Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.
You might suddenly be concerned (or excited) by a new tax bill that seems to create even more inequality.
Here. though, is a little counterbalance courtesy of American Airlines.
It’s just begun to introduce its new Boeing 737 MAX planes to the outside world.
I’ve written about these wondrous objects before. They’re the ones in which American tried to squeeze in an unreasonable number of seats and reduce the seat pitch to 29 inches.
That’s, you know, a painful squeeze.
So painful that American ultimately changed its mind about the 29 inches and pulled them back to 30.
This was, CEO Doug Parker recently admitted, because his own employees muttered to him: “Are you sure?”
To do this, however, other compromises were made.
This week, airline writers began to fly the new 737 MAX planes. View From The Wing’s Gary Leff found it a painful experience. In coach, that is.
He said that the bathroom were so small that he was squeezed up against the wall. (They’re actually 24 inches wide. Really.)
He added that the wash basin was so minuscule that passengers were all walking out of the restroom, covered in splashes.
But there’s another aspect to this new plane, whose configuration American will extend to many of its 737s.
First Class passengers are being made to suffer too.
The seat pitch — the distance between the back of one seat and the front of the one behind — is a mere 37 inches.
To give you context: this is an inch less than, say, Virgin Atlantic’s seat pitch. In Premium Economy.
To give you more context: It’s an inch less that the exit row seats.
To give you even more context: It’s three inches less than the first row of Economy.
But there’s more.
The First Class seats only recline a couple of inches.
And there’s barely a divide between First Class and everyone else. Where there was once a bulkhead, now there’s a divider that hangs down from the overhead bins.
Even more wondrously, if you’re sitting in the last row of First Class, the person behind you in Economy has an outside chance to kick your seat.
That’s what some might call socio-psychological symbolism.
Perhaps you heart will feel a little lighter to think that the wealthier customers might suffer a little too.
Perhaps you’ll hold this thought as you look forward to watching some premium entertainment on your seat-back screen while you fly.
Ah, well, these American 737 MAX planes have no seat-back screens.
You’re left to your own devices, though there is inflight entertainment available via Wi-Fi.
This all sounds like high entertainment, doesn’t it?
Especially if you happen to fly one of the routes designated for these new planes: Dallas Fort-Worth to Anchorage, Alaska.
Well, at least you’ll get a live safety demonstration again.