Buckle Up
Let me be clear ---- violence is never the appropriate answer. Clearly few leaders in the history of mankind actually believe that statement since violence is with us always. What I find incredible is our ability to find an excuse for and our protestations against violence in a manner that moves responsibility to someone else. Case in point: Airline violence. The most recent example was on an American Airlines flight from NYC to Orange County. The CEO of American immediately came out to say: “this type of behavior has to stop. American will not tolerate airport or inflight misconduct of any kind.”
Good job Doug, but, hey Doug, how would you like to talk about why this is happening. Maybe you could be a real leader and discuss your responsibility for this behavior. Not that you are alone as the other US airlines share the same responsibility.
In their selfish interest to cram people into a small space, they alone are responsible for the increase in cranky passengers who are looking to take out frustration on someone. Let’s look at a few stats.
In 2002 a British ergonomics firm estimated human hip sizes and, you guessed it, the United States was number one at 20.6 inches. France was 17.2 and Japan 15.9. Airbus suggested that all airline seats be at least 18 inches but the US, fearing a potential infringement on some imaginary right to have wide hips and narrow seats, objected to this rule. US airlines have continually made flying in coach more and more uncomfortable. While they are cramming people into a smaller and smaller space, the load factor has been rising to a record 86.4% average. This means that many planes are 100% full. Why do you care about the load factor? Because if a plane is 90% full that leaves only 14 middle seats open and with smaller everything you are literally crammed in like sardines. Meanwhile, legroom is smaller, seats are smaller and the pitch of the seat (now 30 inches or less) is being reduced. The bottom line—get used to having your knees in your chest and your neighbor’s armpit in your face. Airlines are one of the few industries that actively work to make their customers uncomfortable in pursuit of profits. They are a public utility that is taking away all utility. Now you wonder why there is an increase in unhappy passengers and an increase in violence. Do you really think that all of those passengers are in the appropriate meditative mental state to tolerate all of the inconveniences of air travel?
Doug is taking the high road by announcing violence as abhorrent and keeping passengers that violate that general human principle off his airplanes. Thus, he falls in line with other persons in authority, they look for somebody else or condition to blame. The pandemic has served as everyone’s favorite thing to blame. This horrible condition has become every leader’s scapegoat. Doug Parker doesn’t bother to look at the core problem because that would lay responsibility at his doorstep. He is not alone in this now-classic behavior. This behavior is not new but it is epidemic in the leadership of all kinds. Doug, people are fighting on your planes because you put too many people in too small of a space and assumed that everyone is so grounded in their lives that they will behave in a kind and spiritual manner. Please take responsibility and make your aircraft more comfortable and improve the flying experience and see if the fighting subsides. The inability to take responsibility and seek solutions that solve the core problem is completely missing in our national discourse. Are we truly surprised that violence is on the rise?
Could you please stop kicking my seat sir or should I just punch you in the face…?