I waited 35 minutes the last time I flew with my wife for the ground crew to find a wheelchair. It's really not the disabled person's fault that they can't walk, any more than it's a baby's fault for not being able to walk, or deaf people unable to hear or blind folks to see.
In the 1950's, flight was only for those with means. Today, it's our primary form of transport. If I want to go between the various destinations I regularly travel to (and I travel very frequently), I tell you know I'd take the train every time:
* No bull**** at the stations - roll up a minute before the train and you're on the train
* No security crap masquerading as anti-terrorist hooha
* Seats and legroom that take humans
* Can get up and walk about as you see fit instead of being stuck in my seat 30 or more minutes after take off just so cabin crew can take a breather. I remember the days when the seat belt sign came off within five or so minutes not even a decade ago
* Due to the security crap, even the trains here in the USA are faster than planes for journeys less than 400 kms. I will never fly to NYC because the train is faster and cheaper.
But you know what, in both Australia and the USA where I now live, train travel doesn't work as there's no new trains. I take trains to Philly and NYC regularly and i love it. I'd love to take them to Memphis. I'd love to take them to the 20 other odd destinations I go to regularly, but I can't. Air travel made expansion of train networks uneconomic.
So I have no choice. I have to travel by air. And I hate the modern air travel experience so much. I loathe going through LAX. So much so that I will be travelling back to Australia via SFO because LAX is the seventh level of hell on Earth. I believe they will be taking all 10 of my fingerprints when I return, just like a common criminal. With attitudes like that, travel is made hateful enough without the crap by ground crew and CC trying to enforce policies which I can do nothing about, and the airlines are doing their utmost to make fat people's lives as miserable as possible (overbooking, tiny planes, no first / premium economy, etc).
What possible purpose does making the PAX's life any harder serve? NONE.
Then if some individual wants to exceed that by more than 10% irrespective of their personal weight, they are obliged to purchase a second ticket
Cos on certain a/c types (the regional jets in particular), there are no second seats to be bought at any price. On my trips to Memphis, I regularly sit on the left hand side of the CRJ where there's a single seat hunkered in a cold heavily curved bulkhead. There was nowhere for my legs to go, not enough room between me and the seat in front for my 180 cm tall frame (5' 11" in the old money) to sit without splaying my legs under the seat, which is usually impossible because there's no room to stash stuff and so is usually full of other people's crap.
I've been travelling for around 35 years now at the (very nearly) pointy end and in cattle class all over the world. In days gone past, economy pax in Australia got a heated meal for breakfast which would make a today's US first class pax salivate. Today, I'm herded onto either very old equipment (such as MD-80s or DC9s), given "free" small cup of soda or water and crackers (if I'm lucky), or onto tiny planes with no real cabin service at all over a two and half hour flight. I hate it.
We, and I mean PAX in general, just want a bit of respect in a sea of crappiness that is the modern airline industry. That's all.
Until there's adequate room for all humans including folks like my 2.10 m tall boss, a premium economy or first class on EVERY flight, then there's no point in arguing this.
Andrew