ok, guys, WHAT IS UP WITH THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY.
over the weekend, i flew to phoenix to attend my friend jay’s wedding (more on that later this week). normally, i ADORE flying. it’s so much fun to sit in the airport and watch people and absorb that delightfully liminal feeling of so many possibilities, so many lives intermingling for one tiny moment before they jet off to their destinations. i love sitting by the gate with a fresh new paperback in one hand and an auntie anne’s pretzel in the other, thrilled with the knowledge that i am about to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! jet setting pants!
but this weekend? even a lovely pair of french children sitting across from me couldn’t save the airline industry from FAIL.
first of all, i got charged $30 for my bag. and i thought i was doing the airline a favor for NOT trying to stuff it into an overhead container. $30?!! tim (who was traveling with me) and i decided that we’d rather they just tack it on to the ticket price. if you’re going to scam me, american airlines, I DON’T KNOW WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. i demand to be an ignorant consumer!
then, and this was the worst part, my flight from dallas to austin was delayed. now, i’ve experienced many, many delays in my time. usually, i just head over to the local TGIF’s or chili’s and order a margarita and some fries. EASY PEASY. but last night? my 11 PM flight was delayed until 12:44 AM. which meant i arrived in austin around 1:45 AM.
and you know what’s open at the airport at 11 PM? NOTHING. NOTHING IS OPEN. there was even an announcement that the security station was shutting down, so we were trapped in the terminal until the plane came.
honestly, it started to feel like a stephen king novel. which was a thought that brought me great comfort, strangely enough. i think that’s a bad sign.
so, i know that the airline industry is suffering cos of expensive fuel, but is that really the main problem? can someone out there break this down for me? i tried doing a little (read: five minutes) research, but all i found was a NYT article from last year about how passenger delays are worse than people thought (ORLY) and a highly comforting WSJ post informing me that things are actually going to be WORSE in the fall. great. awesome. thanks.
airline industry, UR DOIN IT WRONG.
i can’t help but feel like there’s more to it than fuel prices. what do you guys think? what have been yr experiences lately?
of course, even in the face of ridiculous and inexplicable delays, the human spirit triumphs. last night, my grumpiness quickly melted away as i watched people around me befriend each other, bonded by a common crisis. it was like “independence day” but without the aliens or death. i even ran into my friend alex, who lives in LA, and the delay gave us an unexpected opportunity to catch up with each other.
but my favorite moment happened when a guy took out a mini-soccer ball and began to kick it around the terminal. soon, he was joined by some airport workers, and an impromptu soccer game began.
this is probably the most awesome thing i’ve ever seen at an airport.
so yeah, there was something heartwarming about how people handled the delay last night. but i’ve got the feeling that we’ll need more than the human spirit and a soccer ball to conquer this airline problem.
in the meantime, when i fly to boston later this week, i am soooo bringing a kickball.
It’s sooooooo not just fuel charges. This has been a worsening condition for years. Salon’s Ask the Pilot columns are always informative, though, and can lay out how the whole system gets screwed over by lack of proper regulation, too much improper regulation, and idiots with iPhones who think they can handle the whole situation by saying, “Nuh-uh, the weather in Newark is awesome. Stop lying to us, pilot!”
To which the pilot (in an admittedly Urban Legend-sounding way) responded, “”If the passenger with the iPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate airport, then calculate our revised fuel burn due to being rerouted, then call our dispatcher to arrange our amended release, then make a call to the nearest traffic control center to arrange a new slot time (among all the other aircraft carrying passengers with iPhones), we’ll then be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the flight attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multimillion-dollar aircraft and its 84 passengers to safely leave.”
Fuel’s part of the equation, but so is overcrowding on the runways and a whole host of other things. The trouble is, taking the bus is even worse.
Matt, I’d like you and your fellow Future-Lovers to seriously get on the task of inventing teleportation machines, because that’s pretty much going to be our only hope. I’m even willing to risk having a couple of Half Jeff Goldblum/Half Fly people as sacrifices. IT’S WORTH IT.
