You are now free
to get the hell off the plane

This is why I would rather duck-walk than fly to most destinations. That goes double when the carrier is American Airlines, where the suits at have taken a long look at their troubled industry and concluded that the experience of air travel is not quite hellish enough. Deciding that passengers need additional incentive for boorish behavior, American has decided to charge $15 for the first checked bag.
Ingenious. People already routinely flout the carry-on restrictions, so let's make damn sure everyone brings more useless crap onto the plane. Let's increase the demand for overhead-bin space, secure in the knowledge that the supply is forever fixed. Let's arrange it so bellicose business travelers end up fist-fighting in the aisles: That will speed the boarding process and ensure an on-time departure.
Somewhere, at some airline, there is undoubtedly a plan to install coin slots on every seat recliner, tray table and toilet on the plane. I'm OK with that last one -- anything that deters people from stinking up the rear of the aircraft can't hurt -- but someday, I think, we may reach a point where the mental, physical and financial cost of flying will outweigh whatever convenience remains. Or we may return to the days when air travel was for the wealthy, those able to pay for limitless bags of stale pretzels and exclusive rights to their own overhead bin. That's when the rest of us get back to Greyhound, I guess. Or, God willing, the train.
Comments
If the plane is flying I don't care whether the movie is working or not.
Thanks, Jimmy Carter.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/