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(c) Elliott Publishing.

United Squeeze
ChrisCrossings · January 18, 2001

Q: United Airlines is treating the ordinary passenger worse and worse. On many of its aircraft it now offers "Economy Plus" seating that is for frequent fliers, leaving the middle and back of the cabin for everyone else. When I wrote to complain, they sent back a form letter.

I think that for those people who fly very little, this kind of seating plan ensures that they can only have the less desirable seating on any flight they take on United. It seems inherently unfair.

I've been flying for 35 years all over the world. United's 31 inch seating pitch in coach is really pitiful and also constitutes a medical hazard as various reports of coach class deaths due to blood clots shows. In the 1960s, I flew lots of places on airlines that had 34 inch pitch in coach class.

What happened? I'll tell you: deregulation and "shareholder value." That's what happened.

I think that United, like many other large airlines, treats coach passengers with total disdain. When will they stop spewing nonsense about how wonderful they are and start treating ordinary passengers who just want to get to their destination safely and comfortably like people, and not cattle?

-- Jonathan Sacks

A: I share your agony - and your anger at United. As I boarded a flight from Denver to Baltimore last week, I looked longingly at the "Economy Plus" seats while walking to the back of the plane. I struggled to compress my 6-foot 1-inch frame into the tiny seat. I suffered.

All the while, I wondered why United couldn't just expand the pitch on all of its seats, like American Airlines had? I was afraid of what the answer might be.

One clue is in the way that United responded to your complaint: with a vague form letter thanking you for the "time that you have taken to share your thoughtful feedback and observations."

"Because we care about becoming a better airline for our customers, your constructive feedback is valuable to us and will be used by our senior management to focus on specific areas for improvement," the letter concludes.

No mention of your specific problem. No rebuttal of your criticism. No evidence, even, that United had taken the time to review your grievance.

United probably doesn't care. And it certainly won't be forwarding your note to senior management.

I wonder if its tune will change when they find out that Delta Air Lines - a favorite target of this column - has decided to go the way of American and widen its seats. According to sources, Delta will soon begin what it calls "an aggressive seat enhancement program" in the main cabin that will affect 192 aircraft. The carrier will make modifications that will provide wider aisles, additional legroom and more comfortable seats.

We could commiserate until the cows come home about the health hazards of a 31-inch pitch between seats, about United's indifferent attitude regarding passenger comfort, about deregulation, and about shareholder value.

But I'm more concerned about making your voice count.

To that end, let me suggest what to do next time you've got a complaint. Don't write to the airline; don't write me (although a "cc" would be nice); don't send it to a newsgroup or to one of those completely useless complaint Web sites.

Instead, write a letter directly to:

US Department of Transportation
Aviation Consumer Protection Division
Room 4107, C-75
Washington, DC 20590

Send a copy to United.

Norman Strickman, the guy in charge of the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, will count your letter as an "official complaint" against United in the DOT's statistics. The airline will know that you mean business.

But that's not all. You should also send a copy of the letter to your congressional and senatorial representative. Extra bonus points if your representative is on one of the aviation subcommittees.

Don't mess around with a letter of complaint to the airline, Jonathan. Send your gripes to someone who will really listen.

Christopher Elliott's column appears on Thursdays. All e-mailed questions to ChrisCrossings become property of Ticked.com and may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion. You may reach Elliott at chris@ticked.com. Or visit his home page at http://www.elliott.org.