How small can they go?
This past week, Wed. March 8 to be exact, I was a passenger on Delta
fl. 960 from Atlanta to Birmingham, Alabama. Inside the plane's
cabin, I was pleased to see a fresh set of seats, new carpet and
clean plane plastic, unlike the usual dated, worn to threads environs
of most Delta planes. The plane, a B-757, had been "reconfigured"
according to sympathetic flight attendants.
They're sympathy was warranted. There was approximately 7 inches of
leg space between the leading edge of the seat and the magazine
pocket of the forward seat. Now I'm not a big guy, 5'10", but I was
jammed in seat 8D. I looked at the guy in 8C and found him laughing
in the same disbelief. Not much you can do but wonder what thread of
Delta management decision-making led to the opinion that its
customers wanted less, not more space. In fact, my cynical self
thought that Rhett Butler was employed there telling his minions,
"Frankly, my dear,I don't give a damn."
For a fleeting moment I thought about using the old lap-top computer,
but then reasoned that the guy (it's always a guy--a big guy) who
would sit in front of me would have the same issue and, more than
likely, would make liberal use of his seat's recliner function
launching the PC into my chest.
In an age when United and others are giving beleaguer travelers a
little space relief, Delta seems to be going the other way. I'm sure
Delta has its reasons, reasons that, if asked, will make us see
the wisdom of *Project Tuna Can*. The predicted corporate
gobbledegook not withstanding...the fact is space was very tight and
the flight attendants agreed. So the question is, "How small can
Delta go?" I'll worry when Delta announces the employment of Japanese
subway packers. Thanks.
Jeff
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