Airline Travel Is Horrible
Written on Mar 21, 2026
When my wife and I travel from the Philippines to the United States and back again, we suffer tremendously. Despite the added modern conveniences, airline travel has become progressively worse since we first traveled together in 1986.
The airlines claim they are saving people money with their policies, but it only applies to a fraction of the people who travel with them. Because we have no other transportation options when traveling between the Philippines and the United States, we are at their mercy.
Baggage Policies
I do not know when the airlines got together and decided on creating the current baggage polices. We used to be allowed two check-in bags up to 70 pounds each in the United States at no additional cost. We are now limited to 50 pounds per bag, and we have to pay for them.
International travel is beginning to copy that policy. On our recent trip, we were allowed one check-in bag each up to 50 pounds without an additional charge.
Because of the airline policies, more people are bringing carry-on bags than ever before. They now force some people to check their carry-ons, at no charge, because there is insufficient space remaining in the overhead bins. That defeats the original purpose.
The only people who benefit from these policies are people who travel short distances and do not need to bring much baggage with them.
Leg Room
There used to be sufficient space between the rows that a person in a middle or window seat could move in front of the other passengers to get to the aisle. Today, when three seats are in a section, the two other passengers have to move into the aisle to let the window seat passenger out.
Because we have to stash our personal bags below the seats in front of us, we cannot use that little amount of space for leg room. I have been on flights where sitting upright was more comfortable than putting the seat back.
Toilet Facilities
The toilet rooms on the planes are made for thin people. I honestly do not know how people who are more round than I am can actually fit inside of them. On top of that, there are insufficient toilet rooms on any of the planes I have ever been on.
People line up to enter, and the lines grow longer after meals are finished.
In-Flight Entertainment
I am thankful for the tablet monitors embedded in the backs of the seats in front of us, which is way better than being forced to watch one or two movies on a projection screen like it was many years ago. Unfortunately, they are not worth much on some flights.
Our recent trip consisted of three legs. The second leg was the longest at more than 10 hours. The systems had no way for us to listen to the entertainment. I saw some people using closed-caption text to follow along, but that should not have been the only option.
Unlike those I travel with, I usually do not watch in-flight entertainment, and I always come prepared. Well, at least when I have a decent mobile phone. Before I travel, I load movies and television series on my phone. I will watch the provided entertainment only when there is something I have not already seen.
My Preferred Seat
Although I prefer the window seat because I usually do not need to use a toilet more than once per flight, the only seat I do not want is the aisle seat. The aisles are also made for thin people. I will not nap on a plane if I am stuck in an aisle seat. People of various sizes will brush my exposed side often enough that napping is impossible.
No matter which seat I choose, I always feel exhausted after long-haul flights. The only flights where I do not need to worry about napping are on short domestic flights of under three hours.
Any new airline that decides to study passenger comfort and focus on it will take business away from legacy airlines. To think that it will actually happen is probably nothing more than a dream.