Most female flyers get equal treatment, but would like separate bathrooms

A survey of women business travelers has found that the majority of them – 54 percent – say they are treated the same as their male counterparts when they fly. And 52 percent said they believe the airlines consider them to be valuable customers. The survey by the American Small Business Travelers Association questioned more than 1,000 women business travelers this summer. The most important aspects of air travel for women were “services/amenities and cleanliness of lavatories,” the group said, cited by 96 percent of the respondents. In fact, 57 percent said they would like to see women-only lavatories on aircraft – although 89 percent said they were not interested in a women’s-only seating section. Asked about which airline web sites are best at catering to their needs, respondents most frequently cited American Airlines (22 percent), followed by Delta (21 percent) and Southwest (19 percent).

Meanwhile, two congressmen from North Carolina have reportedly introduced a bill in the House that would require airlines to create special seating sections on aircraft for parents with children. Why? To prevent the little tykes from seeing objectionable images on in-flight movies. The proposed kid-friendly sections would have no visible movie screens, and if they had seatback screens, those particular units would not show the in-flight movies.