Is Air Travel Heralding the Future of Inequality in America?

Flying economy class has never been more miserable. Pillows and blankets no longer come with the ticket. Seats are cramped.  Passengers are using devices called “knee defenders” to keep the seat in front of them from reclining. When fights break out, the flights are forced to divert, delaying the trip. What’s the source of all this?

Well, it’s the same reason flights are cheaper today than a few decades ago. As demand for cheaper transportation has gone up, the airlines have supplied that need. Unfortunately, there is a trade off. Cheaper tickets mean that airlines have to sell more tickets. More people means less room and more fighting over reclining chairs.

Of course, it’s not just that there are more people. As the number of economy passengers has gone up, airlines have shrunk the cabin space of those in economy class. But don’t worry, that extra space is being put to good use by business and first class. Leg room isn’t the only perk at the front of the plane. Many airlines are also offering passengers who pay more full entertainment systems, pajamas, Wi-Fi access, and actual food. Some airlines go so far with the perks that they bar economy passengers from using first class toilets.

Do Passengers Have a Right to Space?

I’m not going to argue that first class or business class passengers can’t have these perks or that airlines can’t offer them. A free market system demands that consumers get what they pay for, especially if the public has been demanding cheaper and cheaper flights. However, reducing space for one set of passengers so that another set of passengers can pay extra for more space should be legally dubious at best.

Airlines have a duty to ensure that passengers have a safe trip. This duty includes making sure that passengers don’t throw water at one another or bash each other’s brains open. Now “safe” doesn’t mean “comfortable.” A car could be perfectly safe but be so small that only one person could reasonable fit inside.

However, if the airlines are designing their vehicles so that people feel they have to resort to fists and cuffs for a little space, it is arguable that those airlines have breached their duty to keep passengers safe. Airlines should be held responsible for injuries that passengers suffer, even if the injuries came from other passengers. The design and business model of the airlines are directly contributing to many of these fights. It’s not like the stories of fighting between passengers because there isn’t enough space are new. The New York Times began reporting on this story as early as 2007. There has to be a limit to the number of people that airlines can cram into a small space. Even if you don’t “believe” in class warfare, human safety should always be a concern.