• There is a Cinnabon in nearly every terminal.

• Getting off the plane involved using those stairs built in to the plane door. That, however, is not a problem. The probem is that after doing that, you get to hunt for where you can get in to the airport.
  
• Once in the airport, there is no visible set of departure monitors. The closest set to my gate was FARTHER DOWN the terminal I was in, around a corner. Because why the fuck would I need to know where my next flight is? Good thing I have a two-hour layover.
  
• The next set is in the "hub" between all the terminals. Which I also wouldn't have seen if I weren't going to the Cinnabon there.
  
• My Cinnabon was cold and underdone, and I think I am going to regret eating it.
  
• Who needs lights? The "hub" area was lit entirely with blue neon.
  
• This place is closing right in front of my eyes.
  
• There is an ad for the Billy Graham Library. "No books to check out, just his story..."
  
• No motherfucking outlets, so I get to post from my BlackBerry. Fuck yeah!

current mood: pissed off

I am writing to voice my strong disagreement with and disapproval of your new seating policy, requiring those overweight passengers who are unable to fit comfortably in your airplanes' seats with the use of no more than one seatbelt extender to either purchase another ticket, be reseated, or kicked off of your flights.

This policy is discriminatory, plain and simple. You are discriminating against women, who are statistically more likely to have wider hips, and thus have more difficulty in lowering the seat rests. Moreover, pregnant women, even in the early stages of pregnancy, are more likely to have normal and healthy weight gain that will make it difficult for them to meet the requirements of this policy.

Additionally, you are discriminating against overweight people. What about all of the tall people, whose knees dig in to the seat back of the person in front of them, or who recline their seat all the way in order to find some modicum of comfort, and therefore impinge upon the seat of the person in front of or behind them? I note that they are not required to purchase a second ticket, be reseated, or not fly, even though they are doing the same exact thing you and a few of your customers are accusing overweight individuals of doing. What about the men with broad shoulders, who can meet your seat requirements, but whose shoulders still impinge upon the seat space of the person next to them? You are singling out a group of people for behavior exhibited by a number of people on your flights, and charging them, rather than anyone or everyone else.

It is also discrimination because it implies that overweight people have an alternative - that they can just lose weight. This flies in the face of scientific evidence to the contrary, which finds that that for the majority of overweight individuals, any temporary weight loss they may experience from a diet or exercise plan is just that - temporary. Weight is as strongly influenced by genetics as height, skin color, risk of heart disease and risk of mental illness are. For a start at looking at this research, I suggest this excellent article from the International Herald Tribune, now hosted at the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/08fat.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=genes% 20take%20charge&st=cse

The alternative you are forcing upon overweight people, then, is to not travel at all - whether because a second ticket is unaffordable, as it is for many people, or because they are denied travel on your planes. And that is no alternative.

Quite honestly, the seats on your airplanes are uncomfortable for a great many people, as they were designed to fit a person of statistically average height and weight. Thanks to the great genetic diversity of the human species, very few of us are that height or weight, and therefore a great many of us don't properly fit in to airplane seats. I'm one of those people - I'm six feet tall. I haven't sat comfortably in an airline seat that I can afford since I was a child. I find it disgusting that United's response to one group of passengers that can't sit comfortably is to charge them double, reseat them if possible (have you been on one of your own flights lately? This is a dubious proposition, at best) or kick them off the flight, rather than rethinking the size and shape of the seats. My six foot tall body is not responsible for the fact that your seats are uncomfortable - you are. I suggest that rather than driving business away with your new policy, you change your seats to be more comfortable for everyone, and bring business back.

Dear Ms. [Wench]:

Thank you for taking time to express your views about our seating
policy. We appreciate your feedback and hope that this letter is
helpful in providing perspective on our policy.

I understand that our new policy is a sensitive subject and we
understand how you feel. However, we decided to align our policy with
all major airlines. Contrary to what many people believe if the flight
isn't full the passenger would be able to just have one seat. However if
the flight is full or almost full another ticket should be purchased.

Also it is our intention for every passenger to be as comfortable as
possible. We have received complaints from many of our passengers
complaining that the person seated next to them is in their seat making
it uncomfortable for them. Again, it is not our intention to make anyone
feel uncomfortable about their weight but to make a slight middle ground
for all. You mentioned people being tall, what United did was implement
Economy Plus seating which gives the passenger up to 5 inches of extra
leg space. So if the person is tall and is usually uncomfortable in our
seats they can purchase extra leg space. Again, we try to implement a
middle ground.
Please understand that we sincerely care about the comfort and
well-being of all of our guests and have implemented this policy with
best intentions, to help ensure that everyone's travel experiences with
United are safe and pleasant.

Regards,

Rayschel Nayden
United Airlines Customer Relations

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current mood: irate