My last few flight experiences have not been that great. First, my Papa passed away and Craig and I had to get to Houston last-minute and I found out that bereavement fares don’t exist anymore. That’s where our stimulus check went to…
Another flight took me more than 20 hours to get from Atlanta to Waco for business. 20 hours. Weather delays were the problem and I anticipated some type of delay. What’s so ridiculously funny is that the leg from Atlanta to Dallas took about 7 hours in the plane. You see, the pilot was instructed to wait out the storm at the airport. That makes sense when you want to save on fuel. Apparently the airport/airline meteorologists didn’t know how to properly predict weather and when we actually took off things seemed fine…and then another worse storm came so we had to circle and circle and circle. We were running out of fuel so we flew to ABILENE. The business travelers were not happy at all during this time…men in suits wanted to jump ship and rent cars to drive to Dallas. Of course all connections were missed and so many people were delayed that everyone wanted a flight. I actually caught the last flight to Waco and felt horrible because it looked like a geriatric convention on my plane and I knew the elderly had a rough day (side note: I was told that standby racks and stacks the customers who had the worst flying experience to the not-so-bad. If you had a HORRIBLE flying day, then you got a ticket. I got my ticket when there were about 15 people already on standby) :-). To make matters worse, the small Waco airport’s rental car places had closed and I couldn’t pick up my car…
And Sarah, just so you know, many airlines are now charging for pillows, blankets and beverages. That’s right, some airlines are not offering beverages for free anymore. Air travel isn’t a luxury anymore.
My mom works for Continental Airlines, so I’m a bit biased here. Continental is suffering cutbacks, including losing about 3,000 employees over the next months. Still, they are considered one of the most financially sound large airlines in the US along with Southwest and American.
One of the reasons they are more sound is that they have the youngest fleet of jets amopng the major carriers, and, therefore, have the one of the most fuel-efficient fleets. In addition to the payroll cutbacks, they are also eliminating routes that operate on their oldest aircraft because they pretty much lose money every time those specific planes take off.
(Note: Continental still does not charge for meals/snacks/pillows/blankets, etc., but will charge you $25/bag under 50 lbs. that you check. BTW- I heard that US Air was going to charge for water. Is this foreals?)
As Henri mentioned, the problem is somewhat complex - it’s certainly over my head. I do know that the fuel issue simply exacerbated the pre-existing problem. Continental’s CEO said a few months ago that the airline industry’s structure was fundamentally flawed and that if we wanted competitive airlines that were safe to fly, were reliable, and financially viable, we would have to, more or less, start from scratch.
I don’t exactly understand they whys or hows, so I won’t embarass myself by trying to explain what I think I know.
We do overcrowd many airports (esp. around NYC) almost guaranteeing delays in those situations. An article in today’s USAToday focused on the rapid rate of plane fare increases. It asked if flying was becoming the transportation of the rich. We might be headed there soon.
Sorry that your trip sucked. Have fun in Boston!
My husband, the pilot, says that Henri and Randy have covered the basic reasons why flying has become problematic for people. Most people don’t pay what the seat on the plane is actually worth. But due to the cost of fuel, most people are now being forced to pay close to what the seat is actually worth.
I know that I am sensitive to this issue because my husband makes his living in this profession and it seems like a lot of people complain about the hassles of flying without understanding the whole story. The gate agent, ramper, pilot, flight attendant and any number of other people don’t usually deserve to be yelled at when the weather in Newark is bad-which it often is-although my husband says that there is just something about Newark that causes delays even when the weather is great.
I flew out to Orlando on Continental last week. Due to issues in Newark, they had to bump a bunch of Orlando passengers onto a much later flight so they could use the airplane to get international travelers to Newark in time to catch their connections overseas. I felt like they did everything they could to make the best out of a bad situation-including rolling out a beverage and snack cart (complete with chocolate and cookies that you don’t normally see unless you’re in 1st class) to accommodate our hungry stomachs since the rest of the airport was closing down. They did a drawing for travel vouchers and gave everyone free headphones so they could enjoy the in flight entertainment.
