Chicken or beef?
April 20, 2003 7:31 AM   Subscribe

The horror,the horror. Everybody seems to be an expert on airline travel. Whether it's security issues or the dynamics of flight. There seems to be plenty of places to get it off your chest. With the industry in a nosedive will the survivors have to lift their game. Or just cut more corners to enhance the bottom line. Love those 5 hour on the runway to nowhere tales. Um as long as it's not me.
posted by johnny7 (4 comments total)
 
This morning's George Will commentary on the same subject:

Airline industry may need to lose a carrier or two
posted by billsaysthis at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2003


Not too long ago I drove from Virginia (east coast USA) to Arizona. I could have flown, but the thought of dealing with an airline had gotten too much. Yeah, it would have been shorter (by roughly 120 hours :) ), but in the end the drive was far more entertaining.

Now, when faces with a trip, I think I'd rather drive than fly, if time permits. The airlines seem to go out of their way to dick you over on flights. Not too long ago I flew to New York, and just prior to boarding the airline said that no food would be served due to security measures. They said we could, though, go buy food and bring it on the plane. Now, the price of the ticket was supposed to include a meal; did the airline offer a few bucks to each passenger to pay for food? Hell no.

Seems whenever the airlines cut back on something the only thing they offer in return is exhortations for passenger understanding. Fuck em.

And while I'm no commie pinko socialist (just teasin'), if the government pumps money into the airlines then it should get stock in return, so that American citizens become partial owners in the airlines. Then fire the fucking execs who run the companies into the ground. Most big airlines were losing money before the WTC attack, but they now use the fear of terrorism as an excuse for poor earnings.
posted by Ayn Marx at 10:04 AM on April 20, 2003


if the government pumps money into the airlines then it should get stock in return, so that American citizens become partial owners in the airlines

I love that idea! I wish we could do the same for all the research the government gives away to pharmaceutical companies, who in turn use their subsequent private patents to charge Medicare patients a fortune for the drugs.
posted by troybob at 9:51 PM on April 20, 2003


Some of those complaints are valid. However, the people complaining the 11 year old got off the plane... why is it the responsibility of the airline industry to play babysitter without someone to watch this kid? I dislike the airline industry as much as the next guy, but I would be upset if I was a passenger on a flight with an unattended 11-year old screaming and hollaring.
posted by benjh at 4:56 AM on April 21, 2003


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