Turbulence Ahead

if airlines want to really save money they should change the weight system.
When you get to the airport you should have to stand on a scale with your bags for a total weight.
All you fat people will be up in arms about this , but what really gets me is everyone else has to pay for the extra fuel burnt dragging your bloated carcass into the sky!.
Not

I am truly amazed at how the International Air lines can operate at lower prices, giving more leg and seat room, offering the amenities (clean pillows and blankets on long flights, meals and/or snacks, service personnel that are courteous to their clients) for the same price if not lower then the Airlines in the United States, who seem to offer less for more and with attitude. Maybe the Airlines in the US should take a look at the operation procedures of the International Carriers.

I am truly amazed at how the International Air lines can operate at lower prices, giving more leg and seat room, offering the amenities (clean pillows and blankets on long flights, meals and/or snacks, service personnel that are courteous to their clients) for the same price if not lower then the Airlines in the United States, who seem to offer less for more and with attitude. Maybe the Airlines in the US should take a look at the operation procedures of the International Carriers.

I agree with CyberCJH. I can live w/out a meal or a bag of peanuts. If I want water, I can buy it before I get on the plane (after I've passed through security of course.) I don't want to be pampered. I do, however, expect a certain level of common courtesy. Just like with any service industry, the dollars I spend on my ticket pay the salaries of the agents at the ticket counter, the gate attendants and the flight attendants. My presence should not be seen as a bother and I should not be treated as if it were. When did it become acceptable for these people to be so surly?
And can we talk about luggage? I don't mind paying a few dollars to check my bags as long as my bags arrive at my destination and are brought out in a timely manner. This might prevent passengers from lugging their steamer trunks aboard and trying to stuff them into the overhead bin (why don't they enforce THOSE regulations?) which causes just as much of a delay as simply exiting the plane and going to claim checked luggage.

I don't work for an airline. But, I have to say people need to get more realistic about flying. It's really not a luxury anymore. Like the car or the subway or the bus or the train, in some instances, flying has become a socio-economic necessity. I'm a realistic guy. I usually fly from FL to NJ/NY and back again. I don't expect to be fed, watered or pampered on board for such a short flight. What I want is a flight that leaves on time, has a clean, functioning bathroom on board and lands with my luggage. That's it. No, I'm not hungry. I can survive 2.5 hours without pretzels. If I'm thirsty, sell me a bottle of water at a reasonable price and that's it - I'm good. Flying, especially short flights under 3 hours, is the only mode of transportation where we expect to be treated as guests, not passengers. Longer flights are a whole different animal. But, on the short flights - treat your airplane ride as you would a subway ride - just a lot higher and a lot faster.

I am an aircraft mechanic for a major carrier. Before deregulation airline employees were paid well and respected. Aircraft mechanics were so well paid that we eclipsed teachers cops and nurses. We practically haven't gotten a pay raise for 20 years and now we are paid less than garbage men in some states.
Two years ago I was laid off from another legacy carrier who had to cut costs to stay competitive. I was lucky enough to find another job with a legacy but I started all over again. Bottom pay-bottom seniority.
You wonder why the flying public is treated so badly. It's because the employees working at the airlines subsidies your cheap ticket. All of the airlines expenses have gone up but ticket prices stay the same compaired to 20 years ago and people expect to be treated like royalty.
Aircraft maintenance is important. You can't pull over to the side of the road and call AAA if there is a problem with your plane. All airlines send planes due for heavy overhaul to foreign countries "China/Mexico" when this maintenance used to be done by Americans. The people working on the planes don't hold an FAA Airframe and Powerplant licence (a must in the U.S.). They are supervised by people who do "1 licenced person per facility is enough?".
The next time you are in your cheap seat and have to pay for peanuts and a drink think about the 3rd world maintenance done on your plane and try to feel safe. When things get really quiet on one side of the plane remember this post!

