I'm not a supermodel, and never will be, but I have a normal BMI (weight falls squarely in the normal range of the Body Mass Index) and aren't excessively tall (5-6). In fact, I'm pretty much average, all the way around. I fly (many airlines) quite a bit and I, a normal weight and height person, don't fit into the airline seats all that well, as airlines have shrunk them again and again in search of the almighty dollar.
I've been squished by larger people, people with long legs, those who push against my seat from behind with their knees and people who insist on thrusting their seat back to the farthest degree and ramming my tray table into my knees over and over and over again. In fact, I don't think I've EVER had a "comfortable" coach flight in my life, definitely not in the last 5-7 years. (Tolerable? Sure. Comfortable? Not even close.)
The real truth is the airlines treat people, ALL people, like an annoyance. No matter how much you pay, or how much you weigh, you, the paying customer, are simply an inconvenience to them.
There is no other service on Earth that we, as consumers, pay so much for to be treated so poorly. Long waits, cancelations, delays, fees ... All are standard operating procedure for the American airline industry and all occur DAILY, not only without apology but often with an "its your fault" attitude. Mr. Smith happens to be a celebrity, but I, and everyone else I know who has flown more than twice in their life, has a horror story of being mistreated or abused by on airline or another.
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