The first time I can remember flying on a commercial airplane was in August of 1955. It was a DC3 or DC7 or something like that. Before that the family traveled by train or car. In the years following I always enjoyed air travel. I flew the Atlantic on a prop plane once (refueled in the Azores, I think), went to Europe on Icelandic Airways, then the cheapest way to get there, flew everywhere. Now I hate flying.
Air travel has become just another form of mass transit, and thanks to the TSA and the airlines themselves, a monumentally unpleasant and stressful one. At least on other kinds of mass transit, like the subway, the trip is short and the service is pretty reliable. They don't cancel it for inexplicable reasons (which they don't bother to explain), you don't have federal agents poking and prodding you, you don't have to stand in line to get on (unless you are British) and you don't worry about crashing (maybe you should, but you don't).
And the fares?
The big airlines' fare structure continues to be inexplicable. If you want to fly from New York to Los Angeles today, one-way fares on the 2,475-mile route are as low as $379. That's less than 16 cents a mile. But the 374-mile flight between Atlanta and Cincinnati costs $734.50 one-way. That's a staggering $1.96 cents a mile. (Wired)
The food has deteriorated, if not disappeared. Given fares in the many hundreds or thousands of dollars, adding ten dollars for a decent meal? Instead they make the meal and sell it to you for ten bucks as an extra. Now some are charging an extra $25 for a second checked bag. The plane is now always full and seating so tight that if the person in front puts his seat back the screen on your laptop will ram itself up the space between your top lip and top front teeth. Try not to bleed. Napkins are extra.
Meanwhile they are screwing business passengers because they figure they have to travel and trying to cut fares for leisure travelers because they figure that's discretionary. But then they make travel so unpleasant, no one wants to fly. And businesses are getting fed up and figuring out new ways to "meet," including teleconferencing and just cutting back on the reasons for travel.
I'm sure the airlines have an explanation for why they do all of this. They can save their breath. I'm only traveling if I really, really have to. And that's becoming less and less.
- Log in to post comments
I agree revere. Luckily my travel is generally discretionary. I live in CA and love it out West and generally won't fly anywhere greater than 1.5 hours. Usually that is not too uncomfortable and we don't have too many weather related issues out here. Still, I would rather drive myself on vacation rather than risk standing in a security line for hours or being stuck on a runway. I won't even consider Europe or farther at this point. Might as well sign up for Waterboarding! I was lucky to visit many places prior to 911 when flying was actually tolerable. I now appreciate the experiences I can have closer to home.
I have to travel from one coast to the other this fall. Because I too loathe flying, I will be going by Amtrak. I have the luxury of time for this conference. I plan to use it by falling off the face of the earth gently ensconced in a sleeper.
Some time in the next two years my beloved and I will be going to New Zealand. I am dreading the flight. Even tried to see if I could swing a tramp steamer but evidently they don't take passengers any longer. My husband flatly stated I couldn't take one by myself even if I could find a willing captain. Rape and murder loom large in his mind. So, I guess I can look forward to being squished, starved, jounced, perhaps doused with chemicals, and generally made miserable for 18 hours-one way. I really do miss the days when a traveler actually dressed for a trip.
One bright point, never again will I sit next to a guy that tips the scale well over 375 pounds. I sat on one hip for 5 hours squashed between my husband and a linebacker riding coach. Now I know if you can't put the armrest down you may demand another seat or, refuse to fly and they will find an alternative flight for either me or the ogre taking up two seats. Sure hope he enjoyed my butt firmly pressed into his right hip. I didn't particularly enjoy his sweating and making my slacks stick to my backside.
I remember dressing up-- our sunday best because we were flying. I remember Iclandic airlines and the stop in charming Rekjavik. And later those pesky central asian airlines complete with no seatbelts, broken chairbacks and the goats and crated chickens blocking the emergency exit. ...the good old days. I don't fly anymore if I can help it. Now it is just a greyhound bus in the sky, complete with surly drivers and nasty drunks. Not to mention outsourcing maintenance. Bah. There is no place I need to go that badly.
Last time I went through security and took off my shoes the doctor ahead of me put on those scrubby things they wear in surgery on his feet-- ugh! What does he know that I didn't? I walk through my cow pasture barefoot, but taking off my sandals behind him gave me the willies.
I agree Revere,
I avoid flying at all costs now. My wife and I are traveling to the West coast this Oct by Amtrak.
I remember flying in Europe in the early 60s. I flew around for the government on BOAC Comets. They were very very nice. Great food and big seats. They were also very beautiful aircraft. The engines were mounted inside the wings.
No searches. Just strolled out onto the tarmac with my carry on and climbed the stairs with my ticket in hand. No one searched my carry on.
