Airlines Offer Us Entertainment? How About Decent Service?

Your Executive Travel article (“Looking for Entertainment Variety? Try an Airliner Seat,” Sept. 25) would have us believe that everyone in the world just can’t wait to sit in their new high-tech airline seats to embrace yet another intrusion into our lives by the commercial entertainment medium.

In their zeal to find new ways to differentiate themselves, the airlines once again demonstrate that profit--not comfort and quality--will always be their prime motivator.

If they are indeed seeking ways to present a unique position in the marketplace, here’s a short list they could begin with:

1. Wider aisles

2. Quieter cabins

3. Real food and eating utensils

4. Improved seat design

5. More efficient meal and beverage distribution

The list could obviously go on, but it seems they haven’t thought about any of these. They would prefer to devote their research and engineering efforts searching for new ways to distract us from all of their shortcomings.

The accompanying photo in your story depicts both a naive and appalling scenario: We can now look forward to a future of complete intrusion, surrounded by oblivious people clicking their keyboards and flashing their video screens as they channel-surf through the skies.

Pass the airsickness bag, please. It’s gonna be a long flight.

TOM SWIMM

Monarch Beach, Calif.