Passenger Makes Plea for Some Airline Changes

With American Airlines in the lead, most of the nation’s major carriers have taken steps recently to simplify the complex domestic air-fare structure. Since they seem to be of a mind to shape up, I’ve decided to write them an open letter suggesting other areas for improvement. I’m a frequent flier, and a plethora of fares isn’t the only hassle I and thousands of other passengers have to endure.

Dear Airline Executives:

Thank you for at least attempting to reduce air-fare confusion. As a frequent flier, I think I will benefit from some of the changes--especially the easing of penalties on nonrefundable tickets, which I use regularly. But if you really want to help, there are a number of other improvements you could make almost immediately to make flights more comfortable for us passengers. Please:

* Let us board as early as possible. On a trip through South America last year, I arrived at the airport, as requested, an hour in advance of my flight. After check-in, I was told I could board at my leisure. So I did, taking a seat on the plane rather than one in the waiting room. In so doing, I avoided the customary lineup at the gate and the crowding in the aisle when boarding passengers are trying to find their seats or stuff luggage in overhead compartments. By takeoff time, I had settled hassle-free into my book.

* Make it easier to get a drink of water. Flying is dehydrating, we are told, and passengers should drink plenty of liquids. But how can we manage this feat, especially on a transoceanic flight with 300 or more passengers aboard? My suggestion for long flights is to send an attendant down the aisle on a regular basis, maybe every half-hour, with a couple of large containers of bottled water, pouring for whomever needs a sip. No ice, no lime, no napkin, no problem. Passengers can be instructed to retain the plastic drinking glass provided at meal service, and the attendant can carry extras. Why wouldn’t it work?

An added bonus: Sipping water helps moisturize nasal and sinus passages, a source of considerable discomfort for many passengers.

* Pick up the meal trays sooner. My experience is that the majority of cabin crews serve meals and collect trays efficiently. But an irritating number of them seem to prolong the task unnecessarily. Don’t let them get away with it. On several past flights, after I finished my meal, the tray remained in front of me for 15 or 20 minutes or more, the leftover sauces forming a hard, unsightly crust. While it was there, I couldn’t comfortably read a book, tackle paperwork or go to the restroom. The attendants moved quickly only when the pilot announced the plane was beginning its descent for landing. Not surprisingly, I got off the plane feeling irritated.

* Give us more time to use the restroom. “Passengers must remain seated until the seat-belt sign is turned off,” says the attendant on takeoff, but who knows when that will be? If there have been delays on the runway, we could easily be strapped in our seats for an hour or more before the pilot gives the get-up-and-go signal. And by that time, the cabin crew may well be blocking the aisle with a bulky beverage cart.

Remember up there in your penthouse suites that we are human beings, and there are times when a restroom trip is more vital than a soft drink and a bag of peanuts.

* Open all the restrooms to everyone on board.

Even when we are allowed to use them, there aren’t enough restrooms on most planes to adequately serve us, especially if the flight is full.

The problem could be eased, however, if the restrooms up front were not restricted only to first-class passengers.

* Let us know what’s going on.

Suddenly the seat-belt light flashes on, and an attendant comes on the loudspeaker telling everyone to buckle up.

What’s happening? Many pilots will tell us, and they are the ones I appreciate.

“We’re expecting some turbulence ahead,” say the helpful ones, “but we expect to be through it in 10 minutes.” These messages are very comforting when the plane begins to bounce.

* Encourage your pilots to point out famous landmarks below.

I am a dedicated sightseer, and I suspect there are lots of other passengers like me who want to be informed that the Grand Canyon is easily visible out the left side of the plane.

* Provide connecting flight information.

Many of my trips involve a change of planes, often with no more than 30 minutes between arrival and departure. So I am pleased when a flight attendant announces our flight’s arrival gate and the departure gates for most or all of the connecting flights in the next hour or two.

* Publicize your “special” meal service.

Lots of travelers apparently don’t know this, but passengers who phone an airline reservations desk in advance usually can order a special meal for religious or dietary reasons.

* Give us more seating room.

Not an easy request to satisfy, I admit.

My favorite airline is Midwest Express, which operates out of Milwaukee, because its seating is the most comfortable. In its cabins, each row has only two seats on either side of the aisle compared to the more common three-three seating.

In effect, everybody gets spacious first-class seating, and at a price that is competitive with the cramped coach-class travel of other carriers.

* And finally, print in-seat exercise tips.

For a change, this isn’t a grumble but simply a suggestion for a bit of helpful information.

I appreciate your consideration of these suggestions.

Sincerely,

James T. Yenckel, Passenger