The Ever Shrinking Airplane Seat

I overheard a conversation the other day of three people talking about the ever shrinking airline seat.  We all know they continue to get smaller in width in order to make more room on the plane for more seats.  We also know that people have been shown willing to buy more legroom at times.  Let's look at the stats.

The Journal of American Medicine states that 34% of people in the US are not just overweight, but obese.  Additionally, I found a statistic that says the average waist for men in the US has increased almost four inches in the last five years.  So, as the midsection increases, the seats gets smaller.  Riddle me that...

On the other hand, statistics produced by the CDC shows that from the 1960's to early 2000, the average height for men increased just over one inch and for women just over one-half inch.  So, with height increases of about an inch over 40 years, the airlines believe leg-room is the most marketable opportunity.  (Trust me, I LOVE the leg room, but I am not average or normal by any means!) 

The airlines talk about being customer centric, but continue to cram people into smaller seats and have to put up with their fellow passengers spilling over into their space.  With the new aircraft coming into the marketplace, I hope that someone at one of the airlines is looking to make better use of the space for the customer and not just their bottom line. 

Would people be willing to pay slightly more for more width, like they do legroom?  Right now, the airlines answer is "buy a second seat" if the problem is that bad.  We don't force the guy who is 6'11" to buy the seat in front of him.  If he wants extra leg-room, he can buy it for under $100 in most cases.  Another seat, well, that's an expensive endeavor. 

I encourage folks at the airlines to look at the stats and if they are really concerned about making the customer feel welcomed and appreciated, put some thought behind what could be 1/3 of the people on your planes.  Until then, don't look for customer satisfaction rates to improve at the same rate of increase as the US waistline...and keep going! 

The Human Race

I didn't blog last week because I was disappointed in the human race.  Note, we were coming off of the horrendous actions by the fraternity in Oklahoma and a bullying effort around an overweight person dancing and someone making fun of them on Facebook.  

Anytime people publicly go after another person (be it their race, reputation, gender, sexuality, you name it) they are bringing down their fellow human being.  Now, don't get me wrong, lively competition is great and I support it anytime, anywhere.  But maliciousness, name calling, back handed commentary is not competition!  It's done in a effort to hurt someone or their reputation and it accomplishes nothing! 

So, for those who want to partake in those types of activities, think before you act.  I always tell my kids, if what you say and do cannot be put on Facebook/Instagam for everyone to see, then it shouldn't be said or done!

Today, I will look for a four-leaf clover in hopes that my St. Paddy's wish comes true, and that is, that we all act with respect and honesty in our actions and in our words and as always, keep going! 

Would You Work For Free?

In their infinite wisdom, our government has decided to give a one week reprieve for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding.  Let those words sink in, one week and Department of Homeland Security...

When I see what is going on around the world with Isis, terrorist plots and drug cartels, I wonder what in the hell (sorry, I mean heck) are they thinking?!  Now is the time to focus on homeland security.  Now is the time to spend money to ensure our borders and entry locations are safe and secure.  Now is the time to make sure that the people who protect those lines know we have their backs.  Instead, they go to work wondering if they will be asked to protect our country without a paycheck!

Most who are reading this are in an office and working for corporate America.  What if you were asked to work for a day, a week, a month without pay?  Would you do it?  Would you be looking for other options?  Would you worry about making ends meet?

In my humble opinion, there is foolish money being spent all over in our government.  Why can't we stop that spending and leave the DHS to do their job; protect the homeland and protect the citizens in the homeland.