The Great Crisis of 2014
Matt Thurman
Mrs. Sharon Straub
Advanced Placement Economics
07 September 2014
The Great Crisis of 2014
One of the great dilemmas of the current world is staring frequent flyers right in the face. What once was a standard feature of comfort and satisfaction 35,000 feet above the earth has now become the epicenter of a horrendous calamity: reclining seats. As passengers become more irritable and legroom becomes scarcer, the risk of reclining one’s seat on a commercial airplane appears to be one that only the bold are presently willing to take. While one party has taken the initiative to petition the removal of reclining seats, another has considered a more cost-effective approach: “be nice to your neighbor” (Associated Press). Although reproducing airplane seats that do not have reclining capabilities would surely eliminate aerial scuffles, airline companies can save large quantities of expenses by simply advising their passengers to think courteously while reclining on airplanes.
To fully understand the significance of this global issue, one must recognize the value of legroom on an airplane. Perhaps the principle property of comfort on airplanes, leg space is a necessity for any length of flight and any length of person. Unfortunately, airline companies have lessened the value of passengers’ legroom, as the below image illustrates the lessening of distance between plane seats since 2000. (Picture Link)
According to Dallas News, airlines believe passengers will not notice the decrease in leg space over time, largely because of new seat designs that create a sense of more space. Relocating magazine pockets and reducing tray table sizes are just two methods via which these airlines endeavor to combat the diminishing seat separation. On paper, they appear to be effective strategies. On planes, they go unnoticed, as recently several fights have erupted solely because of the interference of legroom caused by seat recliners. David Kerley of ABC News details the excitement of one fight on a Florida-bound flight. (Watch 0:20- 0:47) A knitting woman made a classic mistake, misjudging the marginal analysis of reclining her seat. Supposing that reclining a few degrees would maximize her comfort or performance while knitting, she simply forgot to calculate the marginal cost of doing so, angering her fellow passenger. The only thing she did consider was her utility, which apparently was great enough to disregard the marginal cost. To the dismay of the other numerous passengers and the pilots, the plane was commanded to perform an emergency landing. This episode revealed the major dilemma surrounding airplane seat recliners.
Economic analyst Dr. Thurman visits this quandary in a late chapter of his renowned Thurmanomics: A Study of the World Through the Lenses of Matt Thurman. The notable question he poses is “is it worth reclining your seat an extra degree?” While the mathematics behind the marginal analysis of reclining one’s seat and the ensuing discomfort and potential rage of the flyer behind that person seems rather pedestrian, the implications of this configuration are critical to controlling one’s behavior inside the pressurized cabin. Figure 19.3 of his work details the hypothetical linear, positive relationship between the degree of seat reclination and the discomfort of the flyer behind due to limited legroom. In creating this helpful visual, Dr. Thurman revives the age-old question, “what is the optimal degree to which one should recline his or her seat?” Every flyer must realize that by reclining his or her seat to a comforting degree, he is endangering the knee health of the flyer behind. Such health endangerment can be especially worrisome to frequent flyers; imagine the impact of a substantial amount of weight forced on one’s knees for two hundred two-hour flights in one year. Yet – unsurprisingly – people often discount this notion, as the decision to recline an extra degree often does not produce a marginal cost that directly impacts that person negatively.
Such social insensitivity commonly appears to be acceptable. That is, of course, until the water is thrown, the fists are flown, and the air marshals’ covers are blown. As the flyer discomfort increases, the probability of retaliation also increases. Already three situations since August 24th, 2014 have exhibited the extremes of this relationship, as two additional planes have made emergency landings due to altercations regarding the reclining of seats. ABC’s David Kerley explains the other two striking events in an alarming video. In one scenario, a passenger sought to avoid the problem of losing leg space by inserting devices that prevented the forward seat to recline. Naturally, this incensed the frontward passenger, compelling her to throw a cup of water on him. In a transatlantic flight, a passenger whose diabetes influenced a complaint regarding a reclining seat ended up thrown to the floor by three air marshals after he held a flight attendant who attempted to calm him. Mayhem has reached all-time highs on airplanes. What appears to several viewers as a trivial matter has become a startling predicament, as airlines are pressured now to quell the sudden unrest of passengers. One thing is clear; turbulence is no longer only an external factor. Therefore, airlines need to recognize the unruly behavior of passengers and solely need to instruct travelers to use courtesy while reclining on planes.
Works Cited
Associated Press. "It's No Longer Safe to Recline Your Airplane Seat." The Dallas Morning News. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 08 Sept. 2014. <http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20140902-its-no-longer-safe-to-recline-your-airplane-seat.ece>.
CNN Wire Service. "Seat Recline Fight Diverts Another Flight, Woman "demanded" That Flight Land." FOX6Nowcom. N.p., -2 Sept. 2014. Web. 08 Sept. 2014. <http://fox6now.com/2014/09/02/seat-recline-fight-diverts-another-flight-woman-demanded-that-flight-land/>.
Murray, Rheana. "The Do's and Don'ts of Reclining Your Airplane Seat."ABC News. ABC News Network, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 08 Sept. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/dos-donts-reclining-airplane-seat/story?id=25184467>.
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