THE PRICE OF SEAT MATES

Nowadays there are more hidden costs to flying most airlines. Not only is there the check in baggage cost but now the cheapest tickets not only have you boarding last but charges for that overhead carry on bag/to valet it.

What's interesting though is that most of my flights due to being full have been offering to check your carry on bag straight to your destination if you haven't bought the cheapest no frills ticket. But, wouldn't you be ticked if you were the passenger that paid the $25 for that same service? 

Choosing one's seat aboard a flight also has become more of a challenge. As I discovered this summer on the international flight a middle seat comes with your ticket but it costs more to sit on the aisle (that flight an additional $91) and less to sit by the window (+$43 ) and although much less for domestic flights, seat prices do vary. 

For the less desirable rear seats if I have the opportunity to choose an aisle seat I need to take into account I'm left handed. So if I'm planning on doing computer work I will constantly be bumped into if I sit on the wrong side. Sometimes the airlines chooses the seat for you and you get what you get.

So why am I carrying on about additional charges? Well on Saturday my return flight of Atlanta to Chicago was empty. Maybe the larger craft was needed back in Chicago? But I was flabbergasted because I was sitting in a full row. My seatmates had been traveling from overseas and their body odor let's say was pungent.  My olfactory sense was working overtime and although the conversation might have been interesting there was no need to share the row with oodles of vacant rows in front of me. I did move to one of those many empty aisle seats and enjoyed watching a recent full length feature movie.

Okay, the movies are free and there are recent releases. Do you remember when you had to pay for the headsets?  Anyhow I've discovered on this particular flight if you start the movies as soon as you get one you can finish watching it but it doesn't leave time for conversation. Some folks want to talk and others give cues that they'd rather not. 

People are interesting as no telling what they will share with a complete stranger. My first flight last week had an elderly gentleman who had never flown before as he had always driven down to Florida with his wife of 62 years who had passed a couple years ago. His female traveling partner was in a different seat but he didn't want me to switch with her because he wanted to sleep. I understood. Before dosing off he shared how they were staying in one of her son's timeshares and that it normally rented out for $1600/ day. He knew it would be nice, but not the same. My heart gave a little pang... 

Sometimes seatmates don't want to talk as inserted ear buds indicate. That's okay except I probably missed out on some interesting stories from the second leg of last week's flight. A very tan, attractive elder white haired gentleman dressed in nice sweats and a baseball cap with the Yankees insignia was asked by our late comer seatmate as she moved to the window if he was from NY.  He laughed and replied no, but said he had played for the Yankees. He placed his ear buds in as did she. That was that. I followed suit to watch my movie. At the end of the flight I noticed the gentleman's hands as he played with his cell phone volume and noticed each ring finger bore a World Series ring.  Wow, now that could have been some interesting conversation but hey I can say I saw two World Series rings. :)

The last flight of this trip started with just a couple comments as the pilot/flight attendants were playing some sugary teen age pop music album for way too long during our delayed take off from O'Hare. It was bad. Maybe it was one of their kid's garage band but it was torture. My seat mate and I exchanged quips that it was too bad we couldn't change the channel/ even quiet would have been preferable and how unusual it was to play music on the overhead. Once we took off, the music was stopped and my seatmate went right to sleep and I played word search on my phone for the 46 minute flight. It was when we were landing he awoke wanting to talk. His 90 year old father who lives in assisted living had fallen out of bed and broken both hips which are irreparable. Family was flying in as this was the beginning of the decline. He reminisced about how much he missed the Driftless Region and how he like his father, loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and canoeing and had been in Boston now 24 years. His wife loved shopping and 2 of their children were like their mother and 2 were like him. I heard about his folks's hobby farm and their motor home which was never used due to his mom's passing and the last time his Dad drove out to Boston at age 82. I got an earful.  I know he was nervous about seeing his dad with the realization this was probably his last visit to be with him ... I was glad to listen.

The airlines can control the cost of the luggage, seats, etc. but what they can't control is who sits next to you and the possible conversation. That, my friends can be priceless.