Recliner rage is the latest development in the descending air travel experience.
Air travelers are acutely aware that personal space is at a premium. They also are aware that unscheduled landings are, at best, an inconvenience.
During a recent eight-day span, three U.S. flights made unscheduled landings after tempers were triggered and altercations ensued over - of all things - reclining seats.
This conflict, we believe, results from a clash of two troubling trends - one regarding air passengers and the other involving the airline industry.
Air travel largely is a test of patience and attitude. Passengers must arrive early and wait in a series of lines - including security, where pockets are emptied, shoes are removed and personal belongings are scanned.
Inside the plane, they vie for overhead storage space and squeeze into seats where elbow room is measured in fractions.
And, although flying is among the safer methods of travel, many passengers experience anxiety being confined to a fuselage high in the sky with no practical means of escape if something goes wrong.
As a result, despite their best efforts to remain relaxed, air passengers may be edgy and frustrated before they even fasten their seat belts.
The airline industry has done little to ease passenger discomfort. If anything, it has put the squeeze - literally - on passengers by adding seats and downsizing lavatories.
According to an Associated Press story in Wednesday's News Tribune: "American (Airlines) is increasing the number of seats on its Boeing 737-800s from 150 to 160. Delta installed new, small toilets in its 737-900s, enabling it to squeeze in an extra four seats."
The disconnect between the industry's bottom line and passenger comfort is creating, and escalating, conflict.
"We haven't hit the end of it," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. "The conditions continue to march in a direction that will lead to more and more conflict."
But conflict results in unscheduled landings, which elevate passenger inconvenience and airlines' costs.
It's time to reverse this trend. Passengers must practice tolerance, which would be easier if they weren't being squeezed by a seemingly insensitive airline industry.