Etiquette in the Air
To Miss Malsy (November/December, page 23): As 6-foot 2-inch tall woman, flying is most uncomfortable. There is no way the person in front of me can recline without causing me pain. My knees touch the front seat even before it reclines. The airlines have gotten to the point that only midgets can fly with any semblance of comfort.
A. DeBlanc -via e-mail

In your own words, “we’re all victims of the airlines cattle car conspiracy,” so why exacerbate the problem by reclining your seat? It’s incredibly uncomfortable for the person behind you, and creates nothing but acrimony. Simple solution: Make all seats so that they don’t recline. How terrible would it be if everyone had to sit upright. It certainly beats having the back of a seat — or someone’s head — in your lap.
M.Langer - Surprise

I just read the little note about reclining seats on aircraft and Southwest’s statement, “It is the right of each and every passenger to recline.”  I’m wondering if the last row in a Southwest plane actually reclines.  I just finished a flight, 4 1/2 hours, in the last row of a US Airways flight. That row does not recline.  When the flight was over, I thanked the young (and very tall) man in front of me for not leaning back into me.  He said he knew it would be a problem, so he didn't.
J. A. Hogshire - Scottsdale

Editor’s reply: The seats in the last row do not recline on Southwest Airlines’ planes. To find out where the best and worst seats are on most airlines, visit seatguru.com.

A Way with Words
What a beautifully written article on the White Stallion Ranch in your November/December issue (Charming Stays, page 26). Tamra Wiliett-Johnson sure conjured up the feel of the old West, especially with her description of the images floating through the minds of the horseback riders. As she so nicely put it, through the dusty, gauzy curtain created by the hooves of their rides, they could imagine the echo of cattle hooves, cowboys crooning, and the prairie schooners of old.  Now that is something one would not expect to read in a short travel article!    
M. Christiansen -Tucson

Excess on the Sea
My husband and I are also avid cruisers, and will be going on our 16th cruise soon. We’ve experienced the mass consumer lines as well as higher-end lines.  We have had butler service on occasion.  We have not had the pleasure of cruising on Crystal.
I am sure the writers of “The Luxe Boat” enjoyed their cruise (November/December, page 42), since they ensured we knew they were in the penthouse suite — the most luxurious and expensive suite available on any cruise line.  While most of what they wrote is normal for cruises, and particularly on the luxury ships, I think the article in general would have had more credibility had it been written by the “average cruiser.”  As written, the article came across as an exercise in snobbery rather than information.
 S.Davis - Scottsdale