Recorded in the St Louis Airport Marriott courtesy of a blown connection by Southwest. We clean out the TravelCommons mail bag, going through listener comments on disabling in-flight electronics, eating alone, and finding good non-chain food on the road. We talk about the sudden collapse of the CLEAR registered traveler program and if in-flight WiFi will really improve frequent traveler productivity. I also give a little personal history about how I came to travel so much. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.

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A Wall Street Journal Middle Seat column illustrated how airlines can make a good thing bad — flipping the proverb to turn a silk purse into a sow’s ear.

In March, American Airlines restarted their program to replace their old gas-guzzling MD-80’s with sparkling new Boeing 737-800’s.  As someone who earned 2+ million American AAdvantage miles, I’ve spent a lot of time in those MD-80’s and I just despise them.  The dark blue interior and short ceiling gives them a cave-like aura, and the short overhead bin on the 2-seat side has led to many pitched battles for carry-on space.  So when I heard that AA is deploying the new 737’s at O’Hare, I started thinking about shifting some of my flying time from United to American.

Until, that is, I read a bit further and saw that American was cramming 2 more rows into the new 737’s for a total seat count of 160 at a 31-inch seat pitch.  Seat Pitch is the distance between two rows of seats and is a shorthand for legroom. I’m not that big of a guy (6 ft, 34-inch waist) and  I feel like I’m shoehorning myself into Southwest’s  seat with a 32-inch pitch.  There’s just no way I’m voluntarily doing a 31-inch seat pitch.

Many commentators say that passengers have brought this upon themselves by making travel choices solely on price.  It’s an oft-repeated claim, but it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny — at least for frequent fliers.  Five years ago, American had a completely different strategy, differentiating themselves with more leg room — a spacious 34-inch seat pitch.  I flew American every time I could — even when it meant paying a higher price — because, even in those cave-like MD-80’s, it was the most comfortable seat in the air.  Today, one of the main reasons I’m a heavy United Airlines flier is their Economy Plus section, with its 35-36-inch seat pitch in the front half of the plane.  I get Economy Plus seating for free because of my Mileage Plus status, but I know many non-status fliers who gladly pay $350/year for an Economy Plus annual subscription.

While Ryanair’s CEO continues to insist that he’s serious about putting pay toilets in his planes, I expect American’s CEO will soon announce the sale of $15 shoehorns to get in and out of those new seats.