A Race to the Bottom for Airlines

Townhall.com ^ | December 28, 2010 | Armstrong Williams

[Gorzaloon]

I agree with the article and posting, in that I hope to never board a plane again, ever. However,

When did you actually have room in the overhead compartment to store your belongings?

One factor not mentioned is that contemporary people simply SUCK. People assigned seats in the rear fill up the forward overhead compartments, so they can grab their stuff on the way out..Because they are special.

Then there are the a$$holes who have to bring their accordian, or whateverthehell that big case is.

Now, with the MBA-dictated fetal position seating, you get to become intimate with people who make you want to vomit.

If you want to be disgusted with humanity, take a flight-Any flight. No wonder the FAs are always in a bad mood.

[brityank]

I was flying around for my company in the early 70's, and so saw the start of the 'security' boondoggle - DB Cooper. I carried a toolbag and briefcase that fit under the seat, and after they instituted carry-on bag checks had to open them for inspection.

Had one security guard get all excited, because those tools could be used as weapons. She pulled out a 12" long screwdriver and showed the cop she called over, and they asked me why I didn't put the case in with the checked bags. What - you think I'll take it apart while I'm up there? As to weapon, I pulled my gold Cross pen and said you've just let everyone else carry weapons aboard, no? Idiots!

My last flight in 1999, my laptop and tools were checked for explosive residue, and they asked why I carried a 3" penknife. I refused to fly after 2001, and I don't miss it a bit!

[Alberta's Child]

For example, I honestly cannot name one colleague of mine who, when forced to travel to New York, doesn’t opt for the AMTRAK train over a flight into LaGuardia. In fact I've flown to NY only twice from DC since 9/11 and the Acela train is my only mode of transportation to and from the Big Apple.

Interesting article, but this comment is utterly silly. Even people in the airline industry will tell you that flying from Washington to New York City is a bad idea. What is the point of flying to a place that you can reach by train in less than four hours? Between the hassle of the airport and the extra time you must build into your schedule, you're wasting your time if you fly between New York City and Washington.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

This guy needs to fly Southwest more. They don’t promise much service, but they do deliver what is promised quite effectively.

I agree. I flew cross country recently on Southwest. Aside from no assigned seating, the process and the flights were quite nice. Here is some of the banter from the head FA on a flight from Providence to Las Vegas;

"Welcome aboard Southwest Airlines flight #5 to Las Vegas. This is a no smoking, no whining, no complaining, no misbehaving flight. Please refrain from punching or kicking the other passengers or your Flight Attendants..."

"Please take note that there is no smoking anywhere on this aircraft. Not even in the lavatories which are located at the front and rear of the aircraft. Federal Law provides severe penalties for disabling any smoke detector in the lavatories. If you MUST smoke, please do us the courtesy of stepping out onto the wing. There you can smoke to your heart's content and you will be treated to today's in-flight movie, "Gone With The Wind".

"In the case of loss of cabin pressure, an air mask will drop from the overhead above your seat. Place the mask over your mouth and nose then slip the band over your head. If you are traveling with others or children, please make sure your own mask is secure before helping others. If you are traveling with more than one child, please select the one with the most potential and help them first."

"Welcome to McCarran International airport in Lost Wages, Nevada. If you enjoyed your flight and our service, your Flight Attendants today were Vivian, Debra, Jane and Carl.
If you did not enjoy our service, your Flight Attendants today were Inga, Gertrude, Hortense and Fritz."

Little things such as some levity like this during the flight were an unexpected pleasure that had everyone on the flight in a good mood.

Now, the flight back to Providence on USAirways was another story entirely.

[Alberta's Child]

Very interesting insight there.

I agree with a lot of what the author of this article says, but I can't help feeling that a lot of the blame for the nonsense he describes should really be placed squarely on the passengers who still turn out in huge numbers clamoring for seats on overbooked aircraft. I have two words to describe why the airline industry is in such disarray today:

Disney World.

Just think about it, folks. The decline of the airline industry has coincided with the rise of the "family vacation 1,500 miles away" as a norm in our society.

If you really want to improve the airline industry, just make it too damned expensive for most of these discretionary travelers to fly.

[Alberta's Child]

I would agree with you, but it should be noted that the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston is one of the few places in the U.S. where AMTRAK actually operates their service profitably. This is for all the reasons I noted in my first post on this thread about the economics of train vs. air travel in this particular market.

[Drennan Whyte]

So apparently Mr. Williams wants the airlines to put fewer seats on their aircraft, sell only a certain percentage of them, provide him with food and drink and entertainment, all at the same price he's paying now?

Airlines are charging fees for everything under the sun because they can, and because people will pay them. What part of free enterprise doesn't he understand?

[VeniVidiVici]

Most Delta employees are non-union.

I have a relative that worked for Northwest for 20 years. She hated every minute of being a part of the IAM union at Northwest as it rewards the slackers and penalizes the hard workers.

Now with Delta, there is no union and she is loving every minute of it. Of course the IAM is absolutely livid that they can't get a toehold into Delta and are pulling out all the stops to see that they do.

Oh. I don't fly anymore either. Drive or nothing :-)

[Reddy]

A young co-worker flew to Florida last week. I told him before he left that he would be pulled aside for scanning or searching because he is VERY handsome. Model-type. Amazingly, he did not even know about the scanners in use at some airports. Anyway, I saw him yesterday and asked him about the airport. He said he was pulled aside because he had on “baggy clothes”. A TSA worker took him alone into a room and searched him, “down his pants”. He was so embarrassed talking about it. All I could say was I told you so.

