A heated argument over seat space in an airplane led to a spat between passengers on Sunday, and the unscheduled landing of the plane before it had reached its destination. One airline industry observer says he has seen increasing confrontations on planes as major companies take steps to try to increase their profitability.
The dispute on United Flight 1462 from Newark, New Jersey to Denver, Colorado started when one passenger put a small device called a Knee Defender on a tray table to prevent a woman seated in front of him from reclining her seat. He refused to remove it and the female passenger got so angry she threw a glass of water at him.
Listen‘Skies are meaner’
“Not surprised,” said Karl Moore, associate professor of management at McGill University who studies the airline industry. “What we see in the U.S. is that the skies are a bit meaner than they used to be, that they (airlines) are jamming more people in, the load level–the number of people in seats–has gone up. And that’s good for the airlines, but it means there are fewer empty seats.”
That combined with fewer meals served and long lines for security mean tempers are shorter. “Then if you can’t put your seat back it means that you’re going to be much less comfortable,” he says. “So I’ve seen quite a few angry confrontations over this sort of thing.”
Major airlines like Air Canada and United Airways have banned the Knee Defender. Some smaller airlines have simply modified seats so they do not recline.
‘Cost-cutting will continue’
The big airlines will continue to use cost-cutting measures like reducing seat size, cutting out free meals and charging for luggage, Moore predicts. Companies like Air Canada, United, and American faced bankruptcy a few years ago and are still not very profitable. One airline actually considered having standing room only on planes, he says, but the idea was quickly suppressed.
‘Not as much fun’
The best thing for passengers to do is to “suck it up” and accept that flying is not as much fun as it used to be, says Moore. He suggests people try to distract themselves with books or movies and just enjoy anticipating getting home or to a vacation destination.
While frustrated Europeans may switch to travelling by high-speed train, that is not really an option in North America where there are few such trains and where distances are much greater.
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