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Flying isn’t what it used to be

Travel by air sure isn’t what it used to be. It used to be an event that people dressed in their best for. Back in the 1950s and ’60s you never saw anyone flying in jeans, cut-offs, t-shirts, tank tops or sandals. It was a suit or sport coat with shirt and tie for men and dresses and suits for women.

The drinks were free, and if you were on a long flight, at meal time you were served a meal. On the early jets the byword was luxury and even in coach the seats were designed to accommodate a real human and you didn’t worry about elbowing or being elbowed by the person seated next to you. There was even ample leg room for all seats on the plane, unlike today when only coach seats that are located adjacent to emergency exits have sufficient leg room and then you have to pay a premium to sit in them on many airlines.

My wife and I recently flew to visit family and friends at The Villages in central Florida. The flight we took was a direct flight and the price was right but we came away feeling that today flying is a game of survival that can best be tolerated by the young.

Today boarding a plane requires a lot of walking, even in Buffalo. Our flight to Orlando departed from Gate 16 which is near the end of the northeast wing of the terminal. In Orlando which is a far larger airport than Buffalo, we deplaned at our airlines terminal and walked what felt like a mile to pick up the airport shuttle that took us to the main terminal and our luggage. Reaching the luggage claim area, we naturally found that our flight’s luggage was on the most distant conveyor.

As we would only be away for a few days my wife and I took smaller suitcases. In the past we would have carried them on and stowed them in the overhead compartment but I have learned from experience that there is nothing more dangerous than stowing or retrieving a carry-on bag on a crowded plane when passengers are either boarding and looking for their seats or rushing to get off the plane on arrival.

Our two-and-a-half hour flight on a Boeing 737 to Orlando was uneventful. The pilot warned of turbulence but that never occurred. Even the peanuts tasted like peanuts, the snack crackers were fresh and my coffee tasted like coffee even if it was in a plastic foam cup.

Several days later our trip home was likewise uneventful except for a delay that got us into Buffalo an hour late at 1 a.m. And of course, we deplaned at distant gate 16, and yes, our luggage was on the most distant conveyor in the luggage area.

Today I would liken the experience of flying coach on a commercial aircraft to being packed like sardines in olive oil. I may have gotten larger in my maturity, but I also know that the seats have gotten smaller and less comfortable as airlines introduce more and lighter seats to save on weight and fuel. Seats are not the only thing shrinking on an airliner, so are the restrooms. They are now about the size of a telephone booth, for those of you who remember phone booths. Even the old phone booths had far more headroom.

The aisles are getting narrower and if the airline uses a serving cart you are pretty much trapped in place while flight attendants distribute drinks, Coke, coffee, water and peanuts. I first flew a 737 on the final leg of my trip home from Vietnam nearly half a century ago. They seemed roomier then and I wonder if Boeing has been secretly shrinking 737 fuselages over the years. Probably not, but you wonder.

Recently I did read that Boeing is introducing a new model of the 737 with two additional rows of seats. Where could they possibly be putting them?

Finally, I will admit that despite my whining and complaining, airlines get us where we want to go quickly, generally on time and safely. This is an important consideration, particularly in light of Amtrak’s recent safety record. So, in the future don’t be surprised if you find me waiting in an overcrowded boarding area to board an overcrowded, and shrinking plane so I can get where I need to be.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com

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