Legalized sexual abuse. Our country stinks.

[Reddy]

LOVE to fly Southwest. Have taken their flights every time I’ve gone to Las Vegas. They do a good job making the flights as enjoyable as possible.

[CharacterCounts]

What part of free enterprise doesn't he understand?

Free enterprise?

In many cities, for any given destination, a traveler has a choice of 1 or 2 airlines at the most.

[eyeamok]

If I cant get there in my 172 or my Velocity, I aint going. The last time I was on a commercial flight was about 3 years ago, Absolutely the most uncomfortable, packed tight, no leg room, probably the worst 5 hours I have ever had. By the way my 172 has more leg room inside than all airliner seats except first class. And I don’t get free unwanted sex from TSA either, I park my car 5 feet from my plane and no waiting in lines either, why more people don’t learn to fly considering the way airlines are, is beyond me/. A decent small plane (4 seats) can be had for under 50k all day long, 2 seater under 25k. And I will beat the airlines to Vegas or Laughlin EVERYTIME.

[Dr. Sivana]

The author fails to mention labor costs (pilots, attendants, ground, mechanics). Another example of union power.

Pilots are paid a fraction of what they used to get. Conditions are worse, too. Stewardesses have also been subject to givebacks.

There are also far fewer regs (not-security related) than there were in the '70's.

The truth is there are still bargains for fliers who meet a certain profile. Airlines are still recovering from massive losses. Legacy carriers (United, American) are still carrying expenses from the higher paid professionals from an earlier era.

Airlines go bankrupt regularly, and Irarely hear of one that has a wiz bang year (Southwest hadd one when they bet on the price of oil going up and locked in a good rate on fuel)

I blame all of the post 9/11 kabuki theatre for much of the expense and nearly all of the irritation. Also, planes, and the infrastructure supporting planes are expensive. We subsidize our airports (even past our ticket fees) from the small Murtha airport in Pennsylvania all the way up to O'Hare and JFK. Other countries DEFINITELY subsidize their airlines.

For anything under 1,000 miles, cars are the most efficient way to move in the USA.

[Drennan Whyte]

In many cities, for any given destination, a traveler has a choice of 1 or 2 airlines at the most.

I suggest that would depend on where you're flying from and where you're flying to. Any large or medium sized hub, and most small hubs, will allow you as many choices to get from point A to point B as they have airlines servicing them. It may not be non-stop but the options are there. The larger the destination the more options you have.

[wbill]

If it is at all possible, one should quit flying

I used to fly at least monthly, sometimes more than that (when I was commuting to NYC, it was 2x a week).

Other than one business flight that I couldn't get out of, I've not gotten on a plane in the last 6+ years. I drive now. Frankly, so long as I can get to where I'm headed in a day's drive, there's no real time savings with an airplane. Lots less stress, too. And, I'll not get on a plane for personal travel, period.

My change in flying habits won't bankrupt any airlines, I'm sure. But I wonder how many other people there are like me?

[tcrlaf]

“The decline of the airline industry has coincided with the rise of the “family vacation 1,500 miles away” as a norm in our society.”

Not really, that’s just a side-effect of the lower fares, and increased prosperity.

What REALLY has led to the race-to-the-bottom is the loss of Premium paying passengers, that began around 1996-97, with the introduction of fractional jet ownership.

The guys willing to pay $1,500 for a walkup COACH seat from Cinci to L.A. dicovered that the cost of a fractional jet was nearly the same as flying commercial, the service was FAR better, they became more productive, wasted less time, and they didn’t have to deal with the cattle, and the security hassles.

It was CHEAPER in many cases for a party of 4 to hop on a private fractional jet from Cincinatti Lunkin, fly to National, or Dallas, and return home the same night, than it was to buy a ticket on Delta out of CVG. I kid you not, this is very true.

This was directly responsible for the United Airlines and USAirways Bankruptcies before 9/11, and contributed greatly to the others after 9/11.

[Talisker]

That, my friends, is the sign of collusion, pure and simple.

Comes the dawn.

Airlines are doing exactly what they've decided to do, to get the results they're getting, just like all organizations.

Are they acting in such a way so that people don't want to fly?

Then they don't want people to fly.

Does that hurt their business?

Then it's not a business decision.

Think about it.

[gogogodzilla]

PING for later.

[nd76]

the word out there is that Aeroflot has dramatically improved their service—they fly Boeing aircraft and their business-class product is competitive with the major European airlines.

They are in the same alliance as Delta; I am a 2,000,000 miler with the Big D, and I just might try Aeroflot (I’m thinking of taking a trip to India sometime this year, and if I go Aeroflot I could work out a stopover in Moscow).

As far as the article is concerned, clearly the writer has no status on the big airlines. Getting upgraded on the Big D makes a world of difference.

[nd76]

This statement is not true. Standbys are cleared generally 30 minutes before scheduled departure. If you are a confirmed passenger and don’t make it to the gate prior to 15 minutes from departure, then the gate agents are empowered to cancel your reservation and accomodate any standbys that are left. The 10 minute deal is to allow the airlines to achieve an on-time departure; because of the TSA, the airlines can’t put bags on the plane until the last few minutes before push back.