Uncomfortable Airplanes

It's 2026, and there is absolutely no reason why we cannot have comfortable airplanes. I recently had the opportunity to take a long-distance trip, where I flew on three different airplanes over the course of 24 hours. It was an absolute nightmare and no human being should be subject to this kind of treatment.

If you ask airlines why their planes can't be made more comfortable for all passengers, they will point to the consumer's desire to keep costs low. If they can pack more people on a plane, they can lower the cost per person and everyone wins, right? Wrong. Only the airlines win by making a higher profit while the human beings subject to that kind of treatment suffer. And this has been going on for long enough now that nobody knows there is anything different.

Here's a novel idea - why not put fewer seats on a plane, space people out more and allow them some space to walk around? In exchange, you can charge higher ticket prices to cover the cost. Maybe this means we shouldn't be taking trips on a frequent basis to that warm all-inclusive resort. Maybe trips by plane will become special again, and people will find other ways to travel long distances, such as by train. It's better for the environment, and has the added benefit of treating people like human beings deserve to be treated.

Or, perhaps we could allow people more time in their lives to travel instead of forcing a trip into a few days. Employers could allow you to work remotely, such as from a cruise ship as you spend two weeks traveling to another continent. You get a break from the office, and space to walk around and stay active.

Some of you will tell me to just pay for first class, or comfort plus. I've done that, and first class is certainly better. Comfort plus is a joke, with an inch more of leg room. (I'm looking at you Delta.)

It also seems that every time you fly, you pick up some mysterious illness. Perhaps it's due to packing 350 people into the size of a sardine can? This increases the time lost from work and visits to doctors, which hurts us all in the long run - even the airline's employees. Who would want to work in an environment like that, where all of your customers are cramped, frustrated, and exhausted?

Turning planes around in 10 minutes doesn't leave enough time to properly clean the plane either. Have you ever looked in the seat pocket in front of you? I mean really looked down to the bottom? It's disgusting. Why can't they seem to make sure that all of the TV screens, or tray tables, are in full-functioning condition before allowing passengers on board? They should be immediately replaceable with a spare so that nobody is disadvantaged.

Going forward, I'll think long and hard about taking any future flights. I'm sure I will be forced to for various life reasons, but if I can avoid it, I will. It's a poor service designed to extract as much profit from customers that shouldn't be allowed to exist.