There are other forms of transportation, and if you want the speed of air travel, you need to be prepared to deal with the potential issues that come with it. Or, like Henri suggested, you could take the bus.
I was always a big fan of Southwest. But NOT ANYMORE! They’re stupid.
Now I didn’t have problems with checked bag fees (none), or fees for drinks and peanuts, or flight delays. I was pissed that my boyfriend who had a free ticket was able to get on an empty plane early because he was stand by but because I’d bought my ticket online several months prior for a non stop over booked flight they wouldn’t let me move to the earlier flight unless I wanted to pay $236!!! I was mad at the inconvenience of us flying separately but also at the irrational business sense- move me up to a practically empty flight and free up my seat so that you don’t have to bump someone and make them mad. It’s like my McDonalds wanting to charge me $1.09 for a hashbrown but just a $1 for a hashbrown and sausage bisquit. Seriously?! Does that make financial sense?!
I totally agree with you Sarah. They should just include that baggage cost into the airfare in the first place. I got really upset yesterday when I heard that Jet Blue will no longer have free pillows and blankets and will be now charging $7 for them. I used to love flying and now its no longer fun :(. I did love the guy playing soccer though!
Remember also that the bread and butter of the airlines is the business traveler who very often does not have bags they need to check. By raising the ticket price to include baggage, they would unfairly penalize the good part of their clientele who usually have no extra luggage.
The concept is that the extra fifty pounds that your bag weighs requires the plane to burn that much more fuel in the air, so instead of passing the cost on to everyone (and thereby encouraging people to bring as many bags as they want since it’s a shared cost) they pass the cost only to those who check. It also encourages you to strategize and maybe only check one bag instead of two, if you can make it. If this happens, there’s a lighter plane, less fuel and (if you care about such things) less carbon footprint.
For me the real problem with air travel is that we EXPECT it to be comfortable, safe, always on time, full of good entertainment and (at least) edible free food. Oh, and cheap too, thank you very much. Plus, can I have some frequent flyer miles with that?
I have substantially lowered my expectations. I now expect just 1 thing: to land.
So when delayed, I think, yup, to be expected. I consider travel days a descent into the time vortex. I buy my own food before the flight and avoid the grimy food on board (except pretzels — love the pretzels). I bring my own pillow, blankie, warm socks, earplugs, face mask and entertainment — all of which I use to distract myself so I can forget where I am. I expect everything about the experience to make me tired, stiff, cranky and claustrophobic. And as long as we land, I’m 100% satisfied!
Of course, there’s always the private jet option…I’ve heard those are nice. Maybe we could all pool our resources on a jetshare?
i really appreciate everyone’s feedback, esp. people with family in the industry (katie, randy).
here’s the thing, though. i’m not asking for free food. i’m not asking for free pillows. i’m simply asking to take off and land at the times i’ve paid for. if there’s a snowstorm, ok, i understand. but i don’t think weather is usually to blame.
i never yell at gate people. i never blame the people that give me my ticket. and i have DEFINITELY never faulted the pilot. but i don’t think we should just accept things the way they’re going… the DIRECTION they’re going.
randy said: “Continental’s CEO said a few months ago that the airline industry’s structure was fundamentally flawed and that if we wanted competitive airlines that were safe to fly, were reliable, and financially viable, we would have to, more or less, start from scratch.”
is this possible? how can we make this happen?
henri said the other day that, if it weren’t for the war, maybe this airline problem would be a more prominent campaign issue. i hope that it DOES get addressed, somehow.
although, ha ha, my faith in the government is actually flimsier than my trust in the airline industry.
My father-in-law is a pilot and is frustrated with the industry. That’s why he lives in India and flies for Indigo Air.
I agree with Sarah, barring the weather-related things that will come up. Let me get where I am supposed to go without too much delay.
Oh, and when I flew my cats to Atlanta they claimed that the delay was due to weather so it was not their fault. The ironic thing was my little sister was flying to visit me on the same flight and it was a mechanical problem - the pilot even announced it. Continental gave her a meal voucher because of the delay. I called to complain and was given the weather tale. Airlines are not liable for reimbursement when it’s due to weather so they lied to me. Where have ethics gone?