Ithis post! am an aircraft mechanic for a major carrier. Before deregulation airline employees were paid well and respected. Aircraft mechanics were so well paid that we eclipsed teachers cops and nurses. We practically haven't gotten a pay raise for 20 years and now we are paid less than garbage men in some states.
Two years ago I was laid off from another legacy carrier who had to cut costs to stay competitive. I was lucky enough to find another job with a legacy but I started all over again. Bottom pay-bottom seniority.
You wonder why the flying public is treated so badly. It's because the employees working at the airlines subsidies your cheap ticket. All of the airlines expenses have gone up but ticket prices stay the same compaired to 20 years ago and people expect to be treated like royalty.
Aircraft maintenance is important. You can't pull over to the side of the road and call AAA if there is a problem with your plane. All airlines send planes due for heavy overhaul to foreign countries "China/Mexico" when this maintenance used to be done by Americans. The people working on the planes don't hold an FAA Airframe and Powerplant licence (a must in the U.S.). They are supervised by people who do "1 licenced person per facility is enough?".
The next time you are in your cheap seat and have to pay for peanuts and a drink think about the 3rd world maintenance done on your plane and try to feel safe. When things get really quiet on one side of the plane remember

I think "Tired and Old" is getting way too much mercury in his tuan fish.

I think "Tired and Old" is getting way too much mercury in his tuan fish.

Eventually, the government will end up having to intervene and with government intervention comes greater government regulation. Its sad that the industry was unable to manage their 30 year experiment in deregulation but such is life.

Mergers will not save the industry.

Two badly managed airlines merging together create one much larger BADLY MANAGED airline. The outcome: 1) Fewer airlines, 2) Higher airfares, 3) Less access to smaller communities, and 4) a continued decline in service.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Forumpersona is right. But airports are worst. They seem to search for new ways to make life unpleasant. Putting cattle ear-tags on all passengers might be next.
Our local airport, not content with selling taxi companies all stopping spaces within 50 metres, now makes the closest carparks over 500 metres away from the terminal. You cannot become separated from your luggage, and trolleys are evasive, so this can mean a long cold windy walk. Security is quite insane. My hair and self-care products are confiscated if over 100g. Often I must strip off shoes and jackets at security. I am made to stand like a prisoner while they pretend they are searching for guns and knives (I'm nearly 70 and weigh 47 kilos.) Last month I had to starve through a 14 hour flight because I'm restricted diet and my carried food looked to them like a gel (thanks, Singapore Airport security!) "There's food on the plane!" they snapped at me.

BILL CLINTON AIRLINES:

AUTHENTIC HILLARY ( THE WICKED WITCH ) BROOMS.

GOOD ONLY FOR GROUND TRANSPORTATION.

COME WITH A SET OF WHEELS.

COMFORTABLE SEAT, MADE FROM TOAD SKIN.

MADE IN CHINA BY CHILDREN.

WITH EVERY BROOM BOUGHT YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE THE EX-PRESIDENTS ( BILL " BUBBA " CLINTON ) JUMBO JET.

LARGE JUMBO SIZED ROOMS, WITH LARGE BEDS AND MIRRORED CEILINGS.

BONUS FEATURE :

ANY CUSTOMER UNDER 30 YEARS OLD CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL BUBBA WEENIE.

Some of us are old enough to remember when the very term ???jet set??? bespoke of air travel as something glamorous and desirable. I fly a lot and I cannot remember the last time that I enjoyed a trip by plane. For years now the airlines have acted as if they were bent on doing everything in their power to dehumanize and humiliate the poor benighted souls entrusted to their ???care.??? I figure pay toilets and flight attendants armed with cattle prods will be next. I will cheer the news of each airline bankruptcy until that day when they start treating their passengers as welcomed guests???instead of victims.

How many more people would be flying if "Homeland Security" morphed into an efficient, tech savvy operation where fliers pre-registered for clearance walked quickly through scanners? For the money wasted in Iraq that system could be in place and operational right now. If we could return to the days of only needing to be at the airport an hour before flight time and not taking shoes off would more people be traveling by air? If a flight is 2 hrs or less a great many people I know prefer to drive because the total amount of your time wasted is about the same. Air travel has simply become a nightmare people avoid if at all possible, no wonder the industry is in trouble.

Sounds like a book:''How I Turned A Million In Real Estate Into 25 Dollars In Cash''.