Airlines need to be more accommodating

Kate Rehwinkel, Columnist

Spring break is over, and the majority of my friends went on spring break trips. I went to Las Vegas. I enjoyed the trip, except the airplane flight. Of course. I think most people do not like airplanes because they are not comfortable, especially for tall people. My friends and I flew Spirit airline. This was my first time flying with Spirit.

As soon as I sat down in the chair, my knees were up against the person’s seat in front of me. My friend next to me was able to extend her legs and stretch, whereas I couldn’t even do that. For the entire 4-hour trip my knees were cramped, and my rear end became numb from not being able to get comfortable.

Spirit is known for having extremely low prices that draw a lot of customers. They also have the least amount of legroom compared to other airlines that I have been on. Planes are not for comfort, unless you can afford the first-class seats.

I believe that airplanes need to accommodate everyone. Tall people, bigger people and everyone in between. Airplanes seem to keep reducing the space between each row of seats almost like we are cattle. They also have tons of extra add-on fees that you have to pay on top of your flight cost. They charge you for your luggage in general, and then anything over 40 lbs is an additional $25. To print off your boarding pass it costs from $5-10. A carry-on bag also costs a pretty penny to take on the flight.

When every little thing seems to have an extra cost, but the plane is crowded and uncomfortable, it makes the airline look greedy and uncaring about its customers.

If I owned an airline, I would have affordable flights with ample leg room for everyone. I would also put two seats next to one another instead of three, with enough space between the seats to allow each seat to have two armrests. Think how nice it would be to not have to share an armrest.

I would not have a division between first and coach class because everyone should be able to enjoy luxury and comfort. The seats will definitely be bigger so people are not squished. Everyone deserves to have room to move around to get comfortable.

Having seats that don’t allow a person to shift or move their legs is dangerous because it can cause circulation problems that could lead to blood clots, especially on longer flights. There would also be no extra add-on charges..

I will be waiting for some company to make my business idea a reality, because I would love to travel more often. People take planes because they are convenient and fast, otherwise more people would travel by boat, train or car because they are cheaper. Airplanes need to be more comfortable, end of story.

Kate Rehwinkel is a junior management major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].