AIRLINE PRACTICES GROSS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST TALL PEOPLE: DON'T FLY THE CRAMPED AND CROWDED SKIES OF UNITED!

At 6'4" and with a 36" inseam, airline travel has always been a challenge for me.  Nevertheless, 30 or 40 years ago, flying wasn't such an unbearable chore.  I well remember traveling on Delta when the steward or stewardess - the neutered term "flight attendant" was not in vogue at that time - would take one's suit coat on entering the plane and stow it in the closet, cheerily assuring the passenger that it would be brought to one upon landing.  Now, given the cattle-car nature of airline seating, one would have to be addled to even think of flying in a suit and tie.

There was a time, too, when flight crews went out of their way to enhance passenger comfort.  It happened frequently that I was asked if I would like to move to a more comfortable location.  Occasionally, a stewardess would take one look at my long legs and even ask if I would care to be upgraded - at no additional charge - to first class.

For several years I flew Continental's 50-passenger jets from Brownsville to Leon in Mexico.  The Mexican leg from Houston to Leon in Mexico was a decent flight, and it was possible for tall people to sit at the emergency exits without paying a surcharge. Continental made the flights somewhat enjoyable, with box lunches served to all passengers.  But no more!  Since United took over, the flights are cramped, crowded and often staffed by discourteous stewards and stewardesses who are anything but attentive to their passengers' comfort.  On a recent Brownsville to Houston flight I was treated with disdain by perhaps the most rude stewardess encountered over 50 years of flying.

The robber barons who now control United Airlines seek to turn profit at every corner.  If you are tall, suck it up and endure your knees practically sticking up to your ears;  or, you can lay out some extra dollars to gain a few extra inches at the emergency exits.  And don't even think about pretzels or peanuts any more. They departed soon after the box lunches.

United has already decreased leg-room from 33" to 31"  on their 50-passenger jets.  And they are considering means to further decrease the space, in order to squeeze in a few more seats for increased profits.  And so it goes:  airlines charge for whatever they can rationalize and do virtually whatever it takes for a few more bucks.  And passengers get squeezed in more ways than one.

As I write this post, I am lecturing in Mexico's beautiful Bajio region.  I am enjoying my stay; but, at the same time, am more than a little apprehensive over the prospect of my return flight to Texas.  After United had unloaded me at the Leon Airport last Monday it took me all of another day to get myself back on track.  With United Airlines, what once was almost an enjoyable experience with Continental now fills my mind with dread.  The skies of United are no longer so friendly, and their flights have become arduous events to avoid if at all possible.

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!