A couple things:
First, some reasons Southwest is bad:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/07/southwest-kicks-woma.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20638479/
Second, I hate flying in the US. I think it’s because everywhere else in the world, flying is so heavily subsidized that it’s just really super-luxurious, compared to in the US. (I think it’s subsidized in the US as well, but not as much.)
I hate the fact they routinely overbook flights so you may or may not actually get on the flight you, uh, paid for. That drives me INSANE. Either I am paying for a seat on a flight, or I am not. There is not a middle option. You can’t stick me on the wing.
And, yes, delays, but I have come to expect that, as Amber said, although I am pretty irrational about it if it means I’m coming home late on a school/work night.
My question is, with fuel prices/climate change/emissions standards, is flying going to become prohibitively expensive (again)? What impact will this have on our perceptions of our quickly globalizing world? (I have specifically mentioned to David that, if it becomes difficult or expensive to fly, we have to be somewhere we’d actually like to be stuck in.)
i don’t really have problems on continental (knocking on countertop) except for minor delays, and i guess they factor the bag fee into the ticket, because i didn’t know i paid for my checked luggage… they tend to be affordable, and they give you snacks. there might be some glitches, but overall, you can land without a migraine.
delta, on the other hand, is AW-FUL. i flew a couple of times to their hub in ohio when visiting my grandparents and had a miserable time on each flight, including a delay that almost made me miss a connecting flight–that i didn’t miss, because THAT flight was ALSO delayed. but delta EMAILED ME with alternate flights, an email i received once i’d already gotten home. that trip was the end of my delta travels.
hey, so i kind of wonder if we’ll start taking ship voyages overseas again? when i heard that the airlines would probably be bankrupt by this time next year, that was one of my first dorky thoughts. i know that doesn’t make much sense, but i would kind of like that… yay boats!
For those who want the baggage cost built in to the ticket price, do you ever shop for fares online? (I’m guessing the answer is yes — I don’t even know how else to buy tickets these days.) Do you ever consider price when you shop? (Again, I’m guessing the answer is yes.) Do you ever consider anything else?
If the answer to that last question is “no”, then it’s possible that you’re part of the problem. Most fare advertisements and purchasing tools offer you only one piece of information: the ticket price. If that’s all we as consumers care about, that’s the only thing we’re guaranteed to get. When we start shunning the low-performing, but cheap, airlines, perhaps they will go out of business. But how much more would you pay for an airline that has a much better on-time record?
As to weather, it’s important to consider how the current hub-and-spoke system is built and how interdependent it is. In order for your flight to be on time, the weather doesn’t have to just be good where you’re arriving and departing. It also has to be good in the city where your plane originated before arriving at your departure city. And it’s actually more complicated than just that.
I would *totally* pay an extra $50 for a guaranteed arrival and departure time. I’d probably go up an extra $150 if I kept getting bogged down by bad experiences.
As it is, I generally try to avoid carriers who hub out of rough weather places whenever possible. Phoenix? Denver? No thanks. Thunderstorms in those cities screwed me over every time I flew Frontier or America West last year.
Jet Blue has generally been great to me during the summer, but when the cold months roll around I definitely think twice before booking a flight with someone who hubs in NYC. I got mildly annoyed when I heard that they wouldn’t be offering free headphones anymore, and that they’re charging extra money for their Even More Legroom seats, because I think that that kind of business planning shows that they don’t actually know what their customers want (but does penalize you for being tall - is that because tall people will weigh more and take more fuel to carry?), and demonstrates the wrong kind of creative thinking, but it doesn’t really bother me because I always bring my own headphones and have never used the blankets and pillows.
Recently, though, I’ve been all about Southwest. They keep innovating the process of flying, and from what I’ve read, they’re growing rather than whining about needing a federal bail out from bankruptcy. Plus, when I missed my morning flight out of Tulsa last weekend (thank you, all night Red Bull after party), they offered me my choice of the other flights that afternoon, were totally friendly, and didn’t charge me anything.
