to the gills every time we fly!