Shannon re tramp steamers
You could always go by freighter.
http://www.freightercruises.com/?source=AdWords&gclid=CJvDjIuzz5ICFQEhg…
I have to fly to the east coast several times a year on business from a tiny airport in Wyoming. Believe me, I only fly when I have to.
You think being a customer of the airlines is bad, try being an employee. My husband is a mechanic and is now working a second job. We had our pension stolen, wages repeatedly lowered, benefits slashed. And this is for a major airline. The CEO's, of course, are all millionaires many times over.
The cruelest thing of all is the lack of respect for what airline mechanics, and other employees, do. This is an ongoing problem in America today.
Peggy: I think you are wrong about one thing. Most of the flying public I know (and I know a lot) don't blame the employees. Yes, there are good ones and bad ones, as in any service profession (the service employees like flight attendants and reservations people are the only ones we meet) but mostly we have good experiences, even when the employees are working under very adverse conditions and we don't blame them. I think the problem is worse for government employees whom we are being taught to look down on as parasites. But when you hate the employer it is inevitable that some slops over onto the employees, too, which is always too bad. The airlines have been mismanaged for many decades and have painted themselves into a corner. The management is trying to save themselves by taking it out on two other groups: employees and business travelers. This is a losing strategy as they depend for their health on both. But no one holds the management accountable, just as no one holds the CEOs of the financial institutions or the Bush administration accountable. Instead we worry about sex scandals and immigrants to deflect our attention.
Revere, I meant the lack of respect from the company management, not from the flying public. New York Times has coverage today of the maintenance and FAA oversight problems at American Airlines, as well as the aviation industry in general.
peggy: possible, flying was allways mass transit in the US much more than in Europe. Rest assure, I do respect airline mechanics, and other employees, they are all just there to make my flight safe and smooth as good as they can, most of them highly professional. Might the ramp people forgive me that I collected stones and took them home ....
I needed to fly nearly every week for a long time and with rare exceptions enjoyed it. Mostly intercontinental and inner European though. The US continental flights I did enjoy least, see mass transit.
With the new US regulations about my passenger data, I do not want to fly into the US any more, not that I have to hide anything, but all that information is none of your business. And I have absolutely no control what happens to that data once it is tranferred.
Shannon: I did the roundtour Europe - NewZealand five times now. The first four times allways with stoppovers of a week at least usually West Coast US and Hawai or Canada. On my last trip to NZ I took the non-stopover and was frightened. It was not at all worse than the stoppover ones. I slept soundly for half the trip and was more rested than with the stoppover routings. Thanks to red wine, pharmaceuticals and an upgrade (gift of the airline, I did not ask).
I guess cockpit jump seats in the US are now out of the question but I remember many flights (EU)in the cockpit and truly enjoyed those, it was usually just the last seat available on the flight and very friendly and helpful employees.
Despite all the good experiences, I understand that many do not enjoy flying, I do not enjoy it anymore either. Although the Icelandic Air would be interesting to do one time (if that route still exists). I guess at least half the people on any plane do not like it (or not any more) or/and are frightened.
Re Shannon's comment "Even tried to see if I could swing a tramp steamer but evidently they don't take passengers any longer." This is a little misleading; there are plenty of opportunities to ride as a passenger on cargo ships. I don't know about it firsthand, but I have been curious about it for some time and have done some reading on the subject. To find information, do seaches on strings like {passenger freighter travel} {passenger cargo travel}. See, for example, this FAQ. However you will probably find that it's not feasible for your needs, as it would take too long and cost too much. Nevertheless, there are many options for passenger travel on freighters for those who can afford it, time and money-wise.
I guess I just avoid mass transit...I did the train thing once. I could not stand up in a lot of places (I am 6'7"). Airlines used to be good about letting me sit in an exit row, when the person checking me in look up to great me. Now if I don't shell out extra money, I am at the mercy of the flight attendants (who normally move me) and the passengers to not crush my legs.
Thanks for the freighter information. My travel agent will be chagrined. It does seem rather expensive and definitely time-consuming. Even more so when you consider the packet only travels to and from New Zealand every two months and I have to be at a conference on a specific date. Still, at some future time I would love to try this mode of travel.
Highflyer, I did an Icelandic flight back from Europe after spending two months on Crete in 1969. Now I can always say that I've been to Iceland, even if it was for only an hour or two! I was surprised, but Icelandic is still flying! Here you go [url]http://www.icelandair.com/[/url]
I used to travel thousands of miles a year for work and pleasure [miles to Hawaii add up pretty quickly!] Loved nearly every moment of it. Stopped flying at the end of 2001. From Revere's blog and your comments, it sounds like I'm not missing anything.