I don’t have the option of paying extra money for a seat that’s guaranteed to arrive at the advertised time, but I definitely won’t fly America West or US Air ever, ever again because I got screwed over by them too many times. I dropped Expedia and Orbitz because they rely on the major carriers too much, and those carriers are the most screwed, and I hope that by flying Southwest and Jet Blue almost exclusively, I actually *can* do something to help the entire industry start over from scratch, because that’s basically what those companies have been doing the whole time.
Of course, the first time I’m delayed by three hours on Southwest, which we all know happens because we’ve seen it on that reality show, I’ll probably switch to another carrier. Hopefully that’ll be another innovator, though, and they’ll have fixed the problem.
I read that the reason Southwest isn’t in as dire of a situation as the other airlines is because they locked their price of fuel a while back. Something along the lines of they get it at the fixed rate up until they have used a certain amount and then they pay what everyone else pays. So hopefully this doesn’t mean that Southwest will see these problems the others are having this year next year. I recently flew to LA with them and really enjoyed the experience.
An excerpt from a book I picked up at the library the other day about the “hidden lives and strange origins of common and not-so-common words” that reminded me of this blog:
“The word ‘travel’ comes from another word, travail, which means hard, painful work. Imagine for a moment, you’re living in a time five hundred years ago. There are no cars with comfy seats, no airplanes to take you anywhere in the world within hours. You have to travel on a horse, or in a wagon, for days or even months. The road is bumpy and there are no roadside McFriendly’s restaurants. Travel was truly hard work.”
Last time I flew my flight was delayed both on the way to my destination and back home again. Next time I fly I think I’ll keep this passage in mind…and maybe start up some impromptu games.
When I was traveling a lot during the 90’s both domestic and overseas, I never minded the delays due to weather or mechanical or the occasion grumpy stewardess or check clerk, I figured that was the normal for this popular avenue of travel. The only thing that would to push my button was those passengers who violated the one carryon bag rule (which the air lines never seem to enforce). I would come on the plane, get to my seat and find the overhead compartment full (they have tended to get smaller) where the other passenger had brought three or more bags. Then there were the passengers whose assigned seats were in the back (who got on first) and placed their bag in the front over head compartments, leaving no room for those that actually had assigned seats under those compartments. Once a lady sending behind placed one of her carryon bags (she had filled up the overhead) in front of my seat. It is truly frustrating when you have to check your small carry on because of the discourteous behavior of other.
Randy I am a big fan of Continental and we are flying them next week. To all you with family who are pilots, god bless them, it is a huge responsibility.
sometimes flying can be fun… i ran into lindsay lohan and samantha ronson in the admiral’s club at lax this past weekend.
i definitely recommend traveling with just one airline to earn points (if possible financially). with gold and platinum status on american, i get free checked bags.
i also tend to fly really early in the morning, that way there typically aren’t as many delays unless a plane didn’t make it in the night before. it seems to help a bit and the business travelers are more savvy with airport etiquette. in nyc, i got stuck with non-business travelers who didn’t seem to know the security line rules and it took tsa a loooong time to get them on track.
“although, ha ha, my faith in the government is actually flimsier than my trust in the airline industry.”
Excellent. She is moving closer to the dark side.
newt gingrich reads my blog! who knew?
I don’t even know what you’re complaining about - I spent 10 HOURS waiting at Dallas airport to get my plane to Austin and I had already spent almost 10 hours flying from London to Dallas! And then when I finally make it to Austin at 2am in the morning they lost my suitcase ! They being American Airlines who I would never ever fly with again !!
We just flew AA out of O’Hare today and all of us carried our luggage on since we planed ahead and knew the fees… Since we were staying with my aunt, we just packed really light and did laundry there.
I did see a billboard on the way to the airport for http://www.tellyouraastory.com/
So maybe you should post yours there…
We were only late by about 10 minutes, and they were overbooked so Raymond and I could have given up our seats and gotten travel vouchers (we should have, but we were ready to get home).
Matt flew Continental out of Milwaukee and would have been 3 hours late, except that we dropped him off so early since we had to drive to Chicago that he got on an earlier flight.