Last week I had the good fortune of traveling to New York for my first cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, when the plane company designed the shuttle plane they did not have 6-foot tall, 200 pound (yes, I am 200 lbs!) men in mind. The seats on the plane are extremely small and the legroom is non-existent. Essentially, they expected me to sit indian style for the entire of the flight. If I understand correctly, there is an additional $15 charge for legroom to compensate for the extra gasoline that will be utilized to transport the excess weight.
As I was sitting on the plane, awaiting takeoff, I noticed that one of the passengers on the plane was a friend of the stewardess on our flight. She gave the man and his young daughter a tour of the cockpit and the kitchenette. After their V.I.P tour of the plane, they started walking back to their assigned seats. Suddenly, the stewardess called out to her friend and said, "Nobody else is coming on the plane and there is plenty of space available in first class." Naturally, this was an offer that this man could not refuse. He did not have to think too hard and he gleefully went to sit in the first class section of the plane.
Of course all good things come with a price tag; as he was walking towards the first class section, his young daughter yelled out "Daddy, don't forget I throw up when I sit in the front of the plane."
Questions for the Shabbos Table: Is it ethical for this passenger to sit in the first class section of the plane? On one hand the airline did not lose money because the seats would have remained empty. However, he did not pay for the privilege to sit in first class. If you think it is unethical, would that have stopped you?
