Severity and impatience also abound. Severity, and the presumption of a flight attendant impersonating an officer of the law, result from the general commissar mentality now rampant in America. The distance between rows is such that, if the passenger before you leans back slightly, there is no way to get in or out of the seat. I watched young women, weighing no more than 100 lbs. doing gymnastics to climb free. Since the traditional bracing position for an emergency landing can be assumed no longer, it has been replaced with a picture showing one's head against the seat ahead.
Airlines are in business to turn a profit.
Some transatlantic journeys cost no more today than they did 40 years ago. All that is beyond debate, but it is impossible to imagine an emergency evacuation under the present circumstances. When I asked that the captain or a member of the flight crew come back to note and discuss those conditions, the flight crew remained aloof and an array of comic-book excuses were offered through the head flight attendant. In the end, though, she dropped her officious language and agreed whole-heartedly, adding that it is impossible to perform their basic work for lack of space. There is a real need for a practice run.