Too many rats, too small a cage

Travel can be grueling. I just endured a nine-hour flight from Munich to San Francisco in a minuscule seat in the back of a Lufthansa Airbus.

We were over Greenland when a fellow who was walking down the aisle in my direction turned to a passenger a couple of rows ahead and smacked him atop the head. I figured it was a couple of pals horsing around. The seated guy raised his hands to protect his face, and the man in the aisle assumed a martial arts stance. He got in at least one blow to the other fellow’s face. This was serious. One passenger restrained the attacker’s arm; another jumped up and told him to back off. I expected to see blood, but the attacker stopped and returned to his seat behind me.

The cabin staff questioned the attacker, a Frenchman. He said he had planned to move to an empty seat in the forward row but when he arrived, the victim was sitting there, so he decided to take him on. When we arrived at SFO, police took the Frenchman into custody. Another passenger and I gave statements. The French guy may have to take a boat home; I don’t think he’ll be permitted on airplanes for a while.

Oh, and the seats on the Airbus were way too small.

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