Flying is not what it used to be.
What was once elegant and speedy travel is now, often, frustrating.
Back in the 1960s, an airline ad on TV showed two men sitting down to a steak dinner. One says to the other something like, “I can’t think of too many places where I enjoy a steak.” The camera pans away and it shows the two men in airline seats on a plane.
On July 22, 2010, a USA Today article detailed how manners and etiquette have completely disappeared from air travel. Both fliers and those employed to serve them have gotten downright surly.
Complimentary in-flight meals, never mind steak, have all but disappeared. Airlines are charging fees to check bags. Flights are so chock full that any problem or delay, be it caused by weather or mechanical issues with aircraft, can strand people in airports for hours, if not days. That’s not to mention all the post -9/11 security screenings – and uncertainty about which airport will accept what items in bags.
It’s no wonder fliers’ fur flies!
Meanwhile, airlines have whittled their staffs down to bare bones, or worse. Flight attendants often act as referees as passengers battle for space in the overhead bins – perhaps because they didn’t want to pay to check a bag. The staffs are working harder for less money.
It’s no wonder smiles have disappeared from many “customer service” professionals.
FROM WELL-TO-DO TO MAKING DUE
Back when that steak ad aired, fliers were largely business people and the relatively well-to-do. Most common folk drove to their vacation destinations and family visits. To get a new customer base and to fill planes, airlines reduced some fares. Travel and cruise packages were created that included air fares, so the average vacationer didn’t feel as if he were paying for his air fare.
As the economy grew and business became more global, more business travelers occupied aircraft. The airlines’ heyday evolved.
Now, with recession and no “new” customer base left, airlines’ survival was threatened. Cuts were needed. Consolidation was inevitable. Cuts in maintenance personnel mean more planes with mechanical issues. Cuts in pilots and flight attendants mean fewer and more crowded flights. Airline financial losses mean baggage fees.
The good news? Many airlines that were losing money in the last two years have started to make money again. Airlines may never see their heyday again, but at least their bottom lines are improving.
The flying experience has prompted travelers to drive more – again. If a person goes to a destination that takes two hours by air and they are stuck in an airport for two, three or more hours, a 10-hour drive becomes appealing. At least they know, barring an accident, that they’ll get where they want to go and don’t have to worry about what they can take with them.
It might be interesting to quantify how much business was NOT done because a business person was unable to reach his or her destination in a reasonable time because of flight delays. That could translate to “real” money lost.
With the elegance gone, airliners have become little more than buses with wings. Still, the next time you fly, remember that it’s not just you that is being affected by the air-travel problems. Perhaps fliers and staff should try to comfort each other, rather than curse each other.
Peter
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