Miscellany: The Coarsening of Air Travel

Remember back in the 1990s, when people thought air travel couldn't possibly get any more uncomfortable? Cramped seats, awful meals, lost baggage?



The above was a snippet of a Seinfeld special from 1998. It's charmingly out of date (you probably can't bring even safety razors onto an airplane nowadays), and really, could anyone have predicted how bad things would become after 9/11 and the recession? My recent jaunt on Continental proved to be exemplary.

Now, since you're charged $25 per bag to be checked in, no one checks in bags. This means that the interior of the plane has become even more cramped, with passengers shoving "Goodfellas"-esque duffel bags under the seats. It also means that boarding and debarking the plane take longer than ever.

Forget about inflight meals. I remember when you could get at least a passable breakfast or lunch on these planes - a banana, a bowl of Cheerios, milk. Now you're lucky if you get a 60 calorie bag of pretzels or peanuts on most flights. I suppose real food equals extra weight, and extra weight equals extra fuel consumption (not to mention the added labor cost of dealing with loading, serving, and disposing of food).

Cue nostalgia trip...