United Airlines Were On Time And They Didn’t Break Our Ukelele, But They Could Work On Seat Design

Hi folks,

We’re back from the wedding in Hawaii, very jet lagged, but happy. All the United Airlines flights were on time and the staff were friendly and kind, and they didn’t break any of our luggage. I loved the YouTube video about United Airlines breaking a Taylor guitar, because it demonstrates that the ‘little guy’ can fight back against major corporations, and their tendency towards indifference for their customers once they become too big or too successful – this is a natural human tendency, I suspect.

I did notice, however, that every seat on the plane, with the exception of the jump seats for the staff, were poorly designed in two respects, (1) each had its own television, which I consider to be a social error on a large scale, because people are literally ‘amusing themselves to death,’ and (2) the seats encourage poor posture, having inadequate lower back support and a head rest that literally forces your head forward unless you are very tall. Even tall people might have a hard time with their neck being pushed forward. The seat encourages a ‘slumped’ position, with the eyeballs propelled in the direction of the TV.

Here is Nick, a great athlete with normally excellent posture, on a United Airlines flight from Hawaii, watching television endlessly (like everyone else, but a few of us) and exhibiting poor posture that is literally induced by terrible seat design.

The adjacent picture of Nicholas (14), glued to the TV with his head sticking forward, sums this up. I have no idea why airline seat designers would assume that we should stick our heads forward like that, or that we would like to have a television in our face all the time. Mine kept turning itself on again for no apparent reason – felt neglected, I guess? I suspect that everyone involved in the design process must have poor posture, or they are hoping to induce poor posture in their customers.

This blog is all about encouraging safe exercise for better health, and good health really starts with a healthy mind and good posture. So, please United Airlines, don’t make it more difficult for people to get in shape and stay healthy.

Finally, thanks, United Airlines, for carrying us safely, and on time, to and from Hawaii, where we had a great time. Couldn’t have done it without an airline, and it is much appreciated.

-k @FitOldDog