[Duane Hampton]

I paid for a full fare from CVG to IAH. Also I am an elite access member. Continental Airlines now wants to charge me even more money to fly because I am six feet four. So instead of providing gopod service to a loyal customer they would rather let the seat be empty. I'm switching to another airline that values their customers.

[stevicus]

I'm also 6'4". I find the same difficulty on American and US Air as well. They cram as many seats as they can in these planes, so tall folks like us have to sit kind of scrunched up.

They didn't charge me extra, though. If Continental is charging passengers extra just because they're tall, then I won't fly them anymore either.

[Gromit801]

< 6'7" here. I always shoot for the front row or the emergency exit seats. Many agents, when they see a tall person in line, will try to accommodate them into the more leg-room seats. It's unfortunate that some airlines now charge for legroom. I wonder if a discrimination suit could be applied. Tall can't be corrected with exercise and dieting.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

A lawsuit (ie class action) may well be the solution. The defendant should be the DOT for allowing seat pitch (spacing) which, while meeting safety standards, may cause adverse health reactions in the case of long flights (trans con, overseas.) As an example, doctors advise getting out of your seat, to stretch your legs, on long flights. Unfortunately the reality is that, even with the seatbelt sign off, you may be risking arrest by doing so—at least on a US-based airline. Thus, on long flights, your health may fall victim to an airline’s desire to see how many people can be squeezed into a given space.

A final comment on travel in sardine class: How spacious the overhead bins are, and how generous a given airline is in allowing you to use them, can make the difference between a cramped flight and an endurable one. Some time ago I was allowed to put all my carry-ons in the overhead bin on a Frontier flight (DEN – PHL). The empty space under the seat in front of me allowed for ample “foot stowage” thus making for an